"Growing into all God wants us to be"

Matthew 13: verses 31-32 underpins our vision: The parable of the Mustard Seed.

Meeting the Church of England Statement of Entitlement for Religious Education

The Church of England’s Statement of Entitlement for Religious Education 2026 sets out the high-quality RE provision that pupils should expect to receive in a Church school. At Speldhurst, we recognise RE as a high-profile academic subject that enables children to develop a rich and well-informed understanding of Christianity, explore a range of religious and non-religious worldviews and reflect thoughtfully on their own personal worldviews.

Our RE curriculum reflects our Christian vision: “Growing into all God wants us to be.” It provides children with opportunities to ask meaningful questions, listen carefully to different perspectives and develop the knowledge and vocabulary needed to discuss religious and non-religious worldviews with confidence, curiosity and respect.

To meet the expectations of the Statement of Entitlement, we ensure that:

• RE is taught in every year group from Reception to Year 6. At Key Stages 1 and 2, it aims to occupy close to 10% of curriculum time and receives no less than the required minimum of 5%.
• Christianity is the principal religious worldview studied and accounts for at least 50% of RE curriculum time. It is explored as a diverse, global and living faith.
• Pupils study a range of religious and non-religious worldviews, developing an understanding of the complexity and diversity that exist both between and within different traditions.
• RE is taught as a high-profile academic subject that is entirely distinct from collective worship.
• Teaching is objective, critical and pluralistic. RE is non-confessional, enabling every child to participate fully regardless of their religious or non-religious background.
• Pupils critically engage with a range of religious and non-religious source materials, including biblical texts and other key sources of authority.
• Children explore different ways of knowing. They investigate beliefs and sources through theology, consider questions of meaning, truth and ethics through philosophy, and explore how worldviews are lived and expressed through the human and social sciences.
• Pupils learn about the roles of texts, beliefs, rituals and practices and consider how these may vary across different times, places, communities and cultures.
• Lessons provide safe and supportive spaces in which pupils can ask challenging questions, explore and articulate their personal worldviews and engage in meaningful and respectful dialogue with others.
• Carefully sequenced learning enables children to build substantive and disciplinary knowledge and develop their religious literacy over time.
• Pupils develop a broad range of skills, including enquiry, analysis, interpretation, evaluation and reflection.
• Teaching is adapted appropriately so that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities and those experiencing disadvantage, are supported and challenged to achieve highly in RE.
• Assessment is accurate and inclusive and enables teachers to identify what pupils know, understand and can do, as well as the next steps in their learning.
• Teachers receive appropriate training, resources and ongoing feedback to strengthen their subject knowledge and support high-quality teaching.
• The RE subject leader regularly monitors teaching, learning, assessment and pupil outcomes to identify strengths and areas for further development.
• Governors monitor and evaluate standards in RE and understand its distinctive role and purpose within a Church school.

Through our RE curriculum, we aim to equip pupils with the knowledge, understanding and religious literacy they need to flourish and engage meaningfully with the diverse, multi-religious and multi-secular world in which they live.