ST.PETER S R.C. PRIMARY SCHOOL Religious Education Policy
MISSION STATEMENT St. Peter s Catholic School Mission is that pupils, parents staff, governors and parish build together a learning community which develops love, concern for each other and forgiveness, by living out the Gospel. This means our school will be a place which: encourages children to live as children welcomes, values and respects the innocence of childhood and the individual s strengths and weaknesses encourages each to use his/her gifts and talents for self fulfilment and the good of all fosters knowledge, experience and understanding celebrates that we are each made in the image and likeness of God fosters prayer, trust in God and an understanding of His love through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, encouraging our respect for all His people
Religious Education Policy Introduction R.E. is a foundation subject of the National Curriculum. As a Catholic School it is very important in the education of our children. This policy outlines our aims and intentions for teaching R.E. at St. Peter s Catholic Primary. Our Aims: To create a safe, secure and stimulating learning environment. To create an inclusive community where all members are valued, share a commitment towards the pursuit of high standards and understand their role in achieving them. To develop a supportive and challenging environment, where expectations in achievement and personal relationships are high. To deliver a balanced and broad curriculum, where children can achieve, enjoy and develop self-esteem. To develop children s skills, knowledge and confidence, enabling them to make a positive contribution to society. To achieve a dynamic interaction between home, school, parish and the wider community to ensure the needs of all members of the school family are met. 1. Philosophy of The Policy In the light of our school Mission Statement, in teaching R.E. we aim to: Develop pupils love and knowledge of God through Scriptures and by example. Give pupils meaning to their lives by giving each child a value of self as a unique being with dignity created and loved by God. Strive to make the Gospel a reality within the lives of the whole school community. Enter the full life of the church by becoming a worshipping community. Ensure pupils have a secure knowledge and understanding of their faith. Strive for high standards in every aspect of school life. Increase the children s awareness of God, the world He created and their place within it, fulfilling the following commandment Go then to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptise them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you (Matthew 28: 19-20). 2. Aims and Objectives The immediate aim of Religious Education is to promote knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith, it s relevance to the ultimate questions of life and the skills required to engage in religious thinking (Broad Areas of Attainment in Religious Education). In order to fulfil these aims at St. Peter s staff endeavour to: Help develop pupils awareness that religion is not just a subject for learning, but a way of life.
Present engagingly a comprehensive content which is the basis of knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith, and develop the critical faculties of pupils so that they can relate their Catholic faith to daily life; Promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the children. Give experience of the living liturgy. Give the children experience of a Christian caring community. Give the children the opportunity to reflect on the teaching and life of Jesus, by studying the Gospels. Create an ethos seeking to proclaim and live the Gospel values such as love, acceptance, forgiveness, worship, personal prayer, concern for truth, freedom, justice and respect for other people. Raise pupils awareness of the faith and traditions of other religious communities in order to respect and understand them. By fulfilling these aims we endeavour to comply with the following statement from the Curriculum Directory for Catholic Schools : The outcome of excellent religious education is religiously literate and engaged young people who have the knowledge, understanding and skills appropriate to their age and capacity - to reflect spiritually and think ethically and theologically, and who are aware of the demands of religious commitment in everyday life. 3. Curriculum Planning The teaching of Religious Education is accorded the status of a core subject at St. Peter s and 10% of curriculum time is given to its teaching. Religious Education is taught in themes throughout the school, following the programme Come and See. Children are taught in class groups and are involved in activities including speaking, listening, drawing, writing, computing activities, reading, drama, singing, making visits and receiving visitors. The Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist are taught in Year Three following the Jesus Comes to Me programme In children s books teachers should ensure they include; Topic page (on blank page), Work activities (at least 4 per topic) and pupil self-assessment at the end of each topic. 4. Programmes of Study The R.E. Curriculum is delivered primarily through the programme Come and See In response to the question; where do you live? which was asked by the disciples, Jesus invited them to; Come and See. (John 1:39) The disciples went with Jesus and spent the rest of that day with him. Central to the programme are three basic human questions and the three Christian beliefs that are the Church s response in faith. Where do I come from? Life Creation Who am I? Dignity Incarnation Why am I here? Purpose Redemption In Come and See these big questions are considered in the light of the Scriptures
and Tradition of the Church, as expressed in the documents of the Second Vatican Council and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Come and See is developed through three themes based on the above documents of the Second Vatican Council, which are gradually explored each time at greater depths. They are Church, Sacrament and Christian living. It is necessary, therefore, that Religious Education in schools be regarded as an academic discipline with the same systematic demands and the same rigour as other disciplines. It must present the Christian message and the Christian event with the same seriousness and the same depth with which other disciplines present their knowledge. However it should not simply be regarded as one subject among many, but rather it should engage in interdisciplinary dialogue. Religious Education in schools underpins, activates, develops and completes the educational and catechetical activity of the whole school. (Religious Education Curriculum Directory 2012) This pattern guides the structure of the programme and informs the process of each topic, opened up through: Explore, Reveal and Respond. Explore The teacher helps the children to begin to look at and focus on the experience within their own lives concerning themselves, their relationships and their world. In this way the children are led to a deeper understanding, clearer vision and the discovery of significance and value of the experiential events of everyday life. Explore will take one week of Religious Education time to complete. Reveal Reveal is the heart of the process. The teacher and the children together discover the Christian understanding of the mystery of the Trinity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They explore the mystery of human life as revealed in the person, life and gospel of Jesus Christ. It will involve learning about Scripture, the teaching of the Church, prayers, rites, psalms, hymns and other expressions of Christian faith and the lives of outstanding Christians. Reveal will take two weeks of Religious Education time to complete. Respond Remember is the first part of this section. The children will respond by remembering and celebrating all that they have learnt. Rejoice is the second part of the section. There will be the opportunity to plan and take part in a celebration. Renew the teacher helps each child to make an individual response, to hold on to and make their own, what they have understood of the topic. Respond will take one week of Religious Education time to complete. Sacramental Preparation
Children in Year Three follow Jesus Come To Me Programme, a specific preparation for the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist. All the children in the school learn about the sacraments through the Come and See programme. The preparation for the Sacraments is completed in partnership with the school, parish and parents. Children in Year Three receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the Spring Term while the Sacrament of Eucharist is received in the Summer Term. In addition to the Come and See programme, time is spent in studying the Gospels to develop in our children a greater knowledge and understanding of the teachings of Jesus. Other Faiths The Church teaches that, while living out our Christian faith, we are called to listen in dialogue and be ready to learn from those of other faiths, many of whom may, in our multicultural society, be our neighbours. As Catholics we are called to be committed to respecting people of other faiths and to recognising that God is at work in them. The other faiths are taught discretely. Each faith is treated with integrity and not by comparisons or by isolated festivals. The teaching will be of the key concepts of that religion. Formal teaching of other faiths will begin from the Foundation Stage. This will include Judaism. Autumn Autumn Spring Summer Foundation Stage 2 Judaism Year 1 Judaism Sikhism A Year 2 Judaism Sikhism B Year 3 Judaism Hinduism A Year 4 Judaism Hinduism B Year 5 Judaism Islam A Year 6 Judaism Islam B 5. Assessment, Recording and Reporting The purpose of assessment, recording and reporting is to ensure effective learning, celebrate growth and achievement and enable further progression and development. Assessment, recording and reporting are related to overall Religious Education aims and objectives, and the specific learning intentions of themes and topics. Formal assessment takes place in one theme each term and informs a record of attainment level for each pupil kept by the class teacher. (Bishop s Conference Levels of Attainment in Religious Education.) A formal reporting to parents takes place at the end of each school year. R.E is a core subject and takes prominence. INCLUSION As a school we ensure that all children and staff are treated fairly and equally. All children have equal rights to access all areas of the curriculum, regardless of race, gender and disability. Within this subject area, the SLT and all staff endeavour to provide the appropriate provision for this to occur.
6. Staffing and Responsibilities The Senior Leadership Team and staff are accountable to the Governors for the teaching of R.E. The Headteacher is required to provide an R.E. report to governors at each Full Governing Body meeting. Each class teacher ; Prepares, plans and delivers R.E. Prepares their class for the Liturgical Feasts of the Church. Helps to develop the prayer and sacramental life of the pupils. Is responsible for planning the R.E. display in their classrooms and communal displays around the school. The Role of the Religious Education Co-ordinator is to: Liaise with the Parish Priest to arrange School Masses, Classroom Celebrations, Reconciliation, Special Feasts and Masses in school and Church. Give support to the staff preparing children for the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. Develop an Action Plan Observe and monitor lessons, assessment and R.E. books. Lead staff meetings with an R.E. focus. Liaise with Governors. Attend diocesan R.E. Subject leader meetings. Organise and distribute planning and assessment documents to colleagues. Plan assemblies and draw out rota for KS2 lunch time mass. Provide guidance to colleagues when requested. Have an overview of R.E. in the school. Be responsible for R.E. resources and the purchase of new materials within the confines of the school spending plan. Write Religious Education Policies 7. Resources Each teaching member of staff has a copy of Come and See relevant to their age group and access to the Come and See website. Resources for the effective delivery of R.E. are stored in the relevant classrooms. Further resources, artefacts and posters are kept in the cupboard outside the year 2 classroom for KS1 and Year 5 for KS2. 8. Religious Education in the Wider Context. As expressed in our Mission Statement, spiritual values are implicit in all we teach and permeate the whole curriculum. Teaching and support staff attend INSET and relevant meetings where available and relevant. Our Parish Priest forges close links with the school. He is a regular visitor, especially liaising with the teacher of Year Three where specific sacramental preparation is ongoing. Mass is celebrated at the church on St.Peter s Feast day to which parents are always invited Links with the wider community. Links with our Catholic schools in the Greenwich Deanary.
The school ethos is based on service to others. Pupils are encouraged to see themselves as part of a community in which each member plays a role. This is a value that is promoted in the school, in classroom, assemblies and at other times in the school day. Examples of links with the local and wider community include: Local speakers in assembly and fund raising ventures eg CAFOD, Bexley and Greenwich Hospice and Demelza. School Council initiatives to support charity Work experience opportunities for local secondary school pupils. Involvement in School Sports Partnership. 9. Collective Worship and Prayer We believe prayer is a response to God in love, praise and thanksgiving. It is important that children develop a personal relationship with God. The means of fostering this relationship is by helping them become aware of God s presence in their lives through the experience of daily events and giving expression to it in prayer. Younger children need to hear us pray about normal everyday things in a language they can understand. Class teachers aim to build a rich culture of prayer by introducing new prayers and also regularly revisiting the prayers already known. They must help learners savour their meaning. Prayers should be said regularly. Teachers should ensure the school day begins with a prayer, that Grace before meals is said and that the school day finishes with a prayer. Children are encouraged to perform any gestures thoughtfully. Prayer may also form a significant part of a religious education lesson. Encouragement should be given to the children to use the many ways of meeting God in prayer: 1. Prayer in silence. 2. Spontaneous prayer. 3. Prayer through gesture music drama mime. 4. Vocal and Liturgical Prayer. Those organising prayer, liturgies and assemblies should encourage pupils to contribute their skills and gifts to the preparation of worship and to participate as actively as possible. 5. Individual and group prayer must be given importance and valued by everyone. This can be done in both formal and informal styles and settings. 6. Children need to be able to join in the prayers with adults both at home and at school and in the prayers of the Mass and the praying of the Rosary etc. 7. Opportunities for worship should be linked with Feast Days and with the liturgical seasons of Advent, Lent, Christmastide and Easter. 8. Through our time together reflecting on the gospel reading for the forth coming Sunday. 10. Worship Worship is seen as central to the life of the school. Our approach to worship is one of enabling the children to take part as fully as possible. Children participate as altar
servers, readers, and taking up the offertory, through hymns, songs, actions, story, mime and music. 11. Assemblies KS1 Assembly: KS1 assembly is taken by the KS1 staff on a rota basis and should involve children s participation wherever possible. This assembly should follow Come and See themes, the liturgical year, Old and New Testament stories and Other Faith stories. KS2 Assembly: KS2 assembly is taken by the KS2 staff on a rota basis and should involve children s participation wherever possible. This assembly should follow Come and See themes, the liturgical year, Old and New Testament stories and Other Faith stories. Prayer group is taken by the Headteacher every Thursday morning for intercession for prayer petitions, for our school and Parish community and the world. 12. Links with Home, School and Parish The partnership between home, parish, and school is the best setting for the formation of maturing Catholic young people. Home, school and parish are inextricably linked. Many in the parish have an active role within the school, working in different capacities as support staff, governors, catechists and special ministers. A number of staff are members of the parish and take part in a variety of parish activities. The school enjoys strong parental support, many parents having once been pupils themselves. The school works closely with the parish. The Parish Priest is a regular visitor, meeting with the school RE Co-ordinator, celebrates Mass in the school on other special occasions, and has an open invitation to attend school assemblies and other celebrations. He is also involved with the running of the school by taking an active part in the Governing Body. Policy Monitoring and Review. The policy is monitored by The Headteacher. It is evaluated and reviewed by the whole staff and governors every three years. St.Peter s Governing Body will review this policy every three years. Date: October 2018 Review Date: October 2021 Chair of Governors: Mr Gerry Franklin