At St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Religious Education is at the heart of our curriculum and is central to our mission as a Catholic school.

We believe that every child is created and loved by God and is called to grow in faith, knowledge and understanding. Through Religious Education, we seek to enable every pupil to encounter Christ, deepen their knowledge of the Catholic faith and recognise how they are called to live out the Gospel in their everyday lives.

Our Religious Education curriculum is underpinned by our school values of Faith, Love, Respect, Integrity, Service, Community and Excellence. These values shape not only what our pupils learn, but how they treat one another and how they use their God-given gifts in service of others.

Our RE Curriculum

St Mary’s follows the Westminster Diocesan Religious Education curriculum, which is based upon the Religious Education Directory (RED), To Know You More Clearly, published by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.

The curriculum provides a rich, ambitious and carefully sequenced programme of Religious Education from the Early Years Foundation Stage through to Year 6.

Religious Education is the core of the core curriculum in our Catholic school. At least 10% of curriculum teaching time is dedicated to Religious Education, separate from Prayer and Liturgy.

Through our curriculum, pupils develop a growing knowledge and understanding of Scripture, Catholic belief, the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, the Church and the Sacraments. They are encouraged not simply to acquire knowledge, but to reflect upon its meaning and consider how their faith calls them to respond.

Our Curriculum Intent

Our intention is for every child at St Mary’s to develop a deep knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith while growing in their personal relationship with God.

Our Religious Education curriculum enables pupils to:

• encounter Jesus Christ through Scripture and the teachings of the Church;
• develop secure and increasingly sophisticated religious knowledge;
• become confident and articulate in their use of religious vocabulary;
• ask and explore important questions about faith, meaning and purpose;
• make connections between Scripture, Catholic teaching and their own lives;
• recognise the dignity and worth of every human person;
• understand their responsibility to care for God's creation and serve others;
• encounter and respectfully understand other religions and worldviews;
• develop the knowledge and understanding required to participate fully in the life of the Church; and
• recognise their own God-given gifts and understand how these can be used for the good of others.

We want our children to leave St Mary’s not simply knowing about their faith, but understanding how they can live their faith.

The Impact of Religious Education

By the time children leave St Mary’s, we want them to be knowledgeable, reflective and confident young people who understand the Catholic faith and recognise their own place within God's world.

We want our pupils to:

• know and understand the Catholic faith;
• speak confidently about what they have learned;
• use religious vocabulary accurately;
• make connections between Scripture, Catholic teaching and life;
• ask thoughtful questions about faith and meaning;
• respect the beliefs and traditions of others;
• understand their responsibility towards others and God's creation;
• recognise prayer as an important part of their relationship with God; and
• understand that their faith calls them to love, serve and make a positive difference in the world.

Ultimately, our Religious Education curriculum seeks to help every child at St Mary’s know God more deeply, recognise His presence in their lives and grow into young people who put their faith into action.