RE and Collective Worship

Religious Education

We follow the Derbyshire Agreed Syllabus for RE, and view this as a core subject; achievement in RE is monitored by the Local Trust Committee, and LTC members and leaders ensure that high priority is given to RE through funding and CPD. Our approach to RE follows and is in anticipation of the new 'Statement of Entitlement' and we use this document as a guiding principle for how we organise the subject in school.

Pupils make good progress and achieve well in RE, and our assessment system adopted from the Agreed Syllabus evidences this. The main resource we use within the Agreed Syllabus is 'Understanding Christianity'; two thirds of our teaching in RE is Christian-based. Stories from other religions are woven across the curriculum outside of these taught units, and teachers also refer to and discuss other beliefs including atheism and humanism. As a school, we celebrate, and embrace, 'all faiths and none.' 

For more detail, please click here for our Religious Education page.

Collective Worship

Collective Worship is a central part of life at Woodthorpe and plays an important role in nurturing the spiritual development of our children. Through worship, we provide opportunities for reflection, prayer, celebration and an exploration of our Christian vision and values.

Our worship programme is rooted in our Christian ethos and encourages children to reflect on how they can live out our vision of "Encourage one another and build each other up" (1 Thessalonians 5:11) within our school and wider community.

Throughout the week, children take part in a variety of worship experiences:

• Monday – Singing Praise Worship, where children come together to learn and sing a range of hymns and worship songs.
• Tuesday – Whole School Worship, led by Father Adrian, focusing on a Christian value from our long-term worship plan and helping children understand how these values can be applied in everyday life.
• Wednesday and Thursday – Class-Based Worship, where children explore themes in greater depth through reflection, discussion, prayer and resources such as Picture News. These sessions encourage children to consider current events, moral issues and how they can make a positive difference in the world.
• Friday – Celebration Worship, where we come together to celebrate achievements, recognise positive attitudes to learning and present our CARE Code awards. We also celebrate our Class of the Week, recognising those who have demonstrated our values of Care, Aspire, Resilience and Enjoyment. Parents and families are invited to join us for these special occasions.

Our close links with St John the Baptist Church enrich our worship programme and provide opportunities for children to engage with the local church community. Through worship, children are encouraged to develop their understanding of Christian values, reflect on their own beliefs and appreciate the importance of community, kindness and service to others.