Aims of the Suffolk Agreed Syllabus

1.    The values implicit in the RE curriculum must be consistent with, and promote, the principles of a democratic, multi-cultural or plural society

• RE should make a central contribution to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils.

• It is the responsibility of maintained schools to foster an attitude of fair-minded enquiry towards the whole range of religious and non-religious convictions and encourage a willingness to respect other people. They should not promote or discourage a particular faith outlook.

• The pupils will thus become more familiar with the human dimensions of the world they live in, more respectful of some of the less immediately obvious values in the civilisation to which they are heirs, more able to reflect critically on ideas and values, and better able to play a responsible part in the generation of their own culture.

• They should be encouraged to examine experiences and concepts which are basic to all religion.

• It is the responsibility of schools to ensure that the faiths selected for study are recognised as principal religions. The principal religions defined by the Agreed Syllabus Conference are: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Sikhism.

• They should meet, in action and dialogue, people who are religious believers, in order to appreciate the reality, strength and consequences of their convictions.  Pupils need to encounter the practices and customs, the art, music and literature, which religious believers use to convey their beliefs and feelings.

• They should also meet people whose ethical stance is non-religious, in order to appreciate the nature of their commitments and lifestyle. Here too, pupils need to encounter the expression of these views and feelings within literature and the arts.

5. Pupils should develop an awareness of the fundamental questions of life raised by human experiences and an understanding of how religious and non-religious teachings relate to them.

• Pupils should be helped to discover some of the ways in which human beings have approached and answered questions about the meaning and purpose of existence and some of the ways in which these approaches and answers have shaped social life and attitudes.

6. Pupils should be encouraged to develop those attitudes and values which will promote self-respect, respect for others, a willingness to accommodate other faiths and cultures, respect for the natural world and sensitivity towards the mystery which underlies human experience.

	The RE lesson should foster a reflective approach to life so that pupils can develop an awareness of the spiritual dimension of existence and an understanding of those elements in human experience in which religion is rooted.
	The approach should also foster an honest and disciplined exploration of the moral and spiritual dimensions in a manner which is relevant to the pupils' experience of life.

The following additional attitudes should be encouraged:-

	a positive attitude towards life
	a willingness to live with uncertainty
	a willingness to acknowledge bias and prejudice in oneself
	a sense of fairness and justice
	a sensitivity to what is special or sacred to different people and a readiness to avoid ridiculing others
	a sympathy towards the needs of others
	curiosity and a desire to seek truth
	the confidence to express personal ideas and values

7. Pupils should have the opportunity to reflect on and clarify their own developing beliefs, values and attitudes as a preliminary to taking responsibility for their own lives.

• The approach should welcome each pupil's world-view, permitting it to be a resource for learning, provided that it is consistent with the values of the school.