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At Leigh on Mendip School, we have identified threshold concepts — the key, most significant areas of knowledge within Religious Education (RE). These concepts act as building blocks, forming a schema that helps pupils connect and assimilate new knowledge across a broad range of topics. In RE, our threshold concepts include:
Understanding beliefs and teachings
Understanding values
Understanding practices and lifestyles
Understanding how beliefs are conveyed
Reflecting on and responding to personal and shared experiences
These concepts are revisited across different year groups and topics, allowing pupils to deepen their understanding over time and make meaningful connections.
How We Teach RE
RE is taught as a discrete subject, with meaningful links made to other areas of the curriculum where appropriate. Our long-term plan ensures that knowledge and skills are developed progressively as children move through the school, enabling them to build a rich understanding of different religions, beliefs and worldviews.
Our Curriculum Framework
Our Curriculum Framework
Our RE curriculum is based on the Somerset Agreed Syllabus – Awareness, Mystery & Value. This locally agreed syllabus provides a thoughtful and balanced approach to RE, encouraging pupils to explore the mysteries of life, reflect on big questions and understand how beliefs relate to everyday life. The syllabus supports pupils in developing:
A respect for different beliefs and cultures
An ability to reflect on their own ideas and experiences
A deeper awareness of the diverse world they live in
Our approach to Religious Education supports our wider school values of respect, inclusion, and curiosity, ensuring all pupils are equipped to engage with the world around them with understanding and empathy.
Parental right to withdraw children from RE
Parents have the right to choose whether to withdraw their child from RE without influence from the school, although a school should ensure parents or carers are informed of this right and are aware of the educational objectives and content of the RE curriculum. If pupils are withdrawn from RE, schools have a duty to supervise them, though not to provide additional teaching or to incur extra cost.
Withdrawal Procedure
If a parent chooses to withdraw their child from RE, they need to:
Inform the school of their request for their child(ren) to be withdrawn from RE and/or ‘religious assembly’ and whether they intend partial or total withdrawal for their child(ren)
This should be either in person or in writing.
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