School Vision
Our pupils are central to our school community. All of our pupils will enjoy a creative, exciting and stimulating curriculum. We are committed to ensuring that each child's potential is fulfilled and that they are prepared for secondary education and beyond. They will leave our unique school with enquiring minds and with a solid foundation to continue as happy, well educated, confident, and independent learners. They will be resilient, caring individuals, who will respect others and celebrate diversity.
They will look back at their time at Downs with fond memories and a feeling that they have attended 'one of the best schools in the world'!
Looking at our school vision you can see all the elements in blue are the parts that relate directly to our vision for our RE curriculum.
Religious Education
Intent
Religious Education has an important place in the curriculum. Our society has never been so diverse, and high quality Religious Education plays an important role in helping to keep this country a tolerant and inclusive place in which to live; it is vital that young people develop a good understanding of their own and other people's beliefs, as they grow up in contemporary British society.
Religious Education has an important role in preparing pupils for adult life, employment and lifelong learning. It enables pupils to develop respect for and sensitivity to others, in particular those whose faiths and beliefs are different from their own. It promotes discernment and enables pupils to challenge prejudice.
Religious Education provokes challenging questions about the ultimate meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God, the self and the nature of reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human. It offers opportunities for personal reflection and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. It enhances pupils’ awareness and understanding of religions and beliefs, teachings, practices and forms of expression, as well as of the influence of religion on individuals, families, communities and cultures. Religious Education encourages pupils to develop their sense of identity and belonging. It enables them to flourish individually within their communities and as citizens in a global community.
At Downs RE is inclusive, interactive, respectful and diverse.
In lessons you will see creative and stimulating activities which facilitate understanding, tolerance and respect.
Here at Downs RE is embedded into school life through regular assemblies, events, festivals and celebrations.
Religious Education encourages pupils to learn from different religions, beliefs, values and traditions while exploring their own beliefs and questions of meaning. It challenges pupils to reflect on, consider, analyse, interpret and evaluate issues of truth, beliefs, faith and ethics and to communicate their responses.
There are clear links with other areas of the curriculum. Our lessons link with a variety of other subjects including Science, Geography and even Maths e.g. use of patterns in Islamic Art.
Children working in RE will have several opportunities to visit places of worship in Brighton. Faith leaders from various religions are encouraged to visit the school, and the children have many opportunities to handle artifacts and learn stories from the six major world religions.
Over the last couple of years, we have updated our curriculum to include elements of modern issues and events e.g. climate change.
Last year, NATRE (National Association of Teachers of Religious Education) held a spirited arts international competition. They asked children to produce pieces of art which demonstrate a deep thinking of what the spirit of religion and belief is.
This has been included in lessons with Year 6.
Interfaith Links
We have been fortunate to have established links to the Interfaith contact group. This group brings people from all faiths and those without together.
On Sunday 17th October 2021 the Interfaith contact group (IFCG) and the mayor of Brighton and Hove - Alan Robins - held a 'Day of compassion' service at the Brighton Dome. It was an event to reflect, commemorate and and celebrate the greatness and loss that has been felt during the pandemic. The service involved many key speakers and readers including MPs Caroline Lucas, Peter Kyle and Lloyd Russell-Moyle and some lovely songs from The soul in the city choir and The cheer up Molly's band. As part of the service several video presentations were played, one of which included some of the children in Year 6.
In 2018, the group launched a city-wide competition called 'The angel of Brighton'. This encouraged anyone to enter a piece of art work or writing to show what angels mean to them. We loved this idea and incorporated the competition into our lessons. All year groups had a lesson to discuss and find out about angels and a medium in which to create their art work (for example year 5 created wire sculptures). We picked many of them to be entered into the competition. A few representatives and the winners of any awards were invited to a reward ceremony at the Jubilee Library - where the awards were awarded by the Mayor. .png?width=640&height=480&scale=LIMIT_MAXSIZE)
Here is the link to a video which details the Angel of Brighton competition - featuring our own Religious Education teacher Jane Johnson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMdPr6Ctxzc
In addition, every year we are invited by the Interfaith Contact Group to attend and speak at their annual service. These services are always based on a theme. Pictured below, the children were asked to read a poem based on the theme of 'angels'.
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
