Mutual Respect

One of the ways we teach the children to have Mutual Respect is through our curriculum. 
In RE the children are taught to have Mutual Respect for people of all faiths or people who do not have a faith.  We teach RE using the Leeds agreed syllabus and add to the children’s learning experiences by taking them to a different place of religious worship every year they are with us.

Year Group	Places of Worship
Year 1	Christian Church
Year 2	Islamic Mosque
Year 3	Jewish Synagogue
Year 4	Sikh Temple
Year 5	Hindu Temple
Year 6	Buddhist  Centre

We encourage all children to attend these visits and ask parents with reservations to put these in writing and meet with the headteacher, Martin Lumb before withdrawing their child for legitimate religious beliefs.  In this way we are also modelling   Mutual Respect   and   Tolerance   to our whole community.  

An example of a letter to Year 2 regarding their trip to the Islamic Mosque.
Year 2 School Trip
Dear Parents / Carers,
As part of our RE topic, ‘Special Places’, we will be visiting a Mosque. Every year group visits a different place of worship throughout their time at Hunslet Carr. Last year the children visited a church and this year we are visiting a mosque.
The school follows the Leeds Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education and it is written in our policies that as a school we promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education.
The children will be learning about why a mosque is special to the Muslim faith and will be comparing it to other religions. The children are very excited about experiencing a different culture.
The date of the trip is on   Tuesday 17th   March. Both classes will be visiting for half a day and they will have lunch at school as normal.
Please note that Religious Education is part of the National Curriculum and underlines our principles of the school in promoting an understanding, tolerance and mutual respect between different cultures and beliefs. If anyone has strong religious beliefs that means they would not like their child to visit the mosque or any other place of worship in subsequent years then they must write a letter explaining their reasons to Mr Lumb, followed by a meeting. As this is an educational trip, parents would be required to provide appropriate alternative work around their own religion.
Please feel free to speak to us if you have any questions regarding the trip.
Kind regards,
Key Stage 1 Team



An example of the headteacher’s response to a parent requesting their child to be excused from a religious trip.
Dear ____________________
I am sorry to hear that you have requested to withdraw your son/daughter from our visit to…
The visit is an exciting opportunity for our pupils to learn about different faiths and ensure that they are aware of the diverse nature of modern Britain.
Religious Education forms part of the basic curriculum in schools and its teaching is enshrined in law.
The school follows the Leeds Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education and part of the curriculum encourages children to study Christianity in great detail, as well as finding out about Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism, Buddhism and Islam through school trips, visits from outside speakers and class teaching.
The school recognises that parents have the right to withdraw their child from RE in whole or in part, and provide alternative work.
However, the school is aware that children growing up in south Leeds are part of a community that is rapidly changing and that they will need to live side by side with people from other faiths and cultures, and it is aware that it has a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to promote good relations between people of different beliefs and ethnicities as part of its single equality duty.
The Governing Body fully supports this trip and the teaching of RE, including Islam, as it ensures that the school meets its obligation to teach the children about British Values, specifically mutual respect and tolerance
It is the governors' expectation that the visit to the mosque will provide an insight for pupils into the nature of British Islam, help them understand how Islam is presented in the media and that groups like ISIS are not a true reflection of the Islam followed by the vast majority of Muslims in Britain.
As a school we have a responsibility to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education and are judged on the effectiveness of our planned provision by Ofsted. The visit to … significantly contributes to this area of a pupil’s development which is part of preparing all pupils for a life in modern Britain.
A full risk assessment has been conducted for the visit and there is no more risk attached to this visit than any other school visit.  The place of worship we are visiting runs regular school visits. Their website details are…if you would like to find out more.    
Many schools in Leeds run successful visits to a range of places of worship within Leeds and beyond. I am happy to share some case studies with you if you would like to know more about the nature and impact of such visits.
I would welcome the opportunity to discuss your decision to withdraw your child from the visit and have made an appointment to see me at ______________.  If this date is not convenient would you please call the office to rearrange.
 
Kind Regards,
Mr Martin Lumb

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