Religious Education

“A good school provides a rounded education for the whole person.

And a good Catholic school, over and above this, should help all its students to become saints….” Pope Benedict XVI, 2010

Religious Education lies at the heart of the curriculum and school life.

• We aim to teach the children and each other, by example, in the daily life of the school.
• We pray together, teaching both specific school prayers and how to pray spontaneously and peacefully.
• We gather together for assemblies and to celebrate the Liturgy on a number of occasions each term.
• Through R.E., assemblies and liturgies we teach concepts, knowledge of the scriptures, the church and moral attitudes.
• We encourage home, school and parish links.
• We welcome the visits of the parish priest of The Holy Family and clergy and their involvement in the life of the school.
• We work collaboratively with the parish of The Holy Family, Addlestone in preparations of the children in Year 3 for the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion.
• We promote the children’s awareness of the local and wider communities by encouraging them to participate in charitable activities and fund raising.
• We acknowledge that everyone is equal in the sight of God and follow a policy of equal opportunities.
• We promote the Catholic identity of the School through the Governors' Admission Policy.

RE is taught discretely and developmentally. It includes the deepening of knowledge and understanding of key theological ideas and their applications to life. The experience of belonging to a caring community is also reflected and developed through the teaching of RE, so that children have a growing and developing awareness of religious commitment and its place in everyday life.

Children are provided with rich and varied learning opportunities. Teachers are encouraged to be creative in their lesson planning and to offer a range of opportunities for children to grow and learn, which can include: discussion and debate, self-reflection and prayer, planning worship and liturgy, drama, art, music and song. 

Schemes of Work

We follow the new Religious Education Directory (RED) in Early Years Foundation Stage (Reception) and Years 1, 2, 5 and 6.  The 'Come and See' scheme is used in Years 3 and 4, in line with Diocesan guidance.  We are committed to providing children with rich and varied learning opportunities that will help them to be able to deepen their knowledge and understanding of their Catholic faith. 

The Religious Education Directory (RED) (EYFS, Years 1,2,5 and 6)

In line with our fellow Diocesan schools, we follow the Diocesan lesson plans based on the new RED, in EYFS, Year 1, 2, 5 and 6. This curriculum is being rolled out in both primary and secondary settings.  It seeks to present the teaching of religious education in a sequential and progressive form. The framework has four structural elements:

• Knowledge lenses which indicate what should be known by the end of each age phase. These are split into hear, believe, live and celebrate.
• The ‘ways of knowing’ are the skills which develop as the children progress through their curriculum journey. These are split into understand, discern and respond.  
• Expected outcomes are set for each age phase and indicate what pupils are expected to know, remember and be able to do.
• Curriculum branches are the way the programme of study presents its model curriculum. There are six half term branches for each half term which are the same in each year group

Curriculum branches:

• Autumn 1- Creation and Covenant-Encounter the God who creates and calls all people with a focus on the accounts of Creation.
• Autumn 2- Prophecy and Promise- Explore the expectant waiting for the Messiah through the Advent season.
• Spring 1- Galilee to Jerusalem- Experience the ministry of Jesus, the Word of God. They will learn through parables, encounters, miracles and teachings.
• Spring 2- Desert to Garden- Study the season of Lent and its culmination in the events of Holy Week.
• Summer 1- To the Ends of the Earth- Study the events that flowed from the Resurrection and Ascension in the coming of the Holy Spirit and the work of the apostles and Early Church.
• Summer 2- Dialogue and Encounter- Learn how Christians work together with people of different religious backgrounds, building an understand that all people work towards a common good and should respect all humanity.

Come And See (Years 3 and 4)

In Come and See, big questions from daily life 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 Catechism of the Catholic Church addresses the human search for meaning, God’s initiative in Revelation who comes to meet us, and our response in faith. This pattern guides the structure of the programme and informs the process of each topic, opened up through; Explore, Reveal and Respond.

The teacher helps the children to begin to look at and explore the topic within their own lives – concerning themselves, their relationships and their world. 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 in scripture. The children will respond to scripture, then celebrate everything they have learnt. 

During the Autumn term the children will focus on three key themes: 

• Domestic Church (Family) 
• Baptism and Confirmation (Belonging) 
• Advent and Christmas (Loving). 
• The children will also spend one week studying Judaism.  

As we move into the Spring term the children study:  

• Local Church (Community) 
• Eucharist (Relating)  
• Lent/Easter (Giving).  

Within the Summer term each unit reflects upon the role the Holy Spirit plays in our lives. We will be studying the three themes: 

• Pentecost (Serving) 
• Reconciliation (Inter-relating) 
• Universal Church (World).  
• The children will also spend one week studying Islam. 

For more information about the religious life of our school, please go to our Headteacher page, 'We Love Our Faith, We Live Our Faith'.

The Flame Newspaper

This is published every month by the Year 6 liturgy leaders working with Mr Tindall. It is sent to every family in the school and also made available in the church for all members of the parish to enjoy. The Flame features news about RE, collective worship and faith within school as well as news from around the world, focus on special feast days and much more. Some editions of The Flame are attached below.