RE Curriculum
What is R.E.?
RE is the core subject that is at the heart for everything we do here at English Martyrs. It is about the Christian Vision of the human person. Religious Education is the study of:
The mystery of God as discovered through the bible and the teachings of Jesus
The teachings of the Church
The lives of saints
The relationship between our life and how we live out our faith
In Religious Education we explore other faiths from around the world, we will learn about the traditions of other faiths and their symbols.
Why is RE important
Religious Education plays a vital role in our life here at English Martyrs. The beliefs and values we will study will contribute to our children's personal development and overall well-being and we will promote mutual respect and tolerance of our diverse society. It encourages our children to develop their sense of identity and belonging and plays an important part in preparing our children for adult life, employment and lifelong learning. It will enable our children to develop a respect and sensitivity towards others, in particular those whose faith and beliefs are different from their own.
How is RE taught at English Martyrs
Our RE teaching is based on the Curriculum Directory for Religious Education and as a school we follow Lighting the Path in Early Years and Key Stage 1 and Come and See programme in Key Stage 2. In any faith school 10% of the curriculum teaching time is dedicated to RE and it is taught discreetly and developmentally.
How can you help your child?
Encourage them to reflect on their own and other's behaviour by relating them back to Jesus' teaching. Talk to them about what happens and what they might see when they go to Church and encourage them to ask question that explore their own understanding of the faith and the faith of others.
Our RE Curriculum aims to raise questions and provide materials for children to reflect on their own experience. For all children the programme raises questions of meaning and purpose and enables children to think critically, providing materials for reflecting on their own experience.
The programme of study helps children to explore the beliefs and values and the way of life of the Catholic traditions, and of other faith traditions, developing good attitudes and dispositions so that children are instilled with a 'love of learning' and a desire to go on learning.
Children are offered a sense of self-worth through experience of belonging to the caring community of English Martyrs. We celebrate being part of a school family and the distinctive Catholic nature of our school
Each term children study topics to develop their understanding of the following themes:
- Church
- Sacrament
- Christian Living.
Each topic lasts for four weeks and follows this sequence:
- Explore: pupil are introduced to the topic through their own experience.
- Reveal: The children learn about the Catholic faith through Scripture and celebrating God's word.
- Respond: Pupils reflect on and celebrate their learning which ends with a prayer and liturgy.
As part of our Come and See programme, we have 'Faith Weeks' where the children will learn about other faiths, traditions, beliefs and special buildings. We teach children about the Hindu, Jewish, Sikh and Muslim faiths. We teach respect, tolerance and acceptance. We should follow Jesus' example to love our neighbours and treat others how we wish to be treated.
We promote our pupils' learning of other faiths through class visits, guest speakers and through our involvement in the wider community.