Religious Education

Mission Statement

We are extremely proud to be a Church of England Primary school, with a strong distinctiveness within this area. Our mission and vision is firmly embedded and rooted in school life and permeates everything that we do. As a school, we all work extremely hard to ensure that we fulfil our mission statement following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.

At St James’ Lanehead we believe that we are ‘all special in God’s eyes.’ Through the teaching of Religious Education, we seek to inspire each individual to flourish, grow and learn with Jesus at the centre of all we do.

SIAMS 2019 – “The school’s Christian vision is firmly embedded and lived out by all members of the school community. This results in innovative and imaginative practice that enables pupils to flourish and transforms their lives.”

How Our Curriculum Supports Our Vision

The schools RE curriculum is provided by Blackburn Diocese and is called ‘Questful RE.’ This is supplemented by additional materials and resources contained in ‘Understanding Christianity.’

At St James’ Lanehead we believe that excellence within RE is supported by a mutual respect and reflective opportunities between teachers and pupils. We ensure that we plan RE in line with the Trust Deed of the school.

Our pupils flourish in RE as creative resources are used to deliver a unique and spiritually based curriculum. Our pupils are excited by their learning. (SIAMS 2019)

Unit plans from the Diocese Syllabus ‘Questful RE’ have been used to create a programme of study bespoke for our children. This programme of study is designed to show progression, recapping and building on knowledge.

Knowledge and understanding in EYFS is assessed against criteria contained in all areas of Development Matters.

Pupils take part in ‘SWAT’ and Diocesan meetings with other schools to share experiences and knowledge.

More able pupils are challenged by using materials contained in ‘Understanding Christianity’ which can be used by teachers to deepen thinking in RE.

As a Church School, and in addition to OFSTED we are inspected under the ‘Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS). Please see our most recent report in the important information section below.

Our children are very fortunate to be educated in lovely surroundings where we can appreciate God’s wonderful creations. The children at St James’ Lanehead are given opportunities to flourish and we encourage prayer and develop their own reflection.

At St James’ Lanehead we pride ourselves in providing a family environment where the children feel nurtured, comfortable and can flourish. We discuss the ‘Big Questions’ with the children, by encouraging them to consider God’s ‘Big Story.’ We provide an environment to ask questions, search for answers and possibilities.

We encourage our children to celebrate ‘awe and wonder’ places and moments in school. We have developed areas within the school grounds and have plans in place to develop these even further.

Children Leading Worship

We are very lucky to have a passionate group of children, ‘The Worship Group’, who work so hard to regularly lead worship within the school. The children ensure that others understand the purpose of worship and the symbolism of the three candles to represent the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The childrens’ worships contain a welcome time for rejoicing, music, prayer and praise alongside Bible readings, information, questions and presentations. The children also ask members of the school community to reflect upon the worships.

Throughout the year all the classes have the opportunity to lead worship and invite their parents to join us with these worships.

The Worship Group prepare special acts of worship for Christian festivals throughout the school year.

The Learning Environment

We take pride to ensure that our learning environment is inspirational and uplifting. The displays within school demonstrate how the pupils are challenged and encouraged to develop their knowledge and understanding of Religious Education. The learning reflects the children’s thoughts and feelings helping them to develop skills of personal resilience.

See below for images relating to this and to view our worship gallery.