Religious Education at St Mary's
Our vision
At St Mary’s, we believe that Religious Education is central to the day to day life of our school community and our lives are a living witness to the Gospel. The primary purpose of Catholic Religious Education is to come to know and understand God’s revelation which is fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. We place RE at the core of our curriculum because we believe that Jesus is the role model for all that we do, say and think within the school. Specifically, we regard Religious Education as more than a curriculum subject. It is something that guides every area of our school. As a Catholic school we aim to educate the whole child, and our ethos is inseparable from the curriculum. The Religious Education within the school promotes awe, wonder, reverence and spirituality within every child to ensure that all can achieve their full potential. As children learn about the teachings of God’s love, their Christian responsibilities are revealed to them and they discover ways to nurture these God-given values in their own lives. All children and staff are encouraged to recognise the importance of their faith and how this is reflected in the teachings and example of Jesus Christ.
How we plan and teach RE
RE is taught for two and a half hours a week and we follow an adapted planning version of "God Matters", created by Ann Fowler. This scheme is approved by the Catholic Diocese of Bristol for use in Catholic schools. There are 12 main themes covered throughout the year, with each of them being progressive, and building on previous knowledge and understanding. The number of weeks for each topic may vary slightly depending on the timetable of the year. The Spring and Summer terms can vary greatly in length but the topics are always studied in the appropriate term so units of work are shortened or lengthened as appropriate. All planning is recorded in a medium-term overview.
The teaching of Religious Education is split into three main areas:
AT1- Learning About Religion,
AT2- Learning From Religion,
AT3- Analysing and Evaluating Religion.
In Nursery, children focus on learning about religion, and as they move into EYFS and through KS1, children learn from religion and this can affect their lives today. At the beginning of KS2, children start to analyse and question religion, learning how to use evidence to support a viewpoint. This is developed further throughout KS2 so that by the children leave Y6, they are able to use sources to support, express, give reasons and arrive at judgements on a point of view.
Religious Education is taught as creatively as possible, using a range of strategies including drama, hot-seating, using and creating art work, purposeful writing tasks and many more. Careful consideration is taken when planning a lesson to ensure that the knowledge and skills gained are clear and achievable.
How we evaluate RE
The evaluation of Religious Education takes place continually throughout the children’s learning journey. Before teaching each new unit, children are given opportunities to revisit prior learning which gives teachers an understanding of their current attainment.
Throughout the lessons, teachers use a variety of formative assessment strategies to assess children’s understanding. Learning checks linked to lesson objectives and questions which are sufficiently probing, challenge the higher attaining students.
Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well, with teachers evaluating a child’s individual learning and adapting the teaching and learning to meet the individual needs of pupils.
Children begin each RE lesson with these questions:
