Saint Patrick’s Catholic Primary School

'We arise today, to learn, love and grow through Jesus.’

At Saint Patrick’s Catholic Primary School, we aim to create an environment in which each individual has the opportunity to thrive; supported by values of Christ firmly built into our everyday foundations. Education, welfare and wellbeing are at the heart of everything we do. Above all else, we want to foster a strong belief in all of our children that they can succeed in all they do, no matter what. Working with all school parties, we wish to nurture each child’s potential and foster high aspirations. It is essential that we give them the toolkit needed to achieve their goals, regardless of background or starting points.

At St. Patrick's Catholic Primary School, children enjoy their learning in R.E. and participate fully; taking every opportunity to learn, love and grow throughout their journey from Nursery to Year 6.

As a Catholic School, Religious Education at St. Patrick's Catholic Primary School is provided in accordance with recommendations from the Archdiocese of Liverpool.  We follow the programme 'Come and See' throughout the school.

Intent

The curriculum for Religious Education aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Have a closer relationship with God; reflecting upon their personal experiences and learning, discerning their Faith within a supportive environment.
• Are given the opportunity to engage with their Faith at a deeper level.
• Achieve well and enjoy their learning in Religious Education.
• Deepen their religious understanding and are able to communicate this effectively with us.
• Develop their awareness of other faiths, in order to respect and understand them.
• Develop their skills in relating their Catholic faith to everyday life

‘Curriculum Religious Education in Catholic schools aims to:

1 Present engagingly a comprehensive content which is the basis of knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith;

2 Enable pupils continually to deepen their religious and theological understanding and be able to communicate this effectively;

3 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;

4 Raise pupils’ awareness of the faith and traditions of other religious communities in order to respect and understand them;

5 Develop the critical faculties of pupils so that they can relate their Catholic faith to daily life;

6 Stimulate pupils’ imagination and provoke a desire for personal meaning as revealed in the truth of the Catholic faith;

7 Enable pupils to relate the knowledge gained through Religious Education to their understanding of other subjects in the curriculum;

8 Bring clarity to the relationship between faith and life, and between faith and culture.’

Religious Education Curriculum Directory for Catholic Schools, pg.6.

Implementation

The curriculum for Religious Education at Saint Patrick’s is taught using ‘Come and See’, as recommended by the Archdiocese of Liverpool.

Central to the programme are three basic human questions and 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.

The programme is developed through three Themes which are gradually explored each time at greater depths (Church, Sacrament, Christian living).  The basic question / belief for each season is explored through these three themes.

Community of faith <> Church

Celebration in ritual <> Sacraments

Way of life <> Christian Living

Community of faith <> Church themes:

The Church Themes occur in each season and each Theme gradually builds on the understanding of the previous theme.

Autumn              Family <> Domestic Church

We begin with ‘My Story/My Family’ and look at Domestic Church.  The Church honours the family with the title ‘Domestic Church’ because parents ‘by their word and example are the first teachers of faith with regard to their children (Lumen Gentium 11/ CCC1656).

Spring                Community <> Local Church

We explore the theme of Local Church.  Here we look at the Parish (where people gather together to celebrate and practice care and love for each other) and the Diocese (the community of the Christian faithful).

Summer             World <> Universal Church.

We focus on universal Church.  Here we explore the worldwide community. 

Celebration in ritual <> Sacraments:                                                               The Sacrament themes occur once in each season and each theme gradually builds on the understanding of the previous theme.

Autumn              Belonging <> Baptism/Confirmation

We focus on ‘Belonging’, born into Christ’s life.  At EY/KS1, the theme of Baptism introduces the understanding of being initiated into belonging to the Christian Church.  At KS2, the children learn about the Sacrament of Confirmation, whereby the baptised are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit.  Older KS2 children also explore the Sacraments of Ordination and Marriage.

Spring                 Relating <> Eucharist

We explore the Eucharist, ‘God’s love in our lives’.  This Sacrament is at the heart of Come and See. 

Summer              Inter-relating <> Reconciliation

We explore the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  This is an opportunity to learn about the joy and challenge of relationships and God’s love and mercy celebrated in this sacrament.  At Upper KS2, children also learn about the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.

Way of life <> Christian living themes:

The Christian living themes occur in each season and each theme gradually builds on the understanding of the previous theme.

Autumn               Loving <> Advent/Christmas

The Advent/Christmas theme considers the gift of God’s love in Jesus.  Our preparation for Christmas celebrates the wonderful gift of Jesus and offers the witness of loving as a way of life.

Spring                 Giving <> Lent/Easter

In this spring season, Lent and Easter are explored.  Children learn about the love Jesus has for humankind and how he offered his life and gave us an example of giving as a way of life.

Summer               Serving <> Pentecost

Here, the study of the Ascension and Pentecost completes the Easter story.  It shows the children how the gift of the Holy Spirit strengthens the community and enables Christians to give witness.

Each Theme is explored through a different topic in each year group.

The three autumn topics are developed in the light of an understanding of Creation (God - Father, Creator).

The three spring topics are developed in the light of an understanding of Incarnation (God - Son).

The three summer topics are developed in the light of an understanding of Redemption and the work of the Holy Spirit (God – Holy Spirit).

Each theme is explored through a different topic in each year group. There are 9 topics in total over the academic year.

 In addition to these topics, children have the opportunity to explore two other faiths.
In the Autumn Term, children explore Judaism.
In the Spring or Summer Term, children explore Hinduism.

Across the school, the process for delivering the topics in ‘Come and See’ has three stages – Explore, Reveal and Respond which enable pupils to develop knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes. 

Explore

Children are helped to look at and focus upon the experience within their own lives – concerning themselves, their relationships and their world. 

Reveal

Reveal is the heart of the process.  Together, the teacher and children 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.  This part of the process involves learning about Scripture, the teaching of the Church, prayers, rites, psalms, hymns and other expressions of Christian faith and the lives of outstanding Christians.

Respond

The children respond by remembering and celebrating all that they have learnt.  This new understanding will enable them to make a personal response in their daily lives. 

We recognise that we have children of differing abilities in RE and we seek to provide suitable learning opportunities by matching the challenge of the task to the child’s ability in this particular subject area. We achieve this by:

• Setting a range of learning experiences which can have a variety of ways to respond.
• Providing resources of different complexity depending on the ability of the child.
• Using Teaching Assistants to support children individually or in groups.
• Using visual aids and practical resources to support knowledge and understanding.

Impact

At Saint Patrick’s we believe the welcoming, respectful environment - enriched in Catholic morals and teachings - continues to enhance the educational and pastoral experience of every individual passing through our doors, to ensure that they develop and become well-rounded individuals within the community, with the ambition to reach their potential and succeed.

We recognise the unique needs of each child and support them in developing the whole child. We have a supportive ethos and our approaches support the children in developing both their collaborative and independent skills.

 The impact of our Curriculum is measured in the experiences, confidence and competence of our children within the subject. We ensure children receive the experiences they require, both within and beyond the curriculum, to develop their skills and knowledge and become religiously literate young people. By revisiting and building upon religious learning, children will deepen their understanding and show the knowledge, understanding and skills (appropriate to their age and ability) to reflect spiritually and to think ethically and theologically.