Religious Education

Intent

At St Marys, we strive to provide all of our pupils with a robust, thorough and knowledge rich religious education which provides a strong foundation for our pupils’ personal faith. The children study scripture, the teaching of the Catholic Church, the sacraments, key acts of worship, prayer and learn about key figures in the Catholic Church. Furthermore, the pupils learn about other faiths including Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism. Our RE curriculum is organised progressively and by theme so that what children learn builds upon their prior knowledge, and they encounter the same thematic topics in greater depth in each year group from Nursery to Year 6 towards clearly defined end points.

Through our RE curriculum, we endeavor to inspire within our pupils a love of learning, passion for their faith and to promote tolerance and understanding of those of different faiths. We teach our pupils that every individual is created unique, in the image and likeness of God and therefore are entitled to respect. We aim for religious education lessons and experiences to be unlike any other in school to create the opportunity for not only learning about the Catholic Faith, but also awe, wonder, reverence and spirituality in a creative way.

Implementation

At St Marys, 10% of our taught curriculum time is devoted to the teaching of RE, two hours and twenty-five minutes per week. Our curriculum is based upon the ‘Come and See’ scheme of work, a progressive curriculum for religious education from Nursery through to year 6 which teachers then develop and enhance to provide our pupils with a rich, rigorous education in the Catholic faith and in other faiths.

Our RE lessons feel special. Lessons will begin with an act of gathering, for example the lighting of a candle, the playing of reflective music, song, or reflection upon thought provoking artwork or scripture. Teachers apply high quality pedagogy in order to ensure that every child can master the objectives of the curriculum and develop deep, long-lasting learning. Teachers break down content through models and explanations, guide student practice and application of knowledge, set high quality independent tasks, systematically check pupil understanding and provide feedback. Pupils receive robust instruction in the foundational knowledge of the Catholic Faith and are then given the opportunity to reflect upon how religious teachings are applicable in their own lives and will shape their future actions.

Central to the programme are three basic human questions and the three Christian beliefs that are the Church’s response in faith:

Where do I come from? Life – Creation

Who am I? Dignity – Incarnation

Why am I here? Purpose – Redemption, within the Catholic tradition

The Best Practice Guide

In order to support all staff to effectively implement the school’s RE curriculum, all staff use our RE ‘Best Practice Guide’ to guide them in how to effectively pitch, structure and design their lessons for pupils. The best practice guide supports all staff with achieving consistently high standards of teaching and implementation of the RE curriculum.