Religious Education (RE)

Parkwood Academy

Meet our RE Lead

Miss Norcott has taken on the crucial responsibility of leading Parkwood’s Religious Education (RE) program. This curriculum, which aligns with the updated Essex Agreed Syllabus, is designed to cultivate empathy and understanding among our students by exploring diverse religious traditions.

The syllabus covers significant aspects of various faiths and worldviews across the primary phase. In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), children’s RE learning focuses on exploring religious and worldview stories, practices, and traditions, including a study of Christianity. As students progress into Key Stage 1 (KS1), they delve deeper into Christianity, Islam, and other worldviews, learning about key figures, places of worship, and core beliefs. In Key Stage 2 (KS2), the curriculum expands further, including in-depth studies of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, and other world religions. Upper KS2 students also explore contemporary issues, philosophical questions, and historical perspectives in RE. Miss Norcott’s leadership ensures that this thoughtful and structured program fosters respect, inclusion, and a deeper appreciation for the rich religious diversity that enriches our community.

Parkwood Dinner Table Quiz

This isn’t just any quiz; this is a chance to spark deep conversations right at the dinner table. Forget right or wrong answers—this is about exploring “the big questions” together. Here is a Philosophical RE Dinner Table Quiz, broken down by rounds.

How to Play

  • Materials: All you need is a conversation leader and hungry minds.
  • The Goal: There are no “points” in philosophy. The goal is to listen, respect other perspectives, and think deeply.
  • A Simple Rule: Everyone at the table must answer each question before moving to the next.

Round 1: The “What If” Warm-Up

(These questions get the brain ticking about hypothetical scenarios and perspectives.)

  1. If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?
  2. If everyone in the world were suddenly identical—same thoughts, same looks—would we still have a reason to get along?
  3. If you could press a button and permanently end all sadness for everyone, but it meant no one could ever experience true, deep happiness again, would you press it?
  4. Imagine you own a magical time machine. If you could go back and change one historical event, knowing that changing it would rewrite the entire present day, would you do it?

Round 2: Goodness and Right vs. Wrong

(These questions dive into ethics, morality, and how we decide what is “good.”)

  1. Is it always wrong to tell a lie? Can a “white lie” actually be the right thing to do?
  2. If you do a good deed but you only did it because you knew you’d get something in return, is it still a truly “good” deed?
  3. Where does our idea of “good” and “bad” come from? Is it from our parents, our culture, or are we born knowing it?
  4. Which is more important: following the rules or doing what you know is right, even if it means breaking the rules?

Round 3: Identity and Being You

(This round explores what makes us human and what defines our identity.)

  1. What part of you makes you you? Is it your thoughts, your body, your memories, or something else entirely?
  2. Imagine you could swap lives with anyone in the world for one day. Who would it be, and do you think you would still feel like you at the end of the day?
  3. Are animals just as conscious and aware as humans are, just in a different way?
  4. If a computer became so smart that it could feel emotions and have its own thoughts, should it have the same rights as a person?

Round 4: The BIG Questions (The Reality Check)

(This is where things get truly philosophical and touch on faith and worldview.)

  1. Why is there something rather than nothing? Why does anything exist at all?
  2. If you had proof that the universe was just a massive computer simulation (like The Matrix), how would that change the way you lived your life?
  3. Is happiness the most important goal in life? If not, what is?
  4. What do you think is the biggest question that science will never be able to answer?