THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF RELIGION IS TO FACILITATE LOVE AND COMPASSION, PATIENCE, TOLERANCE, HUMILITY, FORGIVENESS

Dalai Lama

If the purpose of education is to feed the curiosity of children and to steer them towards being well-informed, knowledgeable and tolerant pupils, then the RS curriculum must surely play a pivotal role in this journey.

It is in RS lessons that our pupils begin to understand that there may be differences between us all in terms of religion, dress and dietary habits; but there are more similarities in the many and varied religious texts and beliefs whose teachings have the common theme of being decent to one another.

In addition to this, the modern RS curriculum at Birchfield has an increased focus on philosophy, helping children to understand themselves and others better as well as their actions and the consequences these can have on those we affect. Pupils are also encouraged to be aware of topical issues in the news and to develop an ability to construct an argument and debate in favour or against contentious issues.

Ignorance leads to intolerance of those different to ourselves, and our aim is to develop well–rounded Birchfieldians. We support our Religious Studies pupils to become compassionate and productive adults of the future.