Religious Education Policy

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION POLICY

June 2015

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ST ANNE’S PRIMARY SCHOOL RELIGIOUS EDUCATION POLICY MISSION STATEMENT

St Anne’s Mission Statement Here at St Anne’s RC Primary School, we work together, learn together and care

together in God’s love to enable each unique person to achieve their full potential.

We aim to meet the needs of every child through a challenging, enriching curriculum,

where everyone feels valued and respected. We aim to always provide a safe, secure

and stimulating learning environment through inclusive partnerships between children,

parents, our school, our church and the wider community.

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Rationale of Religious Education 

Religious Education is central to the educative mission of the Church.

‘At the heart of Catholic education lies the Christian vision of the human person. This vision is expressed and explored in Religious Education.’ 1

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Religious Education is ‘the core of the core curriculum.’

‘Therefore Religious Education is never simply one subject among many, but the foundation of the entire educational process. The beliefs and values studied in Catholic religious education inspire and draw together every aspect of the life of a Catholic school….. All pupils have the right to receive an overall education which will enable them, in the light of the faith of the Church, to engage with the deepest questions of life and find reasons for the hope which is within them. Religious Education is, then, the core subject in a Catholic school.’1

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Religious Education is the systematic study of the teaching of the Church and the mystery of Christ and is a rigorous academic subject in its own right.

Religious Education is regarded as an academic discipline with the same systematic demands and the same rigour as other disciplines. 2 As such it is to be taught, developed and resourced with the same commitment as any other subject.

“Excellence in religious education, then, will be characterised by a clarity of succinct religious learning objectives and of key content, by appropriate methodologies, rigour, richness of resources, achievement of identified outcomes and accurate methods of assessment. Classroom RE will be a challenging educational engagement between the pupil, the teacher and the authentic subject material.” 3

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The outcome of Classroom Religious Education is:

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“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”.4 

Whilst evangelisation and catechesis are happening in our school for some pupils, the specific contribution Religious Education makes to the Catholic Life of the school is primarily educational and will be planned, taught, assessed and monitored with the same rigour as other curriculum subjects.

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Religious Education in Catholic Schools, Bishops’ Conference of England and

Wales, 2000, para 4 2

Religious Education Curriculum Directory, Department of Catholic Education

and Formation, Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, 2012, p.3 3

Religious Education in Catholic Schools, Bishops’ Conference of England and

Wales, 2000, para 7 4

Religious Education Curriculum Directory, Department of Catholic Education and

Formation, Bishops’ 5

Religious Education Curriculum Directory, Department of Catholic Education and Formation, Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, 2012, p.6 6

Religious Education Curriculum Directory, Department of Catholic Education and Formation, Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, 2012, p.7

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Saint Anne’s is a Roman Catholic Primary School, established wholeheartedly to serve the needs of Catholic parents and their children within Saint Anne’s Parish.

The school is conducted in accordance with the rights and practices of the Catholic Church and embraces a philosophy of life and education which is Christ centred. This is based on our love of God and our love of one another.

Religious Education Religious education at Saint Anne’s is central to the whole curriculum. Growth and development in the Faith is not simply confined to timetabled religious education but it underpins and permeates in everything we do.

RE Curriculum The Aims of Religious Education as stated in the RE Curriculum Directory are:        

To present engagingly a comprehensive content which is the basis of knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith; To enable pupils continually to deepen their religious and theological understanding and be able to communicate this effectively; To present an authentic vision of the Church’s moral and social teaching so that pupils can make a critique of the underlying trends in contemporary culture and society; To raise pupils’ awareness of the faith and traditions of other religious communities in order to respect and understand them; To develop the critical faculties of pupils so that they can relate their Catholic faith to daily life; To stimulate pupils’ imagination and provoke a desire for personal meaning as revealed in the truth of the Catholic faith; To enable pupils to relate the knowledge gained through Religious Education to their understanding of other subjects in the curriculum; To bring clarity to the relationship between faith and life, and between faith and culture.5

Religious Education - Curriculum Time Allocation 10% of our curriculum time is allocated to Religious Education. This does not include our Collective Worship.

