Religious Education

 “Faith can move mountains”

Matthew 17: 20

The principles underpinning the spiritual development of our children are based on the gospel values of justice, compassion, forgiveness and reconciliation. Children learn to appreciate the love of God in their everyday lives and in the world about them.

The life of the school is underpinned by the school’s Mission Statement, which is displayed in every room in the school building and on display in the hall as part of a whole school piece of artwork.  All school policies begin with carefully chosen Scripture extracts to ensure school life is driven and shaped by these values and the Catholic ethos.

 

The mission statement is:

We walk kindly in the footsteps of Jesus Christ as we live and learn.

Aims

To develop children’s:

  • Knowledge and understanding of Catholic faith and life
  • Knowledge and understanding of the response of faith to the ultimate questions about human life, its origin and purpose
  • Skills to enable them to examine, question and reflect upon religious beliefs and practice.
  • Ability to relate knowledge gained through Religious Education to their understanding of other areas of the curriculum
  • Spirituality and personal relationship with God through a rich experience of liturgy
  • Awareness of other cultures and beliefs, in order to respect and understand them
  • Develop positive attitudes: eg, respect for truth, respect for the views of others; awareness of the spiritual, of moral responsibility, of the demands of a religious commitment in everyday life and especially the challenge of living in a multicultural, multi-faith society.

Curriculum Religious Education has as its outcome:

“religiously literate and engaged young people who have the knowledge, understanding and skills – appropriate to their age and capacity – to reflect spiritually, and think ethically and theologically, and who are aware of the demands of religious commitment in everyday life”

Bishops Conference of England and Wales

Religious Education is at the heart of the school’s curriculum. The broad areas it covers are God’s self-revelation, Church, Celebration and Life in Christ.  It is accorded the same status and taught with the same rigour as the core subjects of the National Curriculum.

Religious Education is developed and resourced with the same commitment as any other subject. In line with Bishops’ Conference recommendations, 10% of curriculum time is allocated to Religious Education. This does not include Collective Worship.

The content of the RE Curriculum derives from the Come and See Programme, the church’s liturgical year, local, national and international events and children’s personal interests.

A thematic, knowledge, skills and experience- based approach to learning enables children to make connections and link ideas and areas of learning.

The children experience Religious Education through:

  • Participation in a variety of liturgies
  • Sacramental preparation
  • Experience of prayer
  • Service to the Wider Community
  • Curriculum Religious Education

RE, in all forms, is celebrated on the school blog at www.brwacademy.com and on the school’s Twitter account @BRWSchool.  Staff and children post blogs to share news, events and celebrations with each other, parents and the wider community.

The Curriculum Directory for Catholic schools is used to guide and inform the teaching of Religious Education.  It guides the structure of the Come and See programme, used for planning and informs the process of each topic, opened up through; Explore, Reveal and Respond.

World Faiths

The school recognises that children live in a multi-cultural, multi-faith society.   In this context children are introduced to the background and beliefs of people of other faiths so that prejudice and misunderstanding can be overcome and children learn to appreciate that many people hold religious convictions and beliefs that are different to their own.

Links are made with the experience of other faiths.  When the Christian understanding of a topic has been explored, the experience of another major world faith tradition is considered as and when it is appropriate. One week within the Autumn term each year is dedicated to the teaching of Judaism. This occurs after the second Come and See topic.  A further week is dedicated to the teaching of another religion in the summer term, namely, Islam, Hinduism or Sikhism.

Liturgy

Prayer is central to school life and as a community worship takes a variety of forms.

Children have the opportunity to both participate in and lead liturgies.  The Year 6 Liturgy Team prepare and lead KS2 Liturgy.  The Year 2 Liturgy Team prepare and lead FS/KS1 Liturgy.  Each class from FS to Y6 holds regular Liturgies led by the children.  Faith Ambassadors and Liturgy Leaders visit neighbouring class liturgies termly to broaden their experience of prayer and assist with the celebration and growth aspect of evaluation.

Prayer areas in all classrooms provide a focus for daily class worship.  Children are encouraged to pray spontaneously and also learn the traditional prayers of the Church.   Each class has nominated Faith Ambassadors who serve to look after and monitor class display and prayer areas and assist with class liturgies.  The KS1 and KS2 Liturgy Teams play a large role in providing training for class Faith Ambassadors and do so on a termly basis.

RSHE – Relationship, Sex and Health Education

Relationship, Sex and Health Education provides a basis for children within which they can grow in confidence as people and become informed, thoughtful, responsible, healthy and safe members of society.

It encompasses PSHE and citizenship as well as relationship and sex education, drugs education, bullying awareness, safety, civic rights, duties and responsibilities, online safety, knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts and developing thinking skills.

It seeks to educate the whole person: spiritually, intellectually, morally, emotionally, socially, psychologically, and physically towards Christian maturity.

Children learn about relationships in the context of the Catholic faith. Every area of school life contributes to the education in personal relationships and helps young people learn to respect themselves and others, making safe, healthy and informed choices as they grow up and move with confidence from childhood through adolescence into adulthood.

Aims

  • Encourage children’s growth in self respect, acknowledging we are all created in the likeness of God
  • Help children develop an understanding that love is the central basis of relationships
  • Provide relationship and sex education in the wider context of relationships
  • Help children to develop a healthier, safer, informed lifestyle
  • Prepare children to play an active role as citizens and to understand the Catholic vision of what it means to be citizens of the Kingdom of God
  • Enable children to develop a personal, moral compass and code rooted in Gospel values

All children have equal access to relationship, sex and health education.  Children learn about relationship and sex education through RE and Science as well as other areas of a broad and balanced curriculum by way of a cross curricular, integrated and meaningful approach.

It is covered through a variety of ways: coverage of the Come and See Programme, the school’s Word of the Week, visits/visitors to the school and using the Ten Ten Curriculum coverage and resources. The school’s scheme of work covers the Relationship and Health Education Statutory guidance (as set out by the DfE) including sex education.