Collective Worship & RE

Collective Worship at St Paul’s

Collective Worship is at the heart of daily life at St Paul’s. It provides space for our whole school community to gather, reflect, and be inspired by our Christian vision: “Learning in God’s Love.”

Frequency & Structure – Worship takes place daily. It follows the rhythm of the church year, rooted in biblical teaching and reflecting our values of Courage, Compassion, and Community.
Leadership – Worship is led by staff, clergy, pupils, and visitors. Our vicar, Rev Claire Holt, leads weekly worship and supports us in deepening our understanding of faith. Children regularly plan and lead worship themselves, sharing readings, prayers, drama, and music.
Themes – Worship explores our values, celebrates festivals such as Harvest, Christmas, and Easter, and connects faith to everyday life.
Reflection & Prayer – We build in opportunities for quiet reflection and prayer, enabling children to develop their own spirituality and sense of belonging.
Impact – Worship helps our children grow in faith, character, and confidence. It strengthens our school community and encourages pupils to live out St Paul’s call to “stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”

Links with St Paul’s Church

Our connection with St Paul’s Church, Tongham, is central to our school identity. We visit regularly for worship and celebrations, including Harvest, Christmas, and Easter, as well as for learning experiences linked to RE. These strong parish links enrich our curriculum and strengthen our sense of belonging to the wider Christian community.

Religious Education at St Paul’s

The Religious Education curriculum is carefully sequenced to provide a coherent subject scheme that develops children’s knowledge, skills and understanding of religion and worldviews over time. At St Paul’s, we follow the Surrey Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education (2023–2028), developed with the Diocese of Guildford.

The curriculum is designed to reflect the Religion and Worldviews approach, enabling children to understand how beliefs and values shape people’s lives and the world around them.

The curriculum is built around three key types of knowledge:

Substantive knowledge – what children learn about religions and worldviews
Disciplinary knowledge – how children learn (through theology, philosophy and sociology)
Personal knowledge – how children reflect on their own views and beliefs

These elements are woven through all units, ensuring that children develop a deep and connected understanding of religion and belief.

The curriculum is enquiry-based, with each unit structured around a Big Question, enabling children to explore, reflect and respond to key ideas about meaning, identity and community.

Key Stage 1

In Key Stage 1, children begin to explore religion and worldviews through their own experiences and the world around them.

Children learn to:

Talk about their own experiences and beliefs
Explore key stories, symbols and practices from Christianity and other faiths
Recognise similarities and differences between beliefs and traditions
Begin to ask questions about meaning and belonging

Units are built around enquiry questions, enabling children to:

Develop curiosity about religion and belief
Begin to understand how people live out their faith
Use simple vocabulary to describe religious ideas

There is a strong focus on:

Belonging and community
Special people, places and celebrations
Early understanding of key Christian concepts

Lower Key Stage 2

In Lower Key Stage 2, children deepen their understanding of religion and worldviews and begin to engage with more complex ideas.

Children learn to:

Describe and explain beliefs, practices and traditions
Make connections between different religions and worldviews
Begin to understand the influence of belief on behaviour and choices
Ask deeper questions about meaning, purpose and truth

Children explore religion through the three disciplinary lenses:

Theology – what people believe
Sociology – how people live
Philosophy – thinking about big questions

They begin to:

Use subject-specific vocabulary
Compare different perspectives
Reflect on their own ideas and responses

Upper Key Stage 2

In Upper Key Stage 2, children develop a more sophisticated understanding of religion and worldviews.

They learn to:

Analyse and evaluate different beliefs and perspectives
Understand how religion influences individuals, communities and society
Engage with complex ethical and philosophical questions
Express and justify their own views respectfully

Children develop:

Deeper understanding of key concepts such as identity, community and belief
The ability to consider different viewpoints critically
Confidence in discussing and debating ideas

They are encouraged to:

Make connections across religions and worldviews
Reflect on their own beliefs and values
Engage thoughtfully with challenging questions

By the end of Key Stage 2, children are able to think critically, reflect deeply and engage respectfully with a range of beliefs and perspectives.

Implementation

Religious Education is taught through the Surrey Agreed Syllabus, using a structured, enquiry-based approach.

Each unit:

Begins with a Big Question
Is broken down into smaller enquiry questions
Develops knowledge through exploration, discussion and reflection

Teaching includes:

Opportunities to learn about and from religion and worldviews
Use of stories, artefacts and real-life experiences
Visits and visitors to deepen understanding
Structured opportunities for discussion and reflection

The curriculum ensures:

Clear progression across year groups
Coverage of Christianity and other principal religions and worldviews
Opportunities for personal reflection and spiritual development

RE is taught regularly and given high status as a core subject, reflecting its importance in developing children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding.

Impact

By the time children leave St Paul’s, they have developed:

A secure understanding of a range of religions and worldviews
The ability to think critically and ask meaningful questions
Respect and understanding for different beliefs and cultures
Confidence in expressing their own views

Children can:

Explain key beliefs and practices
Make connections between different religions and worldviews
Reflect on their own ideas and experiences
Engage in thoughtful discussion about complex issues

Children show clear progression from early exploration of beliefs to deeper, more analytical understanding.

Most importantly, children develop a strong sense of identity, belonging and respect for others, preparing them to live well in a diverse and changing world.

Parental Right to Withdraw from RE

Parents have a legal right to withdraw their child from Religious Education (RE) and/or collective worship, as outlined in Section 71(1) of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.

Parents may request that their child is wholly or partly excused from:

RE taught as part of the school’s basic curriculum
Attendance at religious worship in school

No explanation or justification is required if a parent chooses to withdraw their child from part or all of the RE curriculum.

If a child is withdrawn from RE:

The school will provide appropriate supervision.
We are not required to provide alternative teaching or additional activities.
Children will remain on the school premises.
Parents are not permitted to supervise their child during these sessions.

This right applies only to Religious Education and collective worship. It does not extend to National Curriculum subjects that may include learning about religions or worldviews, nor to other statutory curriculum areas such as Relationships and Sex Education (RSE).

If you are considering withdrawing your child from RE, we are happy to discuss this with you.

St Paul's C of E Primary School & Nursery

St Paul'sCofE Primary School & Nursery