BRAVE stands for Beliefs, Religions and Values Education. We use this name because we want our Religious Education curriculum to be about more than learning facts about different religions. We want our children to develop the knowledge, curiosity, vocabulary and confidence to explore religion, belief and worldviews, ask thoughtful questions and engage respectfully with different perspectives.

 

Our approach reflects our commitment to being an inclusive community of learners, where everyone is welcomed and valued. At the same time, at Thurlow, our learning is rooted in our distinctive Christian vision and ethos as a Church of England school.

 

Both Hundon and Thurlow follow the Suffolk Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education and make full use of The Emmanuel Project, as recommended by the Diocese. The Emmanuel Project takes a Religion and Worldviews approach, helping children to understand that religious and non-religious worldviews are diverse and are lived and expressed differently by different people.

 

It begins with people and their lived experiences, helping children to understand that the world is a richly diverse community. Through meaningful enquiry and Big Questions, children are encouraged to explore beliefs, practices and perspectives, make connections and comparisons, and think deeply about questions that matter to people.

 

A key aim of our BRAVE curriculum is to develop religious literacy – enabling children to have balanced, informed and respectful conversations about religion, belief and worldviews.

 

Our teaching draws on three complementary lenses:

These lenses help children to explore both what people believe and how those beliefs are lived out in everyday life. Children encounter religious texts and other sources, explore the lives and experiences of believers, consider how communities express their beliefs, and have opportunities to discuss and reflect on significant questions about meaning, purpose, truth, morality and what it means to be human.

 

We recognise that religions and worldviews are not uniform. People within the same tradition may hold different interpretations and may express and practise their beliefs in different ways. We therefore want our children to move beyond stereotypes and generalisations and to develop a more authentic understanding of the diversity of religious and non-religious lives.

 

 

As a Church of England Voluntary Controlled School, Christianity has a particular place within our BRAVE curriculum at Thurlow.

 

Children have opportunities to explore Christian beliefs, the Bible, the life and teachings of Jesus, Christian traditions and festivals, prayer and worship, and the ways in which Christians seek to live out their faith.

 

Our Christian foundation provides an important context for this learning. Through our seven Federation values – Friendship, Respect, Responsibility, Perseverance, Compassion, Wisdom and Peace – children explore how ideas such as forgiveness, humility, truthfulness, justice, service, courage, generosity, curiosity and hope can be understood and lived out.

Our close links with St Peter's Church, Thurlow, and our wider Christian community provide opportunities for children to encounter Christianity as a living faith within their local community.