Bishop Loveday is a Church of England VA School and we hold a strong commitment to teaching the principles of Christianity. Our school values of unity, love, courage, forgiveness, friendship and respect are informed by our religion and beliefs. These values underpin all we say and how we behave.

Our RE curriculum provides our pupils with the opportunity to acknowledge a spiritual dimension to life, allowing all children to celebrate and develop their own spirituality. At Bishop Loveday School we encourage children to raise questions about the meaning of life and to reflect on human experience. Our vision is to equip all children with the foundational knowledge of faiths and cultures, so they are able to develop a thirst and curiosity, thus allowing them to reflect upon religion. We want children to reflect on their own lives, relationships and values, in order that they may form or reaffirm their own beliefs and values. We believe RE also contributes to our pupils’ personal development and wellbeing, by promoting mutual respect and tolerance in a diverse society. All our RE teaching has links to the British Values.

The RE curriculum at Bishop Loveday School is progressive and follows the Oxford Diocesan suggested scheme of work. We believe that first-hand experiences are vital in helping children understand religious language and concepts and have therefore embedded a visits and visitors schedule across the school. We have a detailed vocabulary and skills progression document, which enables children to build on previous learning, ideas and beliefs. As well as the formal curriculum, opportunities to immerse children in inspiring and thought-provoking learning is embraced. This may take the form of whole school RE 'events', year group programmes such as 'Connect Worship Matters' and a wide range of visits and visitors. Our progressive curriculum coupled with the broader experiences provided enhances all children’s cultural capital. Many initiatives allow all year groups to work on a common theme related to our Christian beliefs. Past work has included a whole school 'Books of the Bible' display and 'Christianity as a World Faith' celebration where the school learnt about different crosses from around the world.

The children at Bishop Loveday are introduced to 'Big Questions' which have been created to allow children to experience a range of theological, philosophical and social elements. The Big Questions address the Oxfordshire RE syllabus questions and topics. Christianity will be the main religion taught, in accordance with the national guidelines. In addition, Judaism will be taught in KS1, and in KS2 there are units on Judaism, Hinduism and Islam.

RE does not have to be taught weekly but can be blocked into special weeks or special days.