Religious Education
Our RE Lead is Mrs McLaughlin.
At St Joseph's, Religious Education is the foundation of our learning. Catholic beliefs and values are central to our school life as we aspire to follow our mission statement to 'Live, learn and grow in the light of Christ'
We follow the Diocesan recommended 'Come and See' programme to deliver our RE curriculum. The aim of this programme is for children to develop knowledge and understanding of the Catholic Faith. Through Religious Education lessons, children study Catholic Christianity and to explore the contribution of Christianity and other religions to culture, personal commitment, and action in everyday life. Scripture is studied alongside Catholic faith traditions and the lives of key figures in the history of the Catholic faith.
Lessons encompass the spiritual, intellectual, physical, social, moral, emotional and religious capacity of each child.
Throughout each term, we deliver three different RE units, each four weeks long, which follow three key themes - the domestic, local or universal Church, the Sacraments and the liturgical year.
Religious education also introduces children to the background, beliefs and traditions of people of other faiths, so in addition to Catholic teaching, we also focus on other faiths, celebrations and cultural events during the year including the specific study of Judaism and Islam.
Children of all faiths and none and welcomed and treasured at St Joseph's and children are encouraged to share their own faith and cultural celebrations throughout the year.
Further information about our RE curriculum can be found on the diocesan website.
https://diocesehn.org.uk/education/
INTENT
At the heart of Catholic Education lies the Christian vision of the human person. This vision is explored in Religious Education (RE) making RE the core subject in a Catholic school. The specific contribution to the life of the Catholic school of curriculum RE is primarily educational. Its primary purpose is to draw pupils into a systematic study of Catholic Christianity and to explore the contribution of Christianity and other religions to culture, personal commitment, and action in everyday life.
Implementation
The Religious Education Curriculum Directory (RECD 2012) makes the aims of Religious Education explicit:
1. To present a comprehensive content which is the basis of knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith;
2. To enable pupils continually to deepen their religious and theological understanding and be able to communicate this effectively;
3. 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;
4. To raise pupils’ awareness of the faith and traditions of other religious communities in order to respect and understand them;
5. To develop the critical faculties of pupils so that they can relate their Catholic faith to daily life;
6. To stimulate pupils’ imagination and provoke a desire for personal meaning as revealed in the truth of the Catholic faith;
7. To enable pupils to relate the knowledge gained through Religious Education to their understanding of other subjects in the curriculum;
8. To bring clarity to the relationship between faith and life, and between faith and culture.
IMPACT
The outcome of excellent Religious Education is 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 (RECD 2012 p6).
