RE
Together Everyone Achieves More.
To go forward in Christ, to respect our neighbour and to always give our best.
Intent
St. William of York is a Catholic school and we are committed to the Catholic faith; recognising and valuing every individual as special and unique in the image and likeness of God.
At St. William of York, we believe that RE is the core of the curriculum; influencing all that we teach and enabling us to develop the whole person. We provide our children with a Religious Education that:
- Encourages understanding of themselves, others and the world around them.
- Provides each child with the opportunity to develop their relationship with God.
- Promote knowledge and understanding of Catholic faith and life and provides opportunities for children to ask questions.
- Develops 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; not only learning about the Catholic faith, but inspiring awe, wonder, reverence and spirituality.
At its core, our intent through Religious Education is for children at St. William of York to develop their understanding of themselves and their relationship with God and others and to become religiously literate during their time with us.
Implementation
At St. William of York, we follow the To Know You More Clearly Religious Education Directory from Nursery to Year Four, and the Come & See programme of study in Year Five and Year Six. We follow RECD requirements, 10% of the curriculum timetable is dedicated to delivering Religious Education to our children. RE is taught individually but plays a central role in all areas of school life.
Both curriculums give our children rich opportunities to grow in faith, character and understanding, while keeping Christ firmly at the heart of daily school life. Through reflective learning, creative experiences and meaningful discussion, pupils are invited to explore who they are, how they relate to others and how they can live out Gospel values in practical, life-giving ways.
They encourage children to recognise God’s presence in their lives, to understand the teachings of Jesus more deeply and to see how those teachings shape their choices, relationships and sense of purpose. By linking learning to prayer, Scripture and real-world action, it helps children develop a faith that is lived, not just learned.
Both programmes are developmental, building on previous knowledge and experience and taking into account the children’s age and stage of development and understanding. They provide opportunities for celebration, prayer and reflection; exploring the religious dimensions of questions about life, dignity and purpose within the Catholic tradition. Links are made with the children’s own experience and with universal experience. They raises question and provide opportunities for reflection on children’s personal experiences and enable them to explore the beliefs, values and way of life of the Catholic tradition and, where appropriate, other faith traditions.
Children are highly engaged in RE lessons through the use of a variety of sources such as religious stories, scripture, religious artwork, songs, music, dance and religious signs and symbols. RE is taught through different approaches including whole class teaching, group activities and individual work. Children are given opportunities to work individually as well as cooperatively and collaboratively, developing their own knowledge and expertise as well as sharing experiences with others. Where possible, we use visits and invite visitors to school in order to enhance the RE curriculum.
Impact
The impact of our Religious Education curriculum is measured through a variety of different strategies.
We have a robust, whole school monitoring system for RE and the impact of our curriculum on the progress and attainment of children in RE is measured through ongoing teacher assessment in lessons, lesson observations and book studies. In addition to these, assessment in RE shows the impact of our RE curriculum. Ongoing assessment of each topic against the End of Year Standards are used to identify areas of strength, areas for focus or support and to inform planning. Assessment is moderated internally and also externally at termly, local RE cluster meetings.
Importantly, the impact of the RE curriculum is also shown through our children and their deepening appreciation of their faith and God-given talents. Children can talk openly about their faith and the role they play in the community and wider Catholic Church. Children at St. William of York will live out their faith in an active and positive way, always aware of the presence and love of Christ guiding them.