Religious Education at St Augustine’s Catholic Primary School

Vision:

To promote the dignity and freedom of each person as created in the image and likeness of God.

We aim to fulfil The Bishop’s Vision ‘to make Christ known and loved, through the provision of excellent Catholic education and schools intent on finding Christ in their daily lives and sharing that encounter with others.’

We endeavour to provide and fulfil the aims and philosophy of our Mission Statement and our motto

‘Serve the Lord in gladness’.

This is reflected in the ethos and character of our school community and the strong links established between home, school and parish.

Intent:

In St. Augustine’s School Religious Education is the basis for the whole curriculum. The beliefs and values, which are lived out in the daily life of our school, are inspired and encouraged by this vision. We believe that the responsibility for the religious education of our children involves every member of the school together with parents and the parish community. Within this vision and partnership, the three elements of Religious Education, Catechesis and Evangelisation co-exist.

At St Augustine’s R.C. Primary school we embrace the ethos and beliefs of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Every child has the right to an education (Article 28) and the right to develop their talents (Article 29). We value every pupil and the contribution they have to make recognising. As a result, we aim to ensure that every child achieves success and that all children are able to develop their skills in accordance with their level of ability.

At St Augustine’s our children’s develop understanding and knowledge of other faiths and cultures, respecting and appreciating alternative viewpoints. We recognise the social, moral, spiritual, and cultural diversity of our communities, and encourage curiosity tolerance and respect, inspiring pupils to understand how life in Britain and the wider world is changing around them.

Implementation:

Since our whole curriculum is based on the values of the Gospel and because we see all
education as revealing the mystery of God, we recognise two aspects of Religious Education in the school:

(a) Implicit, or unstructured Religious Education – those opportunities which arise in the course of
a school day to lead pupils through curriculum content or through relationships to a religious
understanding of their implications. It is the policy of this school to use such opportunities as they
arise.
(b) Explicit, or Curriculum Religious Education – those time tabled or planned periods of time given
to an explicit consideration of Religious Education in the classroom. It is the policy of this school to allocate 10 % of curriculum time to Religious Education. This does not include Collective Worship

How is our religious curriculum delivered?

Through the ‘Come and See’ scheme of work we deliver Religious Education throughout school. This easy to use, teacher-friendly material has been written by a group of experienced diocesan advisors. It is based on the theological foundations of the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Catechism and the revised RE Curriculum Directory and includes the Catholic attainment levels.

Each of our RE themes start with a big question; These questions provide a focus for each topic which encourages discussion and reflection.

Impact:

As a result of our RE provision:

Are well prepared for the next stage of their education as confident and enthusiastic learners.
Produce good quality work which they are proud of.
Achieve consistently well in all areas of Religious Education and make exceptional progress.
Are happy, well-rounded individuals who have developed a deep-rooted relationship with God and understanding of their Catholic faith.
Are ambassadors for Christ who are ready to go out into the world and proclaim the values of the Gospel confidently, building God’s Kingdom through using the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Understand that they are part of the family of God and know how they can play their part in this Global family united by Christ.