Programme of Study To fulfil the above aims and to address the four areas of study outlined in the Religious Education Curriculum Directory, 2012 – Revelation, Church, Celebration and Life in Christ - the ‘Come and See’ programme is used alongside ‘The Way, the Truth and the Life’.

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Process Religious Education is taught through the process of Explore, Reveal, and Respond.

This follows the pattern of: the human search for meaning, God’s initiative in Revelation and the response in faith. This pattern is outlined both in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and in the Curriculum Directory.

As the Directory states: ‘Teaching in Religious Education ….should help people be attentive to the meaning of their experiences, illumined by the light of the Gospel, so that they may respond to God more fully. Experience can also make the Christian message more intelligible.’ 6 Methodology A variety of exciting and engaging teaching and learning strategies are used from across the curriculum and are adapted appropriately to the needs and learning styles of all of our pupils, with our pupils encouraged to be actively involved in planning and delivery; whenever deemed appropriate.

It is our aim to create a stimulating environment systematically presenting the Catholic Christian way of life, with the emphasis on developing ways of thinking, feeling and acting, which lead our children to be joyful, reflective, reverent, open and enquiring.  We use a variety of teaching methods appropriate to the content and the needs of children.  Affirm the value and worth of all pupils and help to develop positive self esteem, particularly with Special Needs.  Ensure that the children’s work is valued and that the comments and feedback help to develop self esteem.  Use and encourage children to use correct Religious Language in their observations, discussions and in prayer and worship, so that they will gain confidence to express their thoughts, feelings and questions.  Promote understanding of Religious activities, places, stories, symbols, rituals, people and objects.  Provide opportunities for children to recognise appreciate and develop their personal talents and skills.  Promote independence and encourage the children to accept responsibilities and mature in their faith and attitudes to God and to each other.  Provide opportunities to prepare participate and appreciate celebrations, prayer and reflection.  To develop meditation techniques through the scriptures and growing in awareness through the Holy Spirit Seminar of our won unique life in the spirit.

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Equal Opportunity St. Anne’s School aims to provide an enriching broad and balanced curriculum which promotes co-operative learning with equal opportunity for all our children.

The promotion of equal opportunities is the concern of all our teachers who ensure that irrespective of race, gender or disability, all pupils receive their entitlement to a religious education which will enhance their understanding of gospel values and their growing faith.

Our School as a Worshipping Community St. Anne’s School provides a Roman Catholic Education which is an integral part of the life of the school. Children are not only taught about their faith in lessons, prayers, liturgy and assemblies but are encouraged to live and share their faith within the school community which, in turn, permeates all areas of school life.

In order to live our faith, prayer, worship and liturgical celebrations are central to the Catholic tradition and the life of the school. It is a vital part of our role as educators in the faith to promote an appreciation of and active participation in prayer, worship and celebration through activities which include  Whole school Acts of Worship throughout the week,  Assemblies – Class led, Chaplaincy and teacher led,  Children’s Masses to celebrate Feast Days and special occasions in the life of the school, e.g. the beginning of a New Year, Leavers Mass etc.,  Class Masses,  Wednesday Word –disseminated by our pupils,  Feast of St Anne (celebrated during term time ),  Celebrations throughout the year,  Advent Celebration in December,  Nativity Bags sent home for all children during Advent,  Christmas Celebration,  Sacrament of Reconciliation and Holy Communion in the Spring Term,  Holy Week Celebration,  Lunchtime reflection group,  Easter Celebrations,  Opportunities for pupil led Prayer,  Celebration of the Holy Rosary with some of our Parishioners.

School Chaplains St Anne’s has a dedicated team of Pupil Chaplains who have a vital role to play in enhancing the Religious Life of our school. Each Chaplain has to apply for this important job and is interviewed by the RE Co-ordinator , Chaplain co-ordinator and the retiring Chaplaincy team. Our Pupil Chaplains are well known and respected

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within School. Our Pupil Chaplains work hard to promote our Catholic faith in school and they are also a wonderful link between the school and our parish.

