Religious Education

Religious education - our intent

At Checkendon Primary School, we provide high standards of teaching and learning in a caring and happy environment. We are a nurturing, holistic, school, rooted in a Christian community serving the small village of Checkendon and other neighbouring villages and towns. The large majority of our pupils come from White British backgrounds and our deprivation levels are well below the national average. We continue to be a school maintained by Oxfordshire County Council. Our aims are underpinned by our core values of: Respect, Courage, Integrity, Compassion, and Hope.  Values are the principles that drive our thinking and behaviour. They influence our actions and attitudes; guide us through life in all that we do and they impact on our relationships with others. By teaching values, we enable children to develop their self-confidence, to distinguish right from wrong and to accept responsibility for their behaviour. Furthermore, through values, children are empowered to show initiative and to understand how they can contribute positively to society. Our children enjoy talking about what values mean to them and they bring their own opinions, thoughts and reflections into school to share with others. Our values promote the fundamental British values of democracy. The children at Checkendon Primary School are offered a wide variety of opportunities which support them to find their strengths and interests; whether academic, social, through the arts or sports. 

Religious education - our implementation (taken from our SIAMS SEF)

Our vision is to unlock the unique voice within each child fostering a lifelong aspiration of learning excellence. Striving for an inclusive school family where everyone can flourish and experience life to its fullest. We aim to grow within the natural beauty surrounding us, safe in the knowledge of God's love.

Our vision is rooted in Christian vision, from Jesus’ teachings recorded in John 10:10 “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Our school emblem is two crossed keys and a sword (in recognition of our close relationship with our local church of St Peter and St Paul) we take the keys as a sign to unlock the unique voice within each child.

We believe the purpose of education is to enable every child to thrive and to be the person they are fully capable of being. The uniqueness of each child is celebrated and nurtured through the partnership of children, parents, staff and governors. Every child enjoys the extra attention that makes all the difference to learning, behaviour and having fun in our small class sizes, therefore fostering a lifelong aspiration of learning excellence.

We see our role as providing a well-rounded education, which supports everyone to flourish academically and physically, emotionally and spiritually, socially and morally, striving for an inclusive school family where everyone can flourish and experience life to its fullest.

We are dedicated to providing a place of effective learning and teaching so that each child may pursue success in the classroom, on the sports field, within the arts, in every area of school life and outside by growing within the natural beauty surrounding us.

Our children are grateful for their surroundings and understand that not all individuals have the same opportunities as them. We feel fortunate that our children have the opportunity to attend Forest School once a week, where they can appreciate the natural beauty surrounding us and the majesty of nature while also discovering their place in the world.

Guided by our Christian values, we endeavour to motivate and inspire everyone to become resilient and enthusiastic lifelong learners, safe in the knowledge of God's love reinforced by their teachers and the wider community.

When we reflected on our vision, in our first FGB of the year following the publication of the new SIAMS framework, the governors and school leaders discussed including John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” This encourages us to consider our context in more depth and further draw on our mission to create stewardship, teaching the children to be agents of change and protect the environment. Our children are leaders of the future, they are privileged and we want them to do something good with the advantages they have. We will teach our children to have a good moral compass through an inspiring and varied curriculum, supported by a wide range of enrichment activities and extra-curricular opportunities. Our school community is on a spiritual journey, as such we regularly discuss the relevance of our Bible Verse and will continue to ensure it reflects our ethos.

The school leaders have considered joining an academy; and federating with another small, local school has been exhaustively discussed with the governors and Oxfordshire County Council. These are not currently the best options to enhance the effectiveness of Checkendon as a Church school.

Times of quiet reflection and prayer are woven into the daily rhythm of the school. This is evident in our daily collective worship which follows a timetable that includes, learning hymns, celebration and cultural diversity. Collective worship is inclusive, and invitational and always ends in prayer and reflection.  We are building the role of School Values Ambassadors to plan, lead, and monitor collective worship every week. The school has an incredibly close relationship with the local church and clergy, once a week a member of the local clergy leads our collective worship within the school or in church. Members of the Langtree Team Ministry are regular visitors to the school. Opportunities for reflection, and ethical and spiritual issues are also built into the curriculum. These regular, planned opportunities are driven by our vision and values and are central to the life of the school.

Our Hope for a Flourishing Schools System (page 16) states ‘Children and adults flourish from a deep sense of belonging in their schools’ this is documented in our parent survey (July 2023) 92% of parents who responded feel ‘my child is happy at Checkendon” and 100% of parents would recommend Checkendon Primary School to another parent.

Religious education - our impact

Through RE at Checkendon Primary School we want our children to respect others and gain a broader understanding of views and beliefs and improve their knowledge of global affairs, through this deeper understanding they can avoid extremism and religious discrimination. They develop a stronger sense of wellbeing, ethical standards and personal happiness. Our pupils are able to contribute to and build a more cohesive community.