Religious Education
At Tottenhall Infant School, Religious Education (RE) invites children to explore life’s big questions, discovering what people believe, how those beliefs shape the way they live, and how this helps us make sense of our own ideas and ways of living.
We follow the Enfield Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education, developed by the Enfield SACRE (Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education) and updated in September 2023. This syllabus is built around three key strands — Believing, Expressing, and Living — which are revisited each year through carefully planned units of learning. Each unit focuses on a ‘big question’ designed to deepen understanding, build knowledge progressively, and develop children’s skills of reflection and enquiry.
RE at Tottenhall encourages pupils to think deeply about meaning, purpose, belief, right and wrong, and what it means to be human. It nurtures awareness, knowledge and understanding of a wide range of world faiths, religious traditions, and world views.
Through this learning, pupils develop a sense of identity and belonging. RE helps them to grow as individuals and as members of both their local and global communities, fostering respect, empathy and understanding for people of all faiths and none. It is an essential part of a broad and balanced curriculum that prepares our pupils for life in a diverse society.
We believe that RE learning extends beyond the classroom. Trips and visits to places of worship, visits from faith leaders, and immersive RE experiences all enrich our curriculum, helping to bring stories, traditions and beliefs to life in memorable and meaningful ways.
“RE and a deeper appreciation of faith and belief can play an important part in supporting our borough’s tradition of respect and co-operation within and between its different communities… The insights and personal foundations that can be acquired through studying the world’s great faith traditions and belief systems have never been more important or relevant.”
London Borough of Enfield, SACRE 2023