Intent, Implementation and Impact

Rationale

“Teaching has an extraordinary moral depth and is one of humankind’s most excellent and creative activities, for the teacher does not write on inanimate material but on the very spirit of human beings.”

The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium

Religious education lies at the very heart of the Catholic Church’s Mission in education and therefore at the very heart of our curriculum at St John XXIII Catholic Primary School.

The RE policy at our school, with this Mission in mind, is set out by governors and staff in order to to put Christ and the teachings of the Catholic Church at the centre of the educational enterprise alongside an understanding of our position as part of a wider, multi-faith community.

Religious Education at St John XXIII aims to foster:

The content of the Curriculum Directory for Religious Education
A platform to meet and understand Christ more deeply.
Knowledge and understanding of The Catholic Church
Pupils with an understanding of their Catholic faith, a love of God and the foundation for a life of faith
Knowledge and understanding of the response of The Catholic Church to the ultimate questions about human life, its origin and purpose
The skills required to engage in examination of and reflection on religious belief and practice
A degree of understanding and awareness of other major world religions
An understanding of the Mission of our school and the life and teachings of our school saint: St John XXIII

Outline of study

To provide opportunities for spiritual growth and development through participation in a variety of forms of worship and all forms of prayer – formal, informal, spontaneous, private, shared, petitionary and meditative.
To foster a catechetical community involving children, staff, parents, school governors and the parish.
To inspire a sense of responsibility, to witness to the Gospel in word and deed.
To develop an authentic understanding of the requirement to be of aid to those in need.
To develop knowledge and understanding of the mystery of God and of the person of Jesus Christ as well as of the Church and the central beliefs which Catholics hold.
To develop awareness and appreciation of Catholic belief and an understanding of its impact on personal and social behaviour by encouraging children to explore and reflect on the Scriptures with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
To develop the ability to listen; to think critically, spiritually, ethically and theologically; to acquire knowledge and organise it effectively and to make informed judgements in the light of the Catholic faith.
To engender the Gospel values of love, peace and justice, that influence all our activities and relationships in a caring, yet challenging manner.
To foster appropriate attitudes; for example, respect for truth, respects for the views of others; awareness of the spiritual, of moral responsibility, of the demands of religious commitment in everyday life, and especially the challenge of living in a multi-cultural, multi-faith society.
As priests, parish assistants, governors, parents, teachers and support staff of the school, we are called to reach out and respect the school community whatever stage they are at in their journey of faith. (General Directory for Catechesis 1997: Congregation for the Clergy 23)
To demonstrate visibly that St John XXIII is a Catholic school by the evidence of sacramental objects, posters, prayer tables, etc. around the school.

At St John XXIII we aim to allow all children to become religiously literate in order to develop an authentic love for God, and to make the most of their talents – with and understanding that we are all created in the image of God.

'The outcome of excellent religious education is religiously literate and consciously 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 recognise the demands of religious commitment in everyday life.'

The Religious Education Directory 2023

Intent

Through high quality Religious Education teaching, it is our intent that our children become secure in their understanding of the traditions, beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church; that they sustain a deep knowledge and understanding of the ministry and person of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; and that they develop a relationship with God that renews and deepens over their lifetime as people of love, service and conscience. It is our intention that our children demonstrate a commitment to the flourishing of each individual, and a deeply held respect and knowledge of other religions and worldviews.

We have a firm belief that every child can achieve and is entitled to the same knowledge and cultural capital, whatever their background or starting point. As such, have high expectations of all children.

It is our intent to ensure that all children are brought up with the knowledge and understanding of other cultures and faiths, particularly as we have children in our school from different faiths and backgrounds. As such, children are introduced to other world faiths and other Christian denominations, including trips to local places of worship.

Implementation

Religious Education is the core of the core curriculum. It is part of a broad and balanced curriculum and forms 10% of the timetable. It is taught discretely, sequentially and progressively. It includes the deepening of knowledge and understanding of key theological ideas and their application to life.

We follow the Model Curriculum provided in To Know You More Clearly: The Religious Education Directory 2023 (RED), as required by the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales.

Our curriculum follows the six-branch model of the RED Model Curriculum which is structured to align with the Liturgical Year and explores beliefs and sources through 4 ‘knowledge lenses’ that are founded in the catechism of the Catholic church:

HEAR – The Word – The Bible and teaching documents of the church
BELIEVE – What do Catholics believe?
CELEBRATE – How do our beliefs shape our prayer, liturgy and sacraments?

