At St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School, we want every child to be happy and enthusiastic learners of Religious Education, and to be eager to achieve their very best in order to fulfil their God-given talents. We firmly believe that the recipe for success is high quality first-wave teaching in Religious Education, which is central to the life of our happy, caring school.
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. Mary’s respects and promotes each child’s innate capacity for wonder, awe, reverence and spirituality. Our Religious Education curriculum leads our children to ‘pray well and work well’; 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.
SCHOOL MISSION Our principal aim is that children leave St Mary’s Catholic School with a wide range of happy and rich memories in R.E. formed through interesting and exciting experiences driven through an engaging and comprehensive curriculum which is the basis of knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith, enabling them to develop a living and personal faith in Jesus Christ and allowing them to know and love God. R.E. is the foundation of the entire education process 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 R.E. 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, friends of whatever faith 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 Mary’s. Children, and their parents, will develop the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the Sacraments. R.E. will play a central role in the school’s work on spiritual, moral, vocational, 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. R.E. is a core subject of the curriculum and all children will study R.E. for a minimum of ten percent of the academic timetable. 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 Mary’s Cathedral, Holy Island etc. including other faiths Children will develop a deep understanding of the R.E. unit they are studying. They will increasingly use their prior knowledge to develop into religiously literate young people. In R.E., children will develop the skills to make links and connections, engage and respond, analyse and evaluate using sources of evidence. Skills in other subjects will be applied in R.E. and children will be encouraged to investigate the faith with enthusiasm and rigour. Children will develop a real understanding and appreciation of the world learning from a range of sources and experiences. An outstanding level of religious understanding and knowledge. A thorough engagement with a range of ultimate questions about the meaning and significance of existence. The ability to ask significant and highly reflective questions about religion and demonstrate an excellent understanding of issues related to the nature, truth and value of religion. A strong understanding of how the beliefs, values, practices and ways of life within any religion cohere together. Exceptional independence; the ability to think for themselves and take the initiative in, for example, asking questions, carrying out investigations, evaluating ideas and working constructively with others. Significant levels of originality, imagination or creativity, which are shown in their responses to their learning in RE. The ability to link the study of religion and belief to personal reflections on meaning and purpose. A wide knowledge and deep understanding across a wide range of religions and beliefs. At St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School, we follow the ‘Come and See’ Religious Education Programme in line with guidance from the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. This programme is followed throughout school from Reception through to Year 6. This programme provides: Opportunities for celebration, prayer and reflection in implicit and explicit ways. Children with the language of religious experience - a 'literacy' in religious activities, places, stories, symbols and rituals, people and objects. A 'systematic presentation of Christian event, message and way of life' in ways appropriate to the age and stage of development of the child. That for its implementation and production it requires the adults involved to understand the underlying theological as well as educational principles. Appropriate materials about other faiths. Academic respectability as in other curricular areas – utilising appropriate stages from the National Curriculum. The programme explores the religious dimensions of questions about life, dignity and purpose within the Catholic tradition. Links are made with the children's own experience and with universal experience. It will raise questions and provide material for reflection by the children on their own experiences. It will enable them to explore the beliefs, values and way of life of the Catholic tradition and where appropriate other faith traditions. Furthermore… The curriculum hours in R.E. are non-negotiable and will be followed by all staff in the school. Fixed timetables will be set before the academic year and monitored by the Senior Leadership Team of the school. The Subject Leader for R.E. will meet the Senior Leadership Team on a monthly basis to evaluate provision in order to ensure that teaching and learning in R.E. is outstanding. Where necessary, staff will receive coaching and training in R.E. Each year group will study a number of units over the year. The units are developmental, building on previous knowledge and experience, considering of the children’s age and understanding. The topics covered by each year group are as detailed on the curriculum overview. The R.E. curriculum will include guest speakers who are specialists in their area and guest speakers from Catholic charities will also visit schools such as CAFOD, Open the book, Youth Ministry etc. E. is taught individually but plays a central role in all areas of school life. Success criteria in every R.E. lesson is set in order to guide children to achieve their potential. This ensures work is demanding and matches the aims