Religious Education at St Mary and St Benedict

Curriculum Intent

The Religious Education curriculum is the foundation of the life of our school.  It not only takes its place alongside other subjects, but is an integral part of the daily life of the school. Our Religious Education curriculum leads our children to aspire not to have more, but to be more; children are taught about God’s love; they learn about their Christian responsibilities; children are provided with experiences of church, Catholic and Christian traditions, as well as being taught to be respectful and understanding of people and traditions from other faith backgrounds.  Through Religious Education our children learn about their unique place within their home, school and parish community.

Our Aims

All of our children are given the opportunity to develop their spiritual, academic, social, moral and cultural growth within a caring Catholic environment where life is centred on Christ’s teaching.  Each child is encouraged to achieve their God-given potential. This aim is encapsulated in the school’s Mission Statement: ‘Together With Christ Everyone Achieves More.’

Teaching Religious Education 

As a Catholic school within the Archdiocese of Birmingham we follow the Curriculum Directory ‘Learning & Growing as the People of God’ as the basis for the Religious Education strategy.  The Directory is produced by the Archdiocese of Birmingham for children from Early Years to Year 6. An overview of the Curriculum Directory for each year group can be found below.

In addition we use a wide variety of other materials to support and enhance our curriculum and ensure we are inclusive of the multicultural heritage reflective of the pupils of our school.

Teaching Strategies

The curriculum provides learning opportunities that are inclusive for all children, focusing on the development of their intellect and the understanding of their faith progressively through the year groups. Our provision provides

• Opportunities for celebration, prayer and reflection in implicit and explicit ways.
• Children with the language of religious experience – a language in religious activity, place, stories, symbols and rituals, people and objects.
• A coherent, logical and accessible presentation of Christian event, message and way of life in ways appropriate to the age and stage of development of the child.

The curriculum will raise questions and provide material for reflection by the children on their own experiences.  It will also enable them to explore the beliefs, values and way of life of the Catholic tradition and where appropriate, we will try and make links with other faith traditions, those that are particularly pertinent to the ethnicity of the school community.

Underpinning our teaching is the need for all adults involved in the teaching of Religious Education to have access to training to ensure that they have an underlying knowledge of the theological principles of the subject.

Assessment, Recording and Record Keeping

Teachers employ a range of techniques to assess each child’s learning and progress. We are not assessing the children’s faith (as this is a gift from God) but their understanding of the Christian faith and Catholic Traditions.  In assessing children’s learning we follow the assessment schedule set out by the Archdiocese of Birmingham which includes evidence of a child’s developing knowledge and understanding of the Bible, their ability to make links between beliefs and life together with a growing confidence in their ability to express a point of view and give reasons for it.

Collective Worship

Prayer and worship are central to school life and children are encouraged to pray individually and as part of our community. There are many opportunities for worship within the school and as part of our parish. All are welcome to join us as we celebrate the Word of God through liturgies, assemblies and Mass.