At St Aloysius School we follow the Come and See programme as recommended by the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. We want every child to be happy and enthusiastic learners of RE. The beliefs and practices of our faith lay firm foundations to our entire curriculum and permeate the day-to-day life of the school.
“I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10,10)
Intent
At St Aloysius we will:-
- Enable each child to develop a deeper understanding of the Catholic faith, promote respect for religious and moral values. Children will be prepared for life in a multi faith society by fostering respect for and understanding of rich cultural diversity.
- Foster the growth of each child’s potential, by promoting the individual talents and abilities of all pupils.
- Promote an understanding and care of the environment.
- Establish close and collaborative relationships between home, parish and school.
- Our principal aim is that children leave St Aloysius School with a wide range of happy and rich memories in RE. They 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.
- 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 Aloysius.
- Children, and their parents, will develop the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the Sacraments.
- RE will play a central role in the school’s work on spiritual, moral, vocational, social and cultural education.
- A programme of SRE, 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 etc.
- In RE, 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 RE and children will be encouraged to investigate the faith with enthusiasm and rigour.
Implementation
- The curriculum hours in Religious Education 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 subject leads and Senior Leadership.
- Carefully designed schemes of learning as outlined in the Come and See programme ensure consistency and progress of all learners. Each year group will study a number of units over the year.
- The topics covered by each year group are as detailed on the curriculum overview (Parental Information)
- Whilst RE is taught as a discrete subject it plays a central role in all areas of school life.
- Success criteria in every RE lesson are set in order to guide children to achieve their potential.
- High quality teaching responds to the needs of children.
- Children will be highly engaged in RE 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 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 RE curriculum.
Impact
- Children are happy learners within RE. They experience a wide-ranging number of learning challenges in RE and know appropriate responses to them.
- Children will be able to define, describe and discuss areas of RE. 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 deepen their appreciation of their faith and fulfil their God-given talents
- Visits within RE 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 RE, reflected in outstanding progress that reveals a clear learning journey. Children talk enthusiastically about their learning in RE and are eager to further their learning in the next stages of their education.
- Proven track record of success in assessments reflect the impact of deep learning.
- Fundamental British Values are evident in RE and children celebrate difference.
- Children will live their faith in an active and positive way, always aware of the presence and love of Christ guiding them.
- The school environment will reflect and celebrate our Catholic faith.
