Religious Education
RE at Arden provokes challenging questions about the meaning and
purpose of life, beliefs about God, the self and the nature of reality,
as well as moral issues of right and wrong and just what it means
to be human.
Religious Education actively promotes the values of truth, justice and
respect for all, as well as providing opportunities for personal
reflection and spiritual development .
Our pupils gain knowledge and understanding of all the six major
world religions; their beliefs, teachings, practices and forms of
expression, as well as of the influence of religion on individuals,
communities and cultures. Pupils are encouraged to develop an
open, critical and sympathetic study of religion.
Learning experiences are varied and include outside visits, incoming
speakers, art, music, drama, video and ICT. There is an emphasis on
pupil participation in the programme, which is both flexible and
challenging. Pupils are also encouraged to extend their learning
outside the classroom with home-learning projects that enhance
pupils’ skills in independent research, self-management and creativity.
Religious Education supports pupils in building a personal sense of
identity and belonging and enables them to flourish as individuals
in multi-cultural Britain, as well as citizens of the global community.
Spirituality plays an important role in preparing pupils for adult life,
employment and life-long learning by creating individuals who are
able to show respect for and sensitivity toward others, in particular
those whose faiths and beliefs are different from their own.
Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education
In Personal Social Health and Economic (PSHE) Education we aim
to promote the highest standards of personal and interpersonal
behaviour through the delivery of the widest range of challenge
and opportunities possible within a happy and caring environment .
The role of PSHE is not merely to support the academic curriculum
but have its own educative purpose, backed-up by detailed
schemes of work.
The primary aims of PSHE are to help pupils to lead confident ,
healthy and responsible lives, both individually and as members of
society. We work to empower pupils with the basic skills,
experiences, knowledge and attitudes that are required to help
them live healthily and deal with the spiritual, moral, social and
cultural issues they face as they approach adulthood.
The PSHE curriculum provides pupils with opportunities to reflect on
their life experiences and how they are developing as young people,
helping them manage a wide range of relationships responsibly.
Intrinsic to this process is the development of pupils' well-being and
self-esteem, encouraging belief in their ability to succeed, and
enabling them to seize ownership of their future learning and career
choices.
The PSHE scheme of work is one that introduces topics to the pupils
at the appropriate time, allowing many concepts and subjects to be
revisited. During Key Stage Three, pupils learn about themselves as
growing and changing individuals and as members of their
communities, enabling them to become more self-aware and
develop their moral reasoning. Key Stage Four sees pupils use the
knowledge, skills and understanding that they have gained,
combining this with their own life experiences to take new and
more adult roles in the school and the wider community.
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