Religious Education
At St Philip’s, all members of our school community are on a faith journey together.
We recognise that we are all at different stages of this journey and as a community we support each person as they continue their journey, deepening their relationship with, and knowledge of Christ.
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.
We use a programme for Religious Education called “Come and See”. The programme follows a themed approach based around three themes, Church, Sacraments and Christian Living. These are explored in greater depth each term and build on the understanding of the previous term. The themes are explored through different topics in each year group. They follow the liturgical year and explore the richness of the teachings of the Catholic faith and Christian knowledge.
Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 are now following the new RE scheme, RED 'To Know you more Clearly'. This was introduced and approved by the Bishop’s Conference and the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton. This is new for September 2023.
Our curriculum intent for RE
With these aspirations, our intent for the RE curriculum are:
- To know about and understand a range of religions and worldviews
- To express ideas and insights about the nature, significance and impact of religions and worldviews
- To gain and deploy the skills needed to engage seriously with religions and worldviews
- To respect ideas, religions and worldviews which may differ to our own
- To have opportunities to gain cultural capital both within school and in the local community
Through our curriculum, we hope for children to develop a secure understanding of the knowledge and concepts surrounding RE as well as developing positive attitudes to cultures and beliefs which vary from their own.
We will implement these intentions by:
The school follows a curriculum called ‘Come and See’ which is a directive of the Diocese. This enables a progression of learning across the school.
In Early Years the children spend time exploring the religions of Christianity/Catholicism and Judaism in the first two terms. The children think about the celebrated festivals in the Christian calendar, linking this to the celebrations in Judaism. The final term brings this together with exploring special stories and places.
Years One and Two build upon this teaching as the children look in more depth at what Christians/Catholics believe – the children take time to ask ‘Big Questions’ and make connections across religions. The children also learn about Judaism and Islam.
Key Stage Two builds upon the learning of Christianity/Catholicism, Judaism and Islam. The children are encouraged to think critically and ask questions ‘Big Questions’.
We also have a weekly ‘Community’ assembly in which local faith groups come to talk with the children. These include several local churches and other organisations
The impact of this learning
By the end of KS1 children will be able to:
- Recall and name different beliefs and practises
- Retell and suggest meanings to some religious and moral stories
- Recognise different symbols and actions linked with religious communities
- Ask and respond to questions
- Observe and recount different ways of expressing identity and belonging
- Notice and respond sensitively to similarities between religions and worldviews
- Explore questions about belonging, meaning and truth
- Find out about examples of cooperation between people who are different
- Find out about questions of right and wrong
By the end of KS2 children will be able to:
- Describe and make connections about different religions and worldviews
- Describe and understand links between stories and other aspects of different communities
- Explore different beliefs, symbols and actions
- Observe and understand varied examples of religions and worldviews
- Understand challenges of commitment to a community of faith
- Spot similarities and differences
- Discuss and present thoughtfully their own views
- Consider how diverse communities can live together
- Research and answer ethical questions