Menu
Home Page
Our Lady And All Saints MAC

RE

Religious Education Intent

As a Catholic school, Religious Education plays a central and vital part here at Saint Anne's. At the heart of Catholic Education lies the Christian vision of the human person. This vision is expressed and explored in Religious Education. Therefore Religious Education is never simply one subject among many, but the foundation of our entire educational process.

The beliefs and values studied in Catholic Religious Education inspire and draw together every aspect of the life of a Catholic school. We are committed to classroom RE, then, because all pupils have the right to receive an overall education which will enable them, in the light of the faith of the Church, to engage with the deepest questions of life and find reasons for the hope which is within them (1 Peter 3.15).

Religious Education is, then, the core subject in a Catholic school.

 

Parents/Families as Educators

The first educators in the faith are parents. It is they, above all others, who establish in their children the first sensitivity and responsiveness to the presence of God, to the practice of prayer and to the patterns of life in the community of faith, the parish. The foundations of life-long faith and discipleship in their children are laid down in the home.

 

Prayer and Liturgy

At Saint Anne's, we come together in our key stages and as a whole school for Prayer and Liturgy (which included Gospel Assembly) Prayer and Liturgy, of a group of people coming together at an appropriate time, in an appropriate place intentionally to focus upon things of worth and value for the group. The children also lead weekly Prayer and Liturgy in class alongside leading in assembly too.

Prayer and Liturgy gives us:

  • A sense of special time

  • A sense of special place

  • The intention of focusing on matters of worth ‘beyond the everyday’

  • A sense of occasion

Times of Prayer and Liturgy are educational, planned learning experiences. They contributes to the education of the pupils and facilitate spiritual growth and respect of each other’s religious beliefs and practices. This may be done by evoking the sense of beauty, awe, wonder or feelings of pride, pity, sharing or by exploring the spirituality of life and experience.

 

Other Religions

In his life on earth Jesus showed a respect for those within and outside his own faith community. Children today live in a fast changing global world, where communication and travel opens children to diversity and challenge. It is important that we prepare them for this.

The Church calls us to be committed to respecting people from other religions and to recognise that God is at work in them. The Church teaches that, whilst living out our Christian faith, we are called to dialogue and be ready to learn from those of other faiths, many of whom may, be our neighbours.

Pupils are encourages not simply to learn facts about other religions but to also reflect upon them and gain insights from them. Children will learn:

  • how members of different faiths live as a community

  • how other faiths worship

At Saint Anne's, we teach other faiths separately in order to avoid confusion. Comparison can lead to inaccurate teaching and does not do justice to the integrity of each religion. Comparisons may be noted by the pupils, but that will not be the starting point of teaching.

 

IMPLEMENTATION
'Living and Growing as the People of God' is the curriculum strategy for Religious Education across the Diocese of Birmingham.

The RE strategy provides a curriculum that is inclusive for all pupils, focusing on the development of their intellect, understanding of their faith (progressively through the year groups) and an opportunity to ask wondering questions that allow children to grow their relationship with God. 

Its content also provides the foundations for a partnership between school, home and parish, a partnership that lies at the centre of Catholic Education.

 

Primary - Curriculum: Learning & Growing as the People of God

The schools of the Archdiocese of Birmingham use the Diocese’s own curriculum strategy from Foundation (Nursery) to Year 6 called ‘Learning and Growing as the People of God.’ (often referred to as ‘The Strategy’).

The Strategy was written using the Learning Outcomes provided in the Bishop’s Conference document the Curriculum Directory as a basis.

The Strategy provides teachers with a range of suggested cross-curricular activities which can be differentiated to suit the learning needs of the children in their class in order for them to explore the Catholic faith and achieve the learning outcomes. There is a strong emphasis on pupils engaging with and responding to questions of life in the light of religious teaching.

This flexible approach enables teachers to incorporate their own creative teaching ideas into the delivery of the Strategy.

The Strategy is divided into a number of units for each year group, usually 12, which cover four main areas of study:

The Liturgical Seasons of the Church’s Year: The children find out about the significance of each season, its particular signs and symbols and the different liturgies celebrated in each season.

Scripture: The children study both Old Testament and New Testament Scripture in order to give them familiarity and knowledge of Scripture as well as enabling them to explore and understand how Catholic beliefs are rooted in what Scripture reveals to us.

The Sacraments: There is a strong Sacramental focus in each year group. The Year 3 and Year 6 books fully prepare the children to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist in Year 3 and Confirmation in Year 6.

Living as Christians including Prayer: The children learn about what it is to live as Christians today, how the Church is organised from global to parish level and also the opportunities which exist for them to participate in the life of the Church.

In each unit, there are additional planned opportunities to pray and time to reflect.​​

Below you can find an overview of the work covered in RE in each year group along with the End of Unit Assessment points.

Top