Religious Education Statement of Intent
We are committed to the Catholic Faith; recognising and valuing every individual as special and unique in the image and likeness of God.
At St. Mary’s our Religious Education respects and promotes each child’s innate capacity for wonder, awe, reverence and spirituality. Our Religious Education curriculum leads our children to take inspiration from the Gospel teachings and to aspire not to have more, but to be more; children are taught about God’s love; they learn about their Christian responsibilities; children are provided with experiences of church, Catholic and Christian traditions, as well as being taught to be respectful and understanding of people and traditions from other faith backgrounds.
We follow the scripture-based scheme of learning ‘The Way, The Truth, The Light’. It is creatively taught across the school drawing on all other areas of the curriculum.
Our children are encouraged to take ownership of the liturgical life of the school, further supported by the ‘GIFT’ team. They are given opportunities to explore their faith through class collective worships, masses led by the parish priest, trips and joint events with other local Catholic Schools both primary and secondary.
It is expected that the children will take a full and active part in the religious life of the school. The children attend Masses and Celebrations throughout the year.
At St Mary’s, we use the ‘Caritas in Action’ scheme of work, alongside the main RE scheme of work. Catholic social teaching calls us all to work for the common good, help build a just society, uphold the dignity of human life and work for justice.
Our teaching aims to educate our children not just in global issues of poverty but to gain a better understanding of social justice issues in our community and the UK.
Aims
As we strive as a faith community to realise the aspirations of our Mission Statement, the core subject of curriculum Religious Education (RE) will:
- Promote knowledge and understanding of Catholic faith and life.
- Seek to help each person to live and grow in community in a way that reflects human dignity and purpose.
- Make a significant contribution to the child’s self-understanding as a spiritual being, capable of responding in integrity, freedom and faith to the invitation of God and the challenges of life.
- Promote a gradual opening of mind and heart in the search for truth about God, respect for people of other faiths and a willingness to recognise goodness wherever it exists.
The Religious Education programme will provide a comprehensive and systematic study of the mystery of God and of Jesus Christ, of the Church, and of the central beliefs which Catholics hold. So, our children and young people will be enabled to:
- Grow in knowledge of, and openness to, the mystery of God.
- Become familiar with the person, life and teachings of Jesus Christ who, as Saviour and Lord, reveals both the face of God and the fullness of what it is to the human.
- Grow in understanding and appreciation of the Sacred Scriptures and their central place in the tradition and teaching of the Catholic faith.
- Grow in experience, knowledge and understanding of the Catholic Church, her life and teachings, her significance in the world today and her concern for peace and justice.
- Prepare for, participate in and appreciate liturgical prayer and worship.
- Develop a moral awareness to understand the real impact of Catholic belief on personal and social behaviour.
- Reflect more and more profoundly upon the human condition, and their own and others’ lives in the light of the Christian vision of the human person.
Religious Education Statement of Implementation
At St Mary’s we implement the Diocesan approved scheme of work ‘The Way, the Truth and the Life’. All children participate in pupil-led and teacher-led Collective Worship sessions as well as taking part in assemblies, Masses and liturgies. Children are encouraged to take opportunities to express their faith through various school organisations such as the GIFT team, Caritas team and the Eco Club.
Through sound and systematic teaching which reflects children’s and young people’s capacity for learning and growing, our RE programme will:
- Be informed by a range of teaching styles and the whole variety of ways in which pupils learn, and will enable teachers to select from or devise appropriate learning experiences.
- Affirm all pupils’ value and worth, build on their own experience of living relationships and contribute to the development of self-esteem.
- Provide opportunities for pupils to recognise, appreciate and develop their talents and skills.
- Promote the development of independence and autonomy in children and young people so that they are encouraged to accept responsibility for their own learning and are enabled to make ever more fully informed, mature and free responses and choices in relations to God, faith, stewardship and the service of others.
- Develop an appreciation of the wonder of creation and the need to respect and care for the world around us.
- Foster appropriate attitudes, such as respect for truth and the views of others, with a commitment to living the Catholic faith in everyday life and especially the challenge of living in a multicultural, multi-faith society.
