The study of religious and non-religious world views is a core component of a rounded academic education. This has long been recognised as essential in Britain. Indeed, one could argue that it is more important now than ever. Young people today are growing up in a world where there is increasing awareness of the diversity of religious and non-religious world views and they will need to live and work well with people with very different outlooks from their own.

Religious education in ACET Academies contributes dynamically to children and young people’s education, provoking challenging questions about human life, beliefs, communities and ideas. In RE pupils learn from religions and world views about different ways of life in local, national and global contexts. They discover, explore and consider many different answers to questions about human identity, meaning and value. They learn to weigh up for themselves the value of wisdom from different communities, to disagree respectfully, to be reasonable in their responses to religions and world views and to respond by expressing insights into their own and others’ lives. They are encouraged to develop enquiring minds, and to think rigorously, creatively, imaginatively and respectfully about their ideas in relation to religions and world views.

Religious Education helps to equip students with the knowledge, understanding, skills, attitudes and values to support their life journey and enable them to participate in their communities and in the world as informed, respectful, responsible and caring members of society.