RE

Intent

At St Cuthbert’s Christ is at the centre of everything we do and therefore RE can be seen everywhere from in the classroom to outside on the playground. It is the focal point of our Curriculum through the teachings of the RED and Come and See programmes of work.

We aim to grow children who live their lives rooted in the Catholic values of Faith, Hope, Trust and Love as well as living their lives mirrored in reflection of Jesus Christ. Through the Pope's Laudato Si message, we aim to ensure children don't want to grow to have more, but to be more. At St. Cuthbert's, the Laudato Si is weaved through everything we do to ensure that children want to be active members of society who promote God's message and to live their lives rooted with a firm moral compass to guide them to make good choices based on their Catholic faith.

Implementation

Religious Education in Year 2 to Year 5

In line with our fellow Diocesan schools, we are using a scheme called ‘Come and See’ in Year 2 to 5. This forms the basis of our Religious Education provision. It is based on the theological foundations of the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Catechism and the revised RE Curriculum Directory. ‘Come and See’ is an invitation to all to explore the promise of life. This scheme provides a schoolwide overarching theme, which each group approaches at an age appropriate level.

During the Autumn term the children will focus on three key themes:

Domestic Church (Family)
Baptism and Confirmation (Belonging)
Advent and Christmas (Loving).
The children will also spend one week studying Judaism.

As we move into the Spring term we will be studying:

Local Church (Community)
Eucharist (Relating)
Lent/Easter (Giving).

Within the Summer term each unit reflects upon the role the Holy Spirit plays in our lives. We will be studying the three themes:

Pentecost (Serving)
Reconciliation (Inter-relating)
Universal Church (World).
The children will also spend one week studying Islam.

Religious Education in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6

In line with our fellow Diocesan schools, we are using a scheme called 'To know you more clearly’ in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6. This curriculum is gradually being rolled out across the Primary and Secondary sector. It seeks to present the teaching of religious education in a sequential and progressive form. The framework has four structural elements:

Knowledge lenses which indicate what should be known by the end of each age phase. These are split into hear, believe, live and celebrate.
The ‘ways of knowing’ are the skills which develop as the children progress through their curriculum journey. These are split into understand, discern and respond.
Expected outcomes are set for each age phase and indicate what pupils are expected to know, remember and be able to do.
Curriculum branches are the way the programme of study presents its model curriculum. There are six half term branches for each half term which are the same in each year group

Curriculum branches for Reception, Year 1 and Year 6:

Autumn 1- Creation and Covenant- Encounter the God who creates and calls all people with a focus on the accounts of Creation.
Autumn 2- Prophecy and Promise- Explore the expectant waiting for the Messiah through the Advent season.
Spring 1- Galilee to Jerusalem- Experience the ministry of Jesus, the Word of God. They will learn through parables, encounters, miracles and teachings.
Spring 2- Desert to Garden- Study the season of Lent and its culmination in the events of Holy Week.
Summer 1- To the ends of the Earth- Study the events that flowed from the Resurrection and Ascension in the coming of the Holy Spirit and the work of the apostles and early Church.
Summer 2- Dialogue and Encounter- Learn how Christians work together with people of different religious backgrounds, building an understand that all people work towards a common good and should respect all humanity.

In terms of assessment, the RE curriculum requires schools to assess children against the end of phase statements.