Religious Education

ST BRIGID’S MISSION:

HAPPY, KIND PEOPLE

FLOURISHING, RESILIENT LEARNERS

PLAYFUL, COURAGEOUS EXPLORERS

A FAITHFUL, THRIVING COMMUNITY

FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT

TO BE THE BEST WE CAN BE

AS SHINING EXAMPLES OF GOD’S LOVE

DREAM IT. BELIEVE IT. ACHIEVE IT.

At St. Brigid’s R.C. Primary School we are committed to helping every child to grow and develop in the love of God and others, recognising the unique nature of each individual’s needs. Our Mission Statement, Creed and aims of the school emphasise the central role that Jesus plays in providing a foundation on which our school’s life and work is based, and where our faith in action play a vital part of our daily lives. Religious education within our school complements and is underpinned by this mission and in partnership with home and parish, provides a setting for the development of a sensitive and reflective attitude to life and opportunities for living and sharing our faith with the wider community. We pride ourselves on our Catholic ethos and our faith in action. Religious Education is the core subject in our curriculum and enables us to teach our children how to spread the good word, how to learn from scripture and how we can use that in everyday life. It promotes children's spiritual, moral, cultural and social development as well as promoting the Gospel values of the church.

Through Religious Education at St Brigid's we aim to:

Provide each child with the opportunity to develop their relationship with God.
Promote knowledge and understanding of Catholic faith and life.
Develop awareness and understanding of the impact of faith upon our daily lives.
Foster attitudes of respect towards all who live in our society.
Develop skills linked to the reflection upon, and practice of, religious belief.

Our Curriculum

We have developed a rich curriculum intertwining the schemes of ‘Come and See’ and ‘Caritas’ alongside the new RE Directory ‘To See You More Clearly’. This embraces our Catholicity at its heart and complies with the Religious Education Directory requirements. The Caritas in Action scheme has been produced by Salford Diocese as a response to Catholic Social Teaching, which calls us all as Catholics to work for the common good, help build a just society, uphold the dignity of human life and work for justice and the dignity of all our brothers and sisters, especially those in the greatest need. Caritas in Action provides a unique and engaging set of teaching and learning opportunities that will be carried out on the first Friday of each term. To mark our Caritas day, children will be welcomed in the morning to an assembly led by our Chaplains to introduce the Caritas theme and share our ideas as a school. Each class will explore their theme with a range of engaging, learning activities to share their knowledge and understanding. At the end of the day, we gather again as a school with our 'Gather' song and school prayer, a prayer that unites us as one. The Chaplains will then conclude with Gospel readings and each class will have the opportunity to share the work they have done for Caritas in Action, what they have learnt from it and how they will 'live' this action.

Following the scheme 'Come and See', children will learn Religious values over 9 topics each year: Domestic Church (Family), Baptism/Confirmation (Belonging), Advent/Christmas (Loving), Local Church (Community), Eucharist (Relating), Lent/Easter (Giving), Pentecost (Serving), Reconciliation (Inter-Relating) and universal Church (World). They will also learn about the following World Religions: Hinduism, Judaism, Sikhism and Islam. Learning is driven through the golden strands of AT1 (learning about Religion), AT2 (learning from Religion), including analysis and reflection. Using the Salford Diocese approved scheme ‘Come and See', our journey is supported by ensuring we have a broad range of learning and differentiation year on year, allowing all children the building blocks to reach their full potential. Through scripture, poetry, artists, music and psalms, we learn a lot about Religion and take from that how we can learn to follow the ways of our Lord and his Holy family.

In readiness for the new RE Directory 'To Know You More Clearly' children will begin to use the knowledge lenses of hear, believe, celebrate and live. When exploring scripture, children are beginning to use the blue, purple and red lenses to delve deeper into what they are reading. When reading scripture they will 'read as a writer', 'read as a believer' and 'read as a reader'. This allows children to read deeper into scripture, have their opinions on it and discuss how this has an affect on life today.

Hear

This lens focuses on the word of God which is transmitted to us via the streams of sacred tradition and sacred scripture. Children learn about stories and passages from the Bible, thinking about what they can take from these to help them live in the light of God. We believe it is important to promote Gospel values and their relevance to everyday life and living to help children fully embrace their faith. We live by our faith and God is truly revealed to us through sacred scripture (the word of God) and the living tradition of our Church.

Believe

This lens deals with the contents of the Creed, focusing on the Church’s own profession of faith. Our Chaplaincy team take a lead in preparing pupil prayer groups which enables pupils to be actively prayerful during the significant dates of the liturgical calendar. We are actively engaged and help to lead the Sacramental program for the children in our Parish and work closely with them to ensure the triangle of home, school and Parish support children in their sacramental journey. We strengthen links between home, school and our faith community by sharing in a range of shared Mases, celebrations and acts of worship.

