Year 1 RE: How Do Muslims Welcome Babies?
Today in RE, we explored the question: How do Muslims welcome babies? We learned about Aqiqah, a ceremony that many Muslim families use to welcome a new baby into the community. We discussed some traditions that may take place during Aqiqah, such as cutting the baby’s hair, giving to charity and gathering with family and friends to celebrate. We then compared similarities and differences between Aqiqah and Baptism. The children identified that Baptism often involves the use of water and oil, whereas Aqiqah may involve cutting the baby’s hair. We also discussed that, in Christianity, people can be baptised at different ages, not only as babies. The children recognised that both celebrations can represent belonging, welcoming and the importance of family, faith and community.
Year 6 - Expressing our views of Jesus
Today during our RE session, the children focused on expressing their own views and understanding of Jesus. They explored how Jesus can represent guidance, hope, love and faith in people’s lives. Using creativity and reflection, the children designed and created their own crosses to symbolise their personal interpretations of Jesus and what He means to them. The children thoughtfully selected different images and symbols to include in their designs, such as lighthouses to represent guidance and safety, pathways to symbolise direction and following the right path, gates to show welcome and new beginnings and flowers and elements of nature to reflect beauty, growth, peace and creation. The activity encouraged the children to think deeply about their beliefs and express their ideas in a meaningful and imaginative way.
Year 4 - RE: Symbols of Faith
In RE this week, the children explored some typical religious features from different places of worship. Initially, nine pictures of religious features and symbols from churches, mosques and synagogues were displayed around the room and the children walked around the room, writing their best ideas around the pictures. The children then learned some information about each feature/symbol, including what it is called and its link to scripture. The children then had to match the symbols with their names and their links to scripture.
Year 5 - Religious Education
This week, our Year 5 pupils showed great maturity exploring different perspectives on the nature of death. We compared the traditions of Christianity and Islam, noting how both often focus on the afterlife and the journey of the soul and how their actions are judged by God. We also looked at Humanism, where the focus is on the here and now. Many Humanists believe this is our one life, inspiring us to make a positive impact on the world today! It was wonderful to see the children discussing these deep topics with such empathy and respect. By comparing Christian, Muslim, and Humanist perspectives, we discussed the concepts of the soul and the afterlife versus a naturalistic, "one life" approach. We’re so proud of the children for their thoughtful reflections on how these beliefs shape the way people choose to live their lives. 🌟
Year 1 RE: Jesus’ Baptism
Today we focused on Jesus’ baptism. This is when John baptised Jesus in the River Jordan and the Holy Spirit came down in the form of a dove. God said “this is my Son whom I love”. As Christians, we follow Jesus’ example and way of life, therefore being baptised is a way that Christians will follow Jesus. The children retold the story through filling in the missing words and drew a picture to match.
Year 1 RE: Experiencing a Baptism
Year 1 were very fortunate to experience a baptism today. We had a doll in a beautiful christening gown. We had some parents and godparents who helped to care for the baby at church and make important promises to God. The children listened very well to all of the important readings and joined in with prayers. Rev Ben showed us the story of Jesus’ Baptism, which we will be focusing on next week, as well as explaining the important objects used in a baptism, such as the oil, candle, holy water and Bible. After the baptism, we had a party to celebrate the baby joining God’s Family. Thank you to Rev Ben for hosting the baptism and providing the children with a real life experience.
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Whole School Worship
Today Rev Matt led our Whole School Worship which focused on understanding that during difficult times we can listen to God. We started with a challenge where we had to listen to different noises and identify what they were. First there was a cat, then a plane, a lion, a microwave, the wind.This highlighted the importance of listening. Our Bible story this week was the story about the road to Emmaus. After Jesus rose from the dead, two sad followers were walking to Emmaus when Jesus joined them, but they didn’t recognise him. He explained how the Bible predicted his resurrection. Later, while breaking bread together, they realised it was Jesus before he vanished. Excited, they ran back to tell others he was alive! Rev Matt told us that Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in the Bible. But they are written that you may believe. He also asked us how does God help us when something is hard? The children gave some lovely answers such as showing us the way, giving us support and being the guiding light. We finished with a special prayer and then sang One, two, three Jesus is alive!
Year 5 - RE
We started by discussing the children’s knowledge of what funerals are and why we have them. This is a sensitive topic and the children showed great maturity and sensitivity in sharing their experiences in an open, respectful manner. We then analysed Christian prayers spoken in funerals and considered what they tell us about Christian beliefs around God, Jesus and heaven.
Year 3 Present Their Learning: Rules For Living to Year 6
Today, Year 3 showed incredible oracy skills by presenting their learning to Year 6. They have been exploring the importance of rules in different parts of life, including our school rules, the law, and how faith guides people through the Ten Commandments. Using what they learned, the children wrote their own "Rule Poems." They worked hard on their writing, making sure to include: Modal verbs (like should or must) to show how important the rules are. Imperative verbs (bossy words like respect, listen, or help) to give clear instructions. The children were amazing and very brave to stand up in front of the older students. Mr Bloomfield even commented on how confident and clear everyone was while speaking. It was a wonderful way to see them use their voices to share such important messages about being good citizens!
Year 3- R.E- Rules Of Living
This afternoon, we continued to celebrate Earth Day by taking our "Rules for Living" lesson into the Peace Garden. Surrounded by God's nature, we took time to appreciate the world around us and think about how to live life in its fullness. We discussed how rules are not just about what we "can't" do, but are there to help us grow, much like Jesus taught us. We talked about how Jesus gave us the ultimate rules for living: to love God and to love one another. By following these guides, we learn how to look after our planet and each other with kindness and respect. It was a lovely, simple way to connect with the outdoors and reflect on the best way to live our lives.
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Year 4 - RE: Are All Places of Worship the Same?
The first lesson of our new RE topic gave children the opportunity to explore a variety of places of worship from around the world. The children used Chromebooks to take virtual tours and make observations as they explored. Some of the children then gave the rest of the class a guided tour of their chosen place, sharing their observations as we took a look around.
Year 3- English/R.E- Exploring the Ten Commandments through Poetry
In today's English lesson, we explored the Ten Commandments to inspire our own "Rule Poems." We looked at how these Christian instructions still shape the way Christians live today and how they relate to the rules we follow in our own community. The children discussed how to take a commandment, like "Do not tell lies," and transform it into a poetic line about being a person of truth and integrity. We talked about how these Christian values are reflected in almost all religions and cultures. Even people who aren't religious follow similar "moral laws" to be good citizens. Do not be jealous" (Coveting) is actually about finding happiness and being thankful for what we have.