Religious Education (RE)

3 I's Statement

Our School Definition of RE:

RE is the teaching of a particular religion's beliefs, customs and values.

Intent Statement - RE

At St Joseph’s School, we are Theologists! As a Catholic school, our aim is that every child achieves their full potential as an individual made in the image and likeness of God. This includes the spiritual, moral, social, academic, physical and creative dimension of each child. Our R.E. curriculum is the vehicle through which we support and nurture children to achieve this potential.

Our intent is for children to learn about faith and learn to live the faith. The Catholic values promoted at St. Joseph’s underpin every aspect of learning in our school and are central to everything we do. This is a place where children and adults unite together, learning in the light of Christ.  

We want our children to develop a respect for other beliefs and religions, and appreciate and celebrate the diverse world in which they live. The R.E. curriculum is also about, ‘Belonging,’ it aims to nurture pupils’ awareness of diversity so that all children show respect and tolerance of others and feel like they belong to our very special school community.

As a faith school, we follow the Come and See programme of Catholic Education, as recommended by Catholic Bishops of England and Wales. We intend a religious education that covers all aspects of Catholic education and introduces children to other faiths.

These are the themes as explained by the Come and See programme:

Autumn: Family and Domestic Church, Belonging and Baptism/ Confirmation, and Loving and Advent/Christmas

Spring: Community and Local Church, Relating and Eucharist, and Giving and Lent/Easter        

Summer: Serving and Pentecost, Inter-relating and Reconciliation, and World and Universal Church.

We use the interim Age-Related Standards in Religious Education approved for use in Catholic Schools by The Department for Catholic Education and Formation of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. These aim to develop a range of skills over the course of primary school in the areas of Knowledge and Understanding, Engagement and Response and moving towards Analysis and Evaluation by the end of Year 6.

Knowledge and Understanding                                         

Our aim is to support our children in developing an outstanding level of religious understanding and knowledge, focused around the Catholic faith and the teachings of Jesus. Children will show increasing knowledge and understanding of a range of religious beliefs and scripture, what it means to belong to a church community, religious signs and symbols and they will be able to use a wide range of religious vocabulary accurately and appropriately.                                                                             

Engagement and Response                                                  

We want children to engage and respond to the R.E. curriculum by comparing their own and other people’s responses to questions about the meaning and purpose of life. Our intent is for children to show an understanding of how their own and other’s decisions are informed by beliefs and moral values.                                             

Analysis and Evaluation                                                               

Children will be able to express a viewpoint and give reasons for it before arriving at judgements. They will be able to use sources as evidence to support a point of view and they will be able to make links and connections between a variety of sources as evidence to inform knowledge.  

Sacramental knowledge progresses from Baptism in Early Years and Key Stage 1, to Confirmation, Marriage and Ordination in Key Stage 2.

Implementation Statement - RE

At St. Josephs:

• As a Catholic school, a minimum of 10% of the teaching timetable is dedicated to formal religious education, through the Come and See Programme
• The objectives and skills covered within RE lessons progress in difficulty across each key stage as stated in the Come and See scheme of work. 
• Children hear a gospel message during a weekly Gospel assembly and this is shared with parents on our Dojo communication app.
• Learning is broken down into various topics which last between 4-5 weeks
• Each topic is structured into an Explore session, Reveal learning focuses and a Respond session to complete the unit of work
• Throughout the school week, children are involved in daily acts of worship, liturgy and opportunities for deep, spiritual reflection
• Children are given the opportunities to plan and lead Liturgy during advent and lent. 
• Class Chaplains are chosen each year to lead class prayers and participate in Gospel assemblies
• Masses are held at least termly for the whole school, led by our parish priest
• Children are given the opportunity to plan their own collective worship and lead this amongst their peers
• Interfaith weeks are taught throughout the year so children explore a range of different faiths and world views, including Judaism, Islam and Hinduism
• Effective use of educational visits are planned, to enrich and enhance the pupil’s learning experiences within the R.E. curriculum
• At the end of each term children are assessed against R.E. objectives integrated within the Come and See programme and are assessed as either working towards, within or above Age Related Expectations
• Teachers ensure that pupils see the ‘purpose’ of each lesson and the content in relation to their lives
• Teachers make deliberate and intentional retrieval of previous knowledge to continually build on learning
• There are regular checkpoints and formative assessments within lessons to tailor learning to the needs of pupils
• Teachers reference the school rules and values of the school during teaching, this supports pupils to contribute and engage in lessons and be part of a class community
• Teachers are encouraged to be creative in task design, and children’s work can take the form of artwork, discussion, drama, song, extended writing or a mixture of these.

Impact Statement - RE

The impact of this curriculum will nurture children who truly live out the gospel values and apply these to everything they do in their lives going forward. Our children will live and breath these values, spreading the gospel messages throughout their lives, helping them to live their unique destiny based on God's plan for them. Our curriculum will lead to outstanding progress over time across key stages relative to a child’s individual starting point and their progression of skills. Children will therefore be expected to leave St. Joseph’s reaching at least age related expectations for R.E. Our R.E. curriculum will also lead pupils to be enthusiastic R.E. learners, evidenced in a range of ways, including pupil voice and their work.

At the end of each year, data is shared with the Diocese of Hallam. Teachers will report termly outcomes based on the learning they see in class and the evidence in children’s books. Teachers have reference to the Interim Age-Related Standards in Religious Education when making decisions about children’s depth of knowledge, understanding and skills.