Religious Education
‘So Jesus said, “Well, then, pay to the Emperor what belongs to the Emperor, and pay to God what belongs to God.” And they were amazed at Jesus.’ Mark 12:17
Statement of Intent
We are a Catholic school and we are committed to the Catholic Faith, recognising and valuing every individual as special and unique in the image and likeness of God.
Religious Education at St. Joseph’s respects and promotes each child’s innate capacity for wonder, awe, reverence and spirituality. Our Religious Education curriculum leads our children 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. Through Religious Education our children learn about their unique place within the home, school and parish community.
Statement of Implementation
Religious Education is the foundation of our school and permeates all areas of the curriculum and school life.
- Children will meet the Diocesan Standards for Primary Religious Education, which will be taught by highly qualified staff who will engage children’s intellect, heart and imagination, inspiring enthusiasm and interest in RE.
- RE is a core subject of the curriculum and all children will study RE for 2 hours 30 mins per week.
- Children will develop an awareness of God’s presence in their lives and the lives of others, developing the spiritual life of each child through prayer and reflection.
- Children will develop a well-formed conscience allowing them to make sound moral judgements in the light of personal commitment to God.
- Parents, family members and parishioners will attend Masses and religious celebrations within the school and pupils will participate in parish activities outside of school time, promoting good links with the Parish of St Joseph’s.
- Children, and their parents, will develop the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the Sacraments.
- Religious Education will play a central role in the school’s work on spiritual, moral, social and cultural education.
- Children will be prepared for life in a multi faith society by fostering respect for and understanding of rich cultural diversity.
- A programme of family life education, which conforms to the teaching of the Catholic Church and follows Diocesan guidelines, will be provided.
- Opportunities will exist for children of all ages to experience learning beyond the classroom. This will allow them to enrich their knowledge by, for example, visiting different places of worship, local parish church, St Anne’s Cathedral, including other faiths.
- In Religious Education, children will develop the skills to make links and connections, engage and respond, analyse and evaluate using sources of evidence.
- Children will develop a real understanding and appreciation of the world learning from a range of sources and experiences.
Statement of Impact
Through the RE curriculum and the experiences our children are exposed to as part of the Catholic Life of our school, children will be able to make connections between their own lives and the lives of those in our local community and in the wider world. Children will also develop an understanding about other cultures and the importance and dignity of human life.
As part of our learning journey, we will always aim to be evaluative and regularly review our practice. At St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, we have a robust Monitoring Cycle that supports our school evaluation process. This includes ensuring that our provision for those who have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), or indeed those who are disadvantaged is well suited to their needs and enables them to experience a wide range of learning opportunities.
We believe the real impact of our curriculum comes through in the strength of character and determination of our pupils. Their love for learning, curiosity, willingness to take chances and know more, and their deep sense of responsibility for themselves, others and the world around them. We are certain the world needs such young people who believe in God and in their own worth, who are able to walk out in joy and confidence into the future, both loving themselves and others.
Religious Education Overview
Creative RE
As part of our RE Curriculum, children are regularly given the opportunity to explore topics in a more creative way. Here are some examples of children’s work from different classes being creative in RE.
Autumn Term Creative RE
In Foundation Stage our young children thoroughly enjoyed exploring around our outdoor area looking and searching for items in nature from God’s World. They created some beautiful paint work all about the world God has created for us.
In Years 1 & 2 the children have been learning about God’s Chosen People. As part of their topic they became familiar with the story of Daniel & The Lion and how God had a plan for Mary.
In Years 3 & 4 the children have been learning all about the signs and symbols of Baptism.
In Years 5 & 6 have been learning all about the Kingdom of God. as part of their lesson, they have produced mobile pieces of art to represent the world God has created for us.
Inter-faith Week
As a school we took part in Inter-faith Week to increase awareness of the different and distinct faith communities in the UK, in particular celebrating and building on the contribution which their members make to their neighbourhoods and to wider society that we live in.
Our children have participated in various activities to support anti-bullying and inter-faith week including participating in a Diwali Dance workshop on Tuesday.