RE Curriculum
RE Curriculum
In Catholic schools, as in any school, Religion is taught as an academic subject: but this is not enough. The whole life of a Catholic School has to be an expression in practice of Catholic belief and Catholic tradition. Children are not only ‘taught’ their faith, it is ‘caught’ from home and from school. As they grow, the children are encouraged to put their faith into practice in their own lives.
In class, the children help to prepare and participate in weekly liturgies and assemblies. Not only in the teaching, but also in the daily practice of the faith, our children are helped by the personal example of the staff.
However great the opportunities given and examples set, they will have little lasting value without the support and encouragement of parents. We try hard in school, but we can only back up what you do at home. In handing on the faith, parents are the first and best teachers. No trouble, that a parent or teacher may take to become proficient in teaching the Catholic religion, is too great.
By working together for the children; parents and teachers make this school a place which we can truly say:
‘We Live, We Love, We Learn, We Share’
Religious Education Directory
In line with Bishops’ Conference, we are working to implement the new Religious Education Directory, ‘To Know You More Clearly’.
From September 2024 we are following a carefully constructed timeline to ensure an effective and successful implementation of the new directory.
All primary schools should be fully implementing the new Religious Education Directory by September 2026, as directed by the Bishops’ Conference. The timeline to which we are working fully complies with this.
The Religious Education Directory consists of six branches, across each year group to allow children to discover, develop and deepen their understanding as they move through the school. These are:
|
Autumn 1 |
Branch 1: Creation and Covenant |
|
Autumn 2 |
Branch 2: Prophecy and Promise |
|
Spring 1 |
Branch 3: Galilee to Jerusalem |
|
Spring 2 |
Branch 4: Desert to Garden |
|
Summer 1 |
Branch 5: To the Ends of the Earth |
|
Summer 2 |
Branch 6: Dialogue and Encounter |
R.E. Programme
We use ‘Come and See’: the Catholic Primary Religious Education programme for Foundation and Key Stages 1 and 2 published in July 2012. It makes learning about our faith lively, interactive and relevant.
This easy to use, teacher-friendly material has been written by a group of experienced diocesan advisors. It follows on from successful trialling in schools in England and Wales and is based on the theological foundations of the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Catechism and the revised RE Curriculum Directory and includes the Catholic attainment levels.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church addresses the search for meaning in life. God’s initiative in Revelation who comes to meet us and our response of faith. (cf. CCC26) This pattern guides the structure of the programme and informs the process of each topic, opened up through; Explore, Reveal and Respond.
The children also spend two weeks over the course of the year learning about other religions – one week each on Judaism and Islam. See below for a brief overview on what each class covers:
