St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Swindon

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.

RE is taught for 10% of the teaching timetable and follows the new Religious Education Directory, ‘To Know You More Clearly’. Resources to support this Directory are provided by the Catholic Diocese of Bristol for use in Catholic schools. The curriculum content follows the six-branch structure across the liturgical year- Creation and Covenant, Prophecy and Promise, Galilee to Jerusalem, Desert to Garden, To the Ends of the Earth and Dialogue and Encounter. Each branch has a core theme and invites pupils to learn about an aspect of Revelation, Scripture, life in Christ, and life in the Church, and to discern what their learning means academically and experientially enabling them to see, judge, and act through a deeper knowledge of the Christian faith.

There are 6 ‘Knowledge Lenses’ which set out the object of study for pupils and indicate what should be known by the end of each age-phase. The content of the programme of study is split into four systematic sub-sections for the study of Catholicism (Hear, Believe, Celebrate, Live), and two additional lenses for the study of religions and worldviews (Dialogue and Encounter). They are referred to as lenses, since they reflect the language of the Catechism itself which states that the mystery of faith which we hear and receive requires us to ‘believe in it’, to ‘celebrate it’ and to ‘live from it’. There are 3 ‘Ways of Knowing’ which highlight the skills that pupils will be developing as they progress through the school. Whenever we know something, we always know it in more than one way: we remember it, we critically assimilate it, and we put it into practice. All three are ways of coming to know the things that are the object of our study. They are represented in the programme of study by icons: head (understand), heart (discern), and hands (respond).

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. Links to Catholic Social Teaching are highlighted and interweaved throughout the Religious Education Directory.

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. At the end of a branch, children are asked to reflect on their learning journey and their next steps to help improve their knowledge and skills.

All pupils, including those with specific needs and disabilities, are entitled to experience a rich and ambitious Religious Education Curriculum. At St Mary’s, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. Teachers develop an understanding of pupil needs through formative and informative assessment and provide opportunities for all pupils to experience success. Adaptive teaching is used to create a fully inclusive classroom and is implemented through strategies such as scaffolding, explicit instruction, cognitive and metacognitive strategies, flexible groupings and technology. Where required for children with an EHC plan, teachers use the engagement model guidance in planning and delivery to provide ways for pupils to achieve with specific adaptations to the classroom curriculum.