R.E.
RE Intent
Religious Education forms the cornerstone of the life and work of St. Augustine’s and permeates the whole Curriculum. Our faith is central to the life and mission of our school. It aims to bring each person into a loving relationship with God so that they might come to a growing awareness of themselves, the people around them and their environment, and the relationship that exists between them. In this way, the educative process gives all members of the community the tools that will enable them to discover their gifts and talents, to develop them positively and to use them wisely, thus empowering them to reach their true vocation. The RE curriculum we provide here at St. Augustine’s aims to develop the children’s religious literacy and full vocation.
RE Implementation
At St. Augustine’s, we recognise that, as a Catholic school, we must offer to all the children in our care their full entitlement with regard to RE. To do this we recognise that RE forms the core of our curriculum and as such have allocated 10% of the available teaching time to the delivery of RE.
At St. Augustine’s we have implemented the Archdiocesan Curriculum; “Discerning Disciples." This forms the school's RE curriculum planning and is used by staff to plan the Learning Builders and individual lessons. We have also incorporated other Archdiocesan initiatives and have made explicit the links with other subjects, for example Science and Citizenship; the former being linked primarily through “Life to the Full.”.
We