of the curriculum. High quality teaching responds to the needs of children. Spiral learning is a key focus of all formative and summative assessment with teachers actively marking work in lessons in order to identify misconceptions early. Children will be highly engaged in R.E. lessons through the use of a variety of sources such as religious stories, scripture, religious artwork, songs, music, dance and religious signs and symbols. The life and work of key figures in the History of the people of God will be studied for example, lives of the saints. Approaches will include whole class teaching, group activities and individual work. Children will have opportunities to work individually as well as cooperatively and collaboratively, developing their own knowledge and expertise as well as sharing experiences with others. High quality input from experts and educational resources complement the delivery of specialist learning admirably. The idea of vocation will be developed in all year groups. Pupils will participate in Mass, feast days, Holy days and collective worship which will involve religious actions and worship including the celebration of the sacraments. The use of visits and visitors in school will enhance the R.E. curriculum. Actively promoting aspirations for the future. Children develop an understanding of how subjects and specific skills are linked to future jobs. Here are some of the jobs you could aspire to do in the future as a Religious Scholar: Vicar 'Come and See' is taught through a series of 9 topics exploring: Community of faith – Church Other faith traditions are also explored through discreet topics. The process for delivering the topics in 'Come and See' has three stages - Explore, Reveal and Respond which enable the pupils with the development of knowledge, understanding, skills and the fostering of attitudes. 10% of teaching time is dedicated to the teaching of Religious Education. Search – Explore (1 week) This is the introduction to the topic where the children's life experience is explored, the questions it raises are wondered at, shared, investigated and their significance reflected on. Revelation – Reveal (usually 2 weeks) This is the heart of the programme where knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith is revealed through the Word, in Scripture, Tradition, doctrine, prayers, rites and Christian living. Response – Respond (1 week) This is where the learning is assimilated, celebrated and responded to in daily life. This reflective work is done using the Respond booklets for each topic. Judaism is usually studied in the Autumn term. The other religion to be studied is Islam and is usually studied in the Summer Term. Visits to Newcastle and Durham Cathedral. Children are happy learners within R.E. They experience a wide-ranging number of learning challenges in RE and know appropriate responses to them. Through R.E., children deepen their appreciation of their faith and fulfil their God-given talents Visits within R.E. have enriched the lives of the children and they are able to discuss how the experience impacted their knowledge and understanding. Children of all abilities and backgrounds achieve well in R.E., reflected in outstanding progress that reveals a clear learning journey. Children talk enthusiastically about their learning in R.E. and are eager to further their learning in the next stages of their education. There is a proven track record of success in assessments that reflects the impact of deep learning. Clear outcomes focus and guide all R.E. development plans and drive improvement. Fundamental British Values are evident in R.E. and children understand how R.E. can celebrate difference. Children will understand the Catholic virtues which will be focussed on each half term and how these relate to their personal life and to British Values The children will grow to know and love God, develop their moral and spiritual nature and deepen their faith. Children will live their faith in an active and positive way, always aware of the presence and love of Christ guiding them. Children will develop their relationship with God and become religiously literate. Through religious practice, the church’s traditions of prayer and worship will be upheld. Faith plays a central role in the lives of the children and the decisions they make. Children are confident, resilient and actively engaged in the wider society. The school environment will reflect and celebrate our Catholic faith. Children will be able to define, describe and discuss areas of R.E. They will confidently use skills such as retelling, describing, comparing, giving reasons, explaining the meaning of biblical stories and considering the impact of beliefs. Children will be able to reflect and consider important questions about R.E. Through wider reading in R.E, children will know about a wide variety of Saints, how we can learn from their example, and historical religious events and figures. They will be able to make links between Jesus’ life and teaching and link it to their own lives, making links between different forms of Christian action, such as in rituals and charitable acts.“A Christian ethos lies at the heart of St Mary’s School community, with particular emphasis being placed upon the nurturing in each child of a knowledge and love of the Catholic faith. We foster relationships which reflect our values and attitudes of care, respect and trust between children, staff, governors, parents and parishioners. We strive to enable each child to grow; aspiring to excellence and beyond the limits of potential.”
Chaplain
Member of Parliament
Journalist
Advice Worker
Charity fundraiser
Youth worker
Celebration in ritual – Sacraments
Way of life – Christian LivingThe Process
Other Faiths and Religions
Open the Book assemblies in school.
Interaction with the parish priest and deacon.
Trips to Minsteracres.
Residentials to the Youth Village.
Visits to Synagogues and Mosques.
Trips to Holy Island.
Jewish and Islamic guest speakers in school.
