RE

Religious Education is an integral part of the curriculum at St Mary's and permeates all aspects of school life. It is the core subject which is central to the life of a Catholic school. Religious Education is defined as the systematic study of the mystery of God and the teachings of Jesus Christ, the teachings of the church, the lives of the Saints and the relationship between faith and life. Religious Education is about engaging with the deepest questions of life and finding reasons for the hope which is within them. (1 Peter 3:15) It is about the Christian vision of the human person. At St Mary's, we believe that excellence in Religious Education is achieved by the following,

• Clarity of succinct learning objectives using driver words
• Key content
• Rigour
• Richness and creativity of resources
• Achievement of identified outcomes
• Accurate methods of assessment

St Mary’s is totally committed to the Catholic Faith, recognising and valuing every individual as special and unique made in the image and likeness of God.
Religious Education at St Mary’s respects and promotes each child’s 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.

We follow the guidance set out by the Bishops' Conference in 2012.  To meet these requirements, we use the CTS scheme, 'The Way the Truth and the Life', which is supplemented by teachers' own planning, based on the Lancaster Diocese Curriculum Wheels. 

All parents have the right to withdraw their child from part of or all of the RE curriculum. 

This syllabus is taught on a two year rolling cycle in Year R/1, 3/4 and Year 5/6.  Year 2 are taught separately.

Religious Education in EYFS

Early Years RE curriculum is mapped out following the branches on the Religious Education Directory. RE is also embeded into our school life and many aspects of it are taught on the daily bases through a number of activities such as collective worships, prayer and liturgies, assemblies, circle times and HRSE. 

Many spects of RE are also integrated into Understanding of the World area of the EYFS Framework:

Birth to three year olds:

•  Notice differences between people.

3-4 year olds:

• Continue developing positive attitudes about the differences between people.

ELG:

• Understand that some places are special to members of their community. 

• Recognise that people have different beliefs and celebrate special times in different ways.

EYFS RE Long Term Overview

EYFS Knowledge Organisers

Nursery

Reception