RE, Worship and Catholic Life
Religious Education
At St Mary & St Michael’s Catholic Primary School we believe that Religious Education is at the heart of our curriculum as we strive to proclaim and live the Gospel values. We see our role as supporting parents in leading their children to a greater understanding of who God is and to celebrating, with deeper faith and more understanding, the liturgy of the Church. We believe that religious education provides children with opportunities to recognise, affirm and celebrate the gifts and talents they and others have been given.
In proclaiming the Gospel message, we endeavour to share the Gospel spirit of love in all that we do by providing a warm, family atmosphere, fiercely promoting the dignity of all our school family and ensuring all children feel, ‘safe, happy, respected and inspired’.
Our six key school values are present in all we think, do and say and are also included in our Mission Statement- Uniqueness, Service, Care & Compassion, Acceptance, Respect & Forgiveness. Each half term, we focus on one strand and help our children understand their meaning and how to apply these values in their own lives.
Religious Education is the subject from which all other subjects can grow and be taught - it is the centre of our core curriculum and is vital in the human development of our children.
Intent
It is our intention to give children the opportunities to search and question their religious understanding and experience. All children are encouraged to develop their skills using strategies to help them cultivate ways of thinking, feeling and acting, enabling the children to become more reflective, open and enquiring. We aim to foster and inspire genuine interest, understanding and respect of the Catholic faith and the faith commitment of all, as a strong foundation for their future years.
The aim of our Religious Education curriculum is to:
Grow our children's knowledge and understanding of the teachings and traditions of the Catholic faith, whilst enabling pupils to grow in their awareness of what it means to be a member of the Catholic Church.
encourage our pupils to reflect on their daily lives and on society, in the light of the gospels and the church’s moral and social teaching, bringing clarity to the relationship between faith and life and faith and culture
enable pupils to recognise, explore and appreciate the religious, spiritual and moral dimensions to life
deepen the children’s understanding of the gifts and power of the Sacraments and develop their awareness and understanding of the seasons of the church within the liturgical year
increase pupils’ awareness and knowledge of other religious traditions and cultures, thus developing respect and understanding
equip our children with the means to express and record their understanding, communicating it effectively and celebrating their achievements
encourage children to relate the knowledge they have gained from Religious Education to other subjects
Implementation
As a Catholic school, RE is central to our whole school curriculum. It occupies at least 10% of teaching time and informs all other areas of the curriculum. All staff take every opportunity to incorporate RE across the curriculum, reinforcing to our children the integral nature of God’s influence in our lives.
We use two Diocese recommended schemes to teach curriculum RE- The Vine & Branches and Come and See.
Other world faiths and important Liturgical celebrations are interwoven throughout the year as children are encouraged to question and reflect on their own lives and the religious lives of others.
Class teachers plan for each topic ensuring that all children have the opportunity to master key skills and to think deeply and to question.
Lessons are sequenced to build on prior learning, revisit key themes and explore scripture in more details. Our lessons fit within topics to ensure depth of study appropriate to the child's age range.
As part of the delivery of RE, we are supported by Fr Geoffrey who complement our lessons and support children and staff.
Impact
We measure the impact of our RE curriculum through a rigorous assessment and monitoring system. We engage in regular moderation internally and with local schools and diocesan wide moderation sessions. Our children do well and achieve highly in this area.
Worship
Prayer & Liturgy is an important aspect of Religious Education. Each day the children take part in a prayer & liturgy, whether it is in small groups in class, in year groups, or as a whole school. It is an ideal opportunity to celebrate. Celebrations are an essential part of life for people of every age and faith. Prayer and liturgy consist of varying elements such as gathering and greeting, listening, reflecting, responding through community praise, especially in song, prayer and of course the children’s own work and ideas and go forth.
At St Mary and St Michael' Catholic Primary we have whole school mass to celebrate the new academic year, as well as termly masses throughout the year. Each Friday one of our classes is timetabled to join the parish mass and parents or other community members are very welcome to join us. We inform our parents which class is joining the parish through our weekly newsletter.
Catholic Life
St Mary & St Michael's Catholic Primary School is a community of love and hope. It provides our children with a Catholic education, which perceives life as a faith journey. Our school is rich in opportunities for children to grow in their own faith journey and we also provide understanding and knowledge in other faiths . We ensure our children are fully prepared for life after primary school and ensure we give them to skills to develop further and strive for their hopes and dreams. The contact and updates we receive from our feeder high schools shows our children are very happy and are confident young people.