Celebrate

We feel the presence of Christ’s love, in the warmth of our welcome as we open our doors, our hearts and our minds to serve, strengthen and encourage all who visit or work with our school and Parish community. Everybody is treated with dignity and we reach out with ‘open hands’ as we live our Mission daily and celebrate the life God gave to us. This can be witnessed in the joy around the school and the respect adults and children show to each other. In this lens, we look at prayer, liturgy and sacraments.

Live

Gospel values are understood and evidenced in policies and procedures of the school. Scripture is read during collective worship and child led worship. This impacts significantly on learning and the life of the school. The behavior of pupils is good and often outstanding. In lessons and around school pupils are courteous and considerate. We also provide a variety of opportunities for children to demonstrate responsibility and witness to their community by holding a number of fundraising/ community activities.

Caritas in Action

We follow the Diocese scheme of ‘Caritas in Action’ for our Catholic Social Teaching. Each half term we have a Caritas in Action day where children focus on the seven themes of Rights and responsibilities, Solidarity and the Common Good, Option for the poor and Vulnerable, Dignity of the Human Person, Family and Community, Dignity of work and people and Stewardship. The scheme is used within our own planning that explores the themes through four areas: Discover, play and care for, help and celebrate and uses a range of scripture, art and music to enable highly engaging lessons and children who are motivated to make a change.

Autumn	Spring	Summer
Rights and Responsibilities	Option for the Poor and Vulnerable	Stewardship
Solidarity and the Common Good	Family and Community	Dignity of Work and People
Dignity of the Human Person

Caritas Themes and Dates

Caritas in Action Themes and Dates (3).docx

Cultural Capital in Religion – An Awareness of Cultural Knowledge

Throughout our learning journey, we explore a range of psalms, songs and art work related to the scripture and Bible stories of our focus. We use the work of artists and writers from a range of diverse backgrounds, gender, ethnicities and race. We focus on the world Religions of Islam, Judaism, Sikhism and Hinduism.

The P Curriculum...

The P Curriculum

Religious Education

Planet – We love and respect the world that God created.

Preservation – We put our Faith in Action to preserve our Planet through the messages and advice of Laudato Si (Pope Francis).

Past – Exploring Scripture written in the past to retell the stories of Jesus.

Places – We explore the places in which Jesus travelled and how far his message was spread.

People – We focus on the people involved in the life of Jesus, those who helped him and those who spread the word after death and resurrection.

Processes and Patterns – We delve into what we know about Jesus’ life and ways and how this set a pattern of good deeds and ways of life.

Purpose – understanding of our faith including our faith in action.

Religious Education End Points

End points in Religion

The plan and sequence of cumulative knowledge and skills from EYFS to end of Year 6

RE Directory

EYFS

NURSERY

Explore through role play and reflection the love of God. Understand the purpose of Baptism and its link to the Baptism of Jesus. Explore and recall the Nativity story and why the birth of Jesus was so special. Develop an understanding of the biblical celebrations and why we celebrate the life of Jesus. Understand the term ‘Eucharist’ and how the parish family gathers to celebrate. Recall the Easter story through role play and continuous provisions. Know ways in which we pass on the good news and follow in Jesus’ ways. Understand that we are all friends of Jesus and how we should act towards everybody. . Make judgements on our thoughts and feelings of the world that God created through careful observations of the world in which we live.

RECEPTION

Explore recall and reflect upon the love of God. Understand the purpose and symbols of Baptism and its link to the Baptism of Jesus. Explore the birth of Jesus, retell the Nativity story and understand its significance to us. Develop an understanding of the biblical celebrations and why we celebrate the life of Jesus by sharing stories of how he has helped us in our faith. Understand the term ‘Eucharist’ and how the parish family gathers to celebrate with an understanding of ways we celebrate the Lord our God. Recall, sequence and write about the Easter story. Know ways in which we pass on the good news and make links to the disciples. Understand that we are all friends of Jesus and how we should act towards everybody. Re-tell the stories of Jesus’ friends and helpers. Understand what a good friend does. Make judgements on our thoughts and feelings of the world that God created. Children will explore nature, the land that God made, and write about their experiences.

