The Religion and Worldviews Approach aims to improve the quality of religious education in schools by better aligning it with how the subject is studied academically. Developed in collaboration with academics, faith and belief leaders, and teachers, it draws on theology, philosophy, history, sociology and literature to give young people a rigorous, meaningful education in RE.

A worldview is a person’s way of understanding, experiencing and responding to the world. It is an approach to life.

Everyone inhabits a worldview, whether they have thought about it consciously or not. Some worldviews are deeply personal and can draw on both religious and non-religious ideas. Others are organised traditions with long histories, texts and communities.

 

What do students learn?

The Religion and Worldviews Approach places young people at the heart of an academic enquiry into the different religious and non-religious responses to life’s fundamental questions: Why are we here? What happens when we die? How should we live? What is right and wrong?

Using an interdisciplinary range of scholarly disciplines, students explore:

  • The world’s major religions and non-religious traditions, including their history, teachings and matters of central importance — such as truth, ultimate reality, and justice.
  • The authentic experiences of real people and communities, understanding how individuals and groups navigate questions of meaning, identity, belonging and purpose in their everyday lives.
  • The richness and complexity of both personal and organised worldviews, situated within their societal and historical contexts.
  • Their own personal worldview, developing self-awareness alongside intellectual curiosity and respect for others.

Why does this approach matter?

The Religion and Worldviews approach recognises that while answers to life’s big questions may differ across religious and non-religious traditions, they are often grappling with the same fundamental human concerns. This develops both intellectual curiosity and mutual understanding — skills that have never been more important in an increasingly globalised and interconnected world.

The result is confident, articulate young people with the written and oral skills to engage respectfully with difference, understand themselves more deeply, and participate in adult life and work.