Religious Education
At The Abbey Junior School we consider the spiritual and moral development of every child to be of the greatest importance. This development is addressed in numerous ways and through many areas of the curriculum. 
Collective worship, which includes periods of prayer and quiet reflection as well as teaching from different religious traditions, is a vital element ofthe life of the Junior School community.
Weekly Religious Education lessons link closely with the Values based programme of the daily assemblies. These lessons also allow time for our pupils to learn about and reflect upon a number of world religions, focusing particularly on those from which we have practising members in school.
The Religious Education programme covers the Jewish and Christian fundamentals of the Old and New Testaments. The girls become familiar with the stories and teaching of the Christian religion and thus gain a broad knowledge of Christianity. Islam, Sikhism, Hinduism and Buddhism are also studied by our pupils as individual religions and through topics such as 'Creation Stories' and 'Sacred Texts'.
The programme is taught in a practical manner wherever possible, with an emphasis on the study of genuine artefacts, re-enactment of rituals and craft activities.
Visitors to the school and trips to holy places help to bring the subject to life. During her years in the Junior School, every girl should visit Christ Church, our local church, at least once a year for varied teaching sessions and activities, led by Father David West. Visits to a synagogue, mosque, mandir, gurdwara, Buddhist temple and to the community are arranged at appropriate times in the programme. Parents from our school community visit to talk about subjects as varied as Hindu weddings and Muslim prayer rituals.
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Christening at Christ Church with Father David West |
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Hindu Naming Ceremony |
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Our school is a broad and welcoming community and in it there are girls who are members of many different religious groups or none. We feel it is vital that our young people are given the knowledge to understand the belief systems and practices of their peers. To this end we foster empathy and tolerance of all religious belief from the earliest stages.