LIVE – The impact of faith on life: ethics, philosophy, art and culture.

In addition, we use the ‘knowledge lenses’ of DIALOGUE and ENCOUNTER when teaching our children about other world faiths to develop an attitude of mutual respect and acceptance.

We use the ‘Ways of Knowing’ Expected Outcomes for each branch unit and the Expected Outcomes for the end of age-phase (5-7; 7-9; 9-11). These Expected Outcomes develop a range of skills over the course of primary school in the areas of Understanding (‘learning about’), Discerning (‘judging wisely in response to different interpretations’), and Responding (‘reflecting personally and with integrity on what they have learned and considering the implications for action these may have for their own lives and the world in which they live).

The Model Curriculum provided in To Know You More Clearly: The Religious Education Directory 2023 (RED) presents six curriculum branches that correspond to the six half-terms of a school year. The six curriculum branches are: creation and covenant, prophecy and promise, Galilee to Jerusalem, desert to garden, to the ends of the Earth, and dialogue and encounter. Each branch has specific vocabulary to be taught. Our children re-visit each of the branches annually, thus the skills and depth of knowledge is built year upon year. The branches guide our children on a journey grounded in the story of salvation, focusing on different aspects of Jesus’ life, deepening their understanding of His ministry and coming to a deeper understanding of Catholic belief and practice. The sixth branch focuses on working in unity with people of other faiths and worldviews.

To ensure that every child achieves well in Religious Education, whatever their background or starting point, we ensure that all content is well planned - and adapted as necessary - to suit the needs of all our children. skills and knowledge depth being built year upon year.

Pedagogy: The pedagogical approaches to the teaching of RE are closely aligned to the approaches and principles of teaching in other subject areas:

Teachers ensure that pupils see the ‘purpose’ of each lesson and the content in relation to their lives
Retrieval of previous knowledge that supports links with new learning
Formative assessment within lessons to adapt lessons to the needs of pupils
Positive and affirming relationships that create the conditions conducive to effective learning
High levels of subject knowledge
· supporting pupils to contribute to and engage in their learning journey

In lessons, our children are given regular opportunities to explore and discuss theological and philosophical questions at an age-appropriate level, and to promote knowledge, awareness and acceptance of the differences of other faiths.

Teachers are given regular opportunities to access CPD at school as well as updates about developments within Catholic religious teaching.

Teachers are encouraged to be creative in their planning; tasks can take the form of artwork, discussion, drama, song, extended writing. There is an expectation that the learning in RE is evidenced in books at an age-appropriate level.

The subject leader will dedicate time weekly to the scrutiny of books, discussion with teachers, enhancing subject knowledge, and discussion with pupils. Pupils will have the opportunity to talk about their work, their enjoyment and understanding of the lessons, and how much they can recall, and their responses will be used to inform teaching.

The 6 themes of Rooted in Love are significant in our religious education curriculum. The programme addresses the objectives relating to Catholic Social teaching in the Religious Education Directory, and includes prayer and liturgy ideas for each theme as well as suggestions for bringing this work to life in the Catholic life and mission of the school. The 6 themes of Rooted in Love are: care for creation; preferential option for the poor; solidarity and peace; community and participation; dignity of workers; and dignity. The 6 themes are taught annually, every half term.

Impact

Assessment: Teachers assess formatively in lessons though effective questioning. Effective questioning by the teacher is also key in encouraging pupils to practise new knowledge and help them to make links between new material and prior learning. Opportunities for retrieval practice are included to ensure knowledge is transferred into long-term memory. We also assess children's learning and attainment summatively using the expected outcomes on a termly basis (to develop).

Internal moderation of pupil work, as well as moderation alongside other Diocesan schools, serves as a benchmark to support teacher assessment throughout the year.

Religious Education progress and attainment data is updated termly by teachers and reviewed at termly Pupil Progress Meetings.

Pupil progress in religious education is reported to parents at the end of the year in the pupils’ academic year-end reports. This report also contains Religious Education targets for the pupil to work towards and ultimately achieve. Religious Education targets are also a feature of parent meetings in autumn and spring term

In conclusion, the impact of religious Education is to develop religiously literate and consciously engaged young people who have the knowledge, understanding, and skills – appropriate to their age and capacity – to reflect spiritually, to think ethically and theologically, and to recognise the demands of religious commitment in everyday life.