Religious Education (RE)
Intent
We are 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. It is our duty to see our mission and vision embedded across the RE curriculum, and the whole wider curriculum beyond. This sits alongside the Gospel Values which are inextricably linked through everything we teach. We follow the ‘Come and See’ scheme of work with timetabled collective worship and daily lessons.
RE at St Joseph’s respects and promotes each child’s capacity for wonder, awe, reverence and spirituality. Our RE 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 RE, our children learn about their unique place within the home, school and parish community.
Implementation
At St Joseph’s, all classes (N-Y6) follow the 'model curriculum' as stated in the Religious Education Directory.
These materials are used consistently across the school and form the core of our RE teaching. The curriculum is carefully structured and balanced, with content and teaching methods designed to match the children’s age and capacity to understand the faith. Throughout, we emphasise the central truths of the Catholic tradition, helping our pupils grow in knowledge, understanding, and love of God.
The outcome of excellent Religious Education (as stated in the RED), which we strive for at St Joseph's is:
Staff focus on the 'Ways of Knowing' when planning, teaching and assessing RE lessons:
(RED - understand deeply the meaning of sacred texts, religious beliefs, sacred rites, and the lives of individuals and communities who are shaped by these texts, beliefs, and rites).
(RED - judge wisely in response to different interpretations of the meaning, significance, and implications of texts, beliefs, rites, and ways of life so that they can arrive at justified conclusions about what is true, what is good, and what is beautiful).
(RED - reflect personally and with integrity on what they have learned and consider the implications for action these may have for their own lives and the world in which they live).
The Church calls us to show deep respect for people of other religions. While living out our Christian faith, we are encouraged to enter into dialogue and to be open to learning from those of other faith traditions.
Pupils are encouraged not only to learn facts about other religions, but also to reflect on them and gain meaningful insights that help them grow in understanding and respect.
Judaism is studied in the Autumn Term and other major world religions (Hinduism / Islam / Sikhism) are encountered in the Summer Term during the Dialogue and Encounter Branch.
Impact
We strive to ensure that our children’s attainment in RE is in line with or exceeding their potential when we consider the varied starting points of children. We measure this carefully using a range of materials, but always considering age-related expectations. Our aim is to ensure that children will develop their Cultural Capital and be academically and socially prepared for life in Britain and the modern world through our visits to Westminster Cathedral, Jewish Museum, Royal Hospital, Chelsea. We believe our children have a clear understanding of our core values and our mission as pupils in our school and as they move on in each stage of their life. This will prepare them for life in the wider community, demonstrating tolerance and equality. We measure this not just by the work our children produce, but in the behaviours we see each and every day in all learners. The impact of this intention is seen in the daily interaction of all members of our community, including staff and children.
The impact of our RE curriculum on our pupils means that the majority of children:
- Achieve age related expectations in RE at the end of the academic year
- Retain and retrieve the knowledge and understanding of both the Catholic faith and other faiths
- Build on and maintain the key aspects of the RE curriculum
- Demonstrate a progressive understanding of key themes of the RE curriculum
- Be inspired by what they have learnt and continue to develop their knowledge of both the Catholic faith and other faiths
- Enrich their knowledge and understanding of a particular theme or topic and appreciate religious art through visits to Westminster Cathedral, The Jewish Museum, St Paul’s Cathedral, The Royal Hospital and Westminster Abbey
- Learn lessons which help them to influence the decisions that they make in their future lives
Children are supported in their long-term memory learning. Marking is rigorous and the children are set ‘next step questions’, inviting an in-depth response to expand upon their learning. They are also given next-step comments by the class teacher. An assessment task is completed at the end of each topic and the children then reflect on what ‘went well’ in that topic. They then ‘self-assess’ their learning of the topic and acknowledge ‘what went well’ in their learning. Children are assessed according to end of branch expectations as stated in the RED. Children's attainment is tracked on our Arbor MiS. Moderation is carried out both internally and externally at Deanery and Diocesan Moderation meetings.