The role of Pupil Chaplain has a very high profile in school and some of the tasks these pupils carry out include welcoming new pupils and staff to our school, leading Masses and Liturgical events, delivering whole school worship ,disseminating the Wednesday Word across School and leading fundraising initiatives.

Family Links As co-educators of the children we actively seek to support our parents/carers by establishing a friendly and professional working relationship in which all parties feel able to talk honestly about the child’s progress, development and special needs.

Termly newsletters are sent home; highlighting what each year group will be covering throughout the Term and these include ways in which the parents/carers can further support their children’s RE experiences at home. Parents are welcomed visitors at many School events including Class/School Masses.

Parish Links The journey in faith experienced by the children involves the clergy, parents and parishioners who commit themselves to the spiritual development of our children.

Amongst some of the opportunities which are provided are  The Sacraments of Confirmation, Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist.  Children’s participation as readers, choristers etc. at Holy Day, Class and Parish Masses.  Visits to nursing homes, hospitals and old peoples homes within the parish by the children during the Christmas and Easter season.  Clergy and parishioners working in the school.

Wider Community Conscious that St. Anne’s School is part of the wider community, we offer opportunities for the children to learn about and respond to the needs of our worldwide family through organisations such as Cafod, St. Joseph’s penny and CARITAS – an area that our Parish Priest- Father Glover - has strong links with.

Special Educational Needs The Religious Education Programme caters for the full spectrum of abilities. As we aim to affirm all pupils’ values and worth, we include a wide range of learning experiences and a variety of teaching approaches to provide the encouragement and support that children with Special Needs require to develop their knowledge and understanding.

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Other Religions Two other religions are taught from EYFS to Year 6 complemented by the programme of study in ‘Come and See’. These are Judaism, which is usually taught in the Autumn, and Islam, which is taught either in the Spring or Summer. At least one week’s teaching and learning time per year is given to each.

We welcome our parents and family members from other Faiths into School to support our children and encourage our own children from other faith backgrounds to share their experiences. A Multi Faith Club is held for our Key Stage One children and is supported by some our older pupils.

Assessment, Monitoring, Recording and Reporting           

The RE Curriculum is monitored through whole school involvement in many celebrations, which are pupil/teacher planned and led, Discussions both formally and informally are held amongst staff and children, and there is welcomed discussion and feedback through our parish links e.g.

Parish Priest and through strong links with Our Lady’s High School, Assessment of standards is carried out according to guidelines, Each teacher keeps a class record of assessed work and records of pupils’ progress, The school portfolio of pupils’ work contains three samples of work from each teacher covering a range of abilities, An in - house moderation meeting is held termly, Books are scrutinised and compared to our Literacy and writing journals, SMSC is evidenced in Religion and other Curriculum planning, Monitoring of teaching and learning is undertaken by the RE Co-ordinator and our chaplains, Progress and achievement in Religious Education is reported to parents/carers in a written report at the end of each academic year, Progress and achievement in Religious Education is regularly reported to Governors , at Curriculum meetings and through regular discussions with the RE governor.

Management of the Subject The RE Co-ordinator, supported by the SMT and RE governor, have responsibility for leading, managing and supporting the delivery of and training in Religious Education.

The Religious Education Co-ordinator is responsible for: 

Working with staff on monitoring teaching and learning, planning and standards through lesson observations and work scrutiny according to school practice.

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Organising in-house moderation of standards meetings.

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Self- evaluation to identify strengths and areas for development.

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Ensuring the curriculum offered is appropriate, suitable and relevant to pupils’ needs and interests.

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Attending appropriate training and keeping up to date with current thinking, policy and developments and feeding back to staff.

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Organising and leading in-house staff training and development.

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Identifying training needs of staff to ensure their suitability to teach effective Religious Education.

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Supporting and advising colleagues in the delivery of Religious Education.

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Liaising with the Governors, parents, the Office for Education & Schools on matters relating to Religious Education.

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Auditing, managing and developing resources.

Policy Monitoring and Review This policy will be monitored, evaluated and reviewed by the RE Co-ordinator and SMT and updated every 2 years or in light of significant changes.

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