Key Stage 1

YEAR ONE

To understand the extent of God’s love and care for every family and that baptism is an invitation into God’s family. Explore how Advent is a time of waiting for the coming of Jesus Christ. We understand how to celebrate special people in the parish family and their commitment to God, with the understanding that Mass is Jesus’ meal. Explore that Lent is a time for change followed by the feast of the Holy Spirit – Pentecost. We begin to understand the sacrament of reconciliation and how God helps us to be sorry and to make good choices. We know that God made our world for us to share with thy neighbour.

YEAR TWO

Understand how God is the beginning. We know the story and purpose of Baptism, including the symbols and reasons for them. Advent is a time for waiting for the celebration of Jesus as we wait in joyful preparation. Understand the role of the parish and the books used in church, knowing that mass is a special time to say thank you to God. We know lent is an opportunity to start anew as we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ new life followed by the Pentecost and the understanding of the coming of the Holy Spirit. Reasons for rules in the Christian family and through reconciliation are understood to help with the peaceful running of the world we were given: God’s treasure.

Lower Key Stage 2

YEAR THREE

Explore God’s dream for every family and the importance of examination of conscience – the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We explore Advent with the preparation and waiting of the arrival of Jesus Christ followed by the Christian families journey with Jesus. We know that Jesus gives himself to us in a very special way and that Lent is a time to recognise and remember all that Jesus gave us. The energy of the coming of the Holy Spirit is explored during Pentecost, knowing the gifts of the Holy Spirit. During the period of the Sacramental Programme, we revisit the Sacrament of Reconciliation in preparation for our upcoming Sacrament followed by the understanding off Holy places for Christians that were for Jesus too.

YEAR FOUR

We explore the family of God in scripture and know of the call to witness in confirmation. We understand God’s gift of love and friendship in Jesus and our role within the community, including the role of parishioners and ministers. We know of our place in the life of our Christian community and how we give and receive, living in communion. We explore new life in the wake of the Lenten journey and how we live in the coming of the Holy Spirit. We learn to admit our wrongs and be reconciled with God for each other with the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We know that we are all God’s people and how the different saints show people what God is like and the work he did for us.

Upper Key Stage 2

YEAR FIVE

We know that we are created in the image and likeness of God and that follows up with our life choices of marriage, commitment and service. We wait in joyful hope for Jesus and prepare for his arrival with the understanding that we need to continue Jesus’ mission in the diocese. Memorial sacrifice is understood through the Eucharist – a memory of the sacrifice for us and how we practice self-discipline to celebrate growth into a new life. In Pentecost we celebrate the Spirit’s transforming powers and how they give us the freedom and responsibility to follow the commandments. We know that the church is called to the stewardship of creation and how we protect God’s world.

YEAR SIX

God who never stops loving – we explore ways in which God has committed himself to us. We explore the vocation and commitment of priesthood and religious life. We know of the expectation of Jesus as he was born to show God to the world. We know that the bible is a special book for the church that helps us understand the life of Jesus and God’s mission. We understand how the Eucharist enables people to live in communion followed by the celebration of Jesus’ death and resurrection. We act as witnesses to the coming of the Holy Spirit and the changes it made. Explore the sacrament of healing the sick in ways that Jesus did and how we do today. The common good is exercised in our life and we explore the work of the worldwide Christian family.

Prayer and Liturgy

Planned opportunities for high quality worship are an essential part of our school life. Collective worship, individual prayer time and opportunities for reflection at school, key stage and class levels enrich the religious experiences of both children and adults in our community, and are supported by school and diocesan guidelines. These include:

Daily prayers at the beginning and end of each session
Weekly class collective worship, including music, scripture and reflection.
Weekly whole school assemblies.
Whole school masses at the start and end of each term and on Holy days
Class masses on a rota basis
Key Stage services, led by priest/teacher and children, on a rota basis
Additional services linked to the liturgical calendar in our school chapel.

The prayer and worship policy gives more information. Individual worship and reflection is supported by a prayer focus within each classroom and in shared areas around the school. In this way we aim to make prayer and worship an intrinsic part of our daily lives at St. Brigid’s.

Mass Rota

The Mass Rota is created and agreed with our Parish priest, Father Joseph (Jo Jo), at the end of the school year in preparation for the new school year. The classes are subject to change in the event of an activity, event or a school trip. In that case, classes will swap days they go to our school church to lead the mass. The theme is linked to the liturgical year and special days/events in our school life and in our faith. We also follow the Wednesday word to support themes in prayer and Liturgy and leading of the mass. All parents and carers are reminded on the newsletter of their child's upcoming mass day so they have the opportunity to be a part of the mass and watch as their child spreads the good news of the Lord through readings and song led by their class teacher.

RE Long Term Plan

RE INSPECTION

St Brigid's RE Inspection December 2016