Other world religions

Scotland in the 21st century is an increasingly multicultural and diverse nation. The curriculum in a denominational school will reflect its particular faith perspective. In Roman Catholic schools it will build on the openness of Catholic schools to other young people regardless of denominations and faiths.

In addition to developing their understanding of the Catholic faith, children and young people will also come to an appreciation of significant aspects of major world religions, recognising the sincere search for truth which takes place in other faiths. During the pre-school period and from experiences within their local community, most children will have learned something about other world religions, for example through festivals and celebrations, and teachers will want to build on that knowledge as they gradually introduce learning about other world religions.

Other world religions would normally be taught from P3 onwards; however, where appropriate, this can be adapted to meet the needs of a diverse school community.

These outcomes can be met through a consideration of Judaism and Islam in the primary stages (although this can be adapted, where appropriate, to include some other world religions which exist in the school context). This can widen to learning about Buddhism, Sikhism and Hinduism in the secondary stages with fourth level providing some study options in this regard.