Religious Education and Collective Worship

Finding out about other religions

Religious Education follows the County guidelines and is designed to promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at Ashill School.  It is also designed to prepare pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life.  RE teaching will be broadly Christian but designed to respect understanding and tolerance for those who adhere to different faiths.

In addition, a school assembly, which includes an act of collective worship, is held every day.  These assemblies have a weekly theme.

RE and Collective Worship are the only areas of study from which parents have the right to withdraw their children.  Parents considering this action should contact the Headteacher.

Cross Curricular Issues including Personal, Social, Health Education (PSHE) and Citizenship

These are often confused with thematic teaching but actually refer to areas of the curriculum that go beyond any one subject.  They in fact provide curriculum coherence which discrete teaching does not.  These areas include Personal and Social Education, Health Education, Equal Opportunities, Environmental Education and many more.  These form a very important part in the education of the “whole child” and reflect the ethos or philosophy of Ashill School.

We believe issues such as personal relationships, respect for others, general behaviour, the joy of learning and doing one’s best, as well as the way the staff interact and work together to provide the learning environment, are an integral part of education at this school.  These fundamental curriculum issues are supported by many from outside the school such as the nurse, dentist, vicar, visiting theatre groups, local community, etc.

Sex education should be incurred in its widest form, that of preparing young people in the process of growing up.  Our school plays a very important role in this development, helping children to understand how the human body functions in the context towards gender.  The topic approach to learning provides many opportunities for project work centred around animals, plants, seeds and ourselves.  These studies lead, quite naturally, towards concepts related to sex education.  Teachers give correct information, develop sensible attitudes, make children socially and morally aware and familiarise children with health and hygiene matters.  The older children are made aware of dangers associated with misuse of substances harmful to the body, e.g. illegal drugs.  Further details can be found in the school’s PSHE and Citizenship Policy.

In 2003 the school was awarded the nationally acclaimed Healthy Schools’ Award and then achieved the revised standard in 2007.  The award provided a focus for our school to become a ‘healthier setting’ in which our children can learn and grow.  It also provides a framework for programmes aimed at supporting the health and well being of everyone concerned with the life of our school.