At The Willows School, we believe that our pupils should have a good understanding of different faiths and cultures in order to be a better member of a multicultural society. We aim to develop a respect for, and understanding of, different religions and cultures as part of everything we do, not just within RE lessons.

We strive to develop the pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the major world faiths and predominantly the shared key values by following the Rotherham Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education. This bespoke syllabus enables us to offer to pupils the key values and morals that have been treasured by all religious traditions and these values are shared by many who have no religious convictions.

Our RE curriculum is based on the asking and answering of questions, sharing experiences, developing pupils’ own experiences, as well as gaining knowledge and understanding of different religions, beliefs, practices, language, culture and traditions of our local community. We also understand that parents have the right of withdrawal from all or part of our RE lessons according to the Education Act 1996 and the School Standards and Framework Act 1988. Please notify school if you wish to withdraw your child from R.E. lessons.

In our school, we focus on celebrations and festivals which are happening within the year based on the demographic of Rotherham to make learning more relevant to our pupils. Our RE curriculum is bespoke to meet the needs of pupils, is engaging and real for our pupils. We offer AQA unit awards to our KS4 & 5 students as well as plan visits to places of worship. We invite members of the community into the school and hold whole school multicultural days, making celebrations and festivals come alive within the school.

Multicultural days allow pupils to take part in a range of cross-curricular subjects for example dance, art, music and cooking workshops. These events with a focus on morals and values gives the whole school an opportunity to learn as a community and to learn tolerance and respect for others thus gaining skills, knowledge and the understanding they need to be able to function in society as responsible citizens in modern Britain.