At Downside Primary School, Religious Education (RE) is delivered through the agreed Luton syllabus. As part of our school ethos, RE is taught to all children as it is seen as a fundamental element in the broad and balanced curriculum that we provide. This is particularly important at Downside as we are a multi-cultural community and the religious makeup of this community is very varied.

Our intention in RE is to celebrate diversity and understand each other’s differences. We intend to fulfil this by providing a variety of rich learning opportunities. Studying a range of religions will enable children to develop a deeper awareness and acceptance of beliefs, values, traditions and cultures of individuals within our societies and communities.

Here at Downside Primary School, we teach RE in a variety of ways in order for children to understand and respect the beliefs of different religions. We also encourage the children to compare religions and recognise the similarities and differences between and within religions. This is done through drama, art and visits to places of religious worship. As well as this, all children have the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge to the wider school community through assemblies. We believe that implementing RE in this manner helps promote respect, morality and open-mindedness towards others with different beliefs and faiths within the school community and preparing the children for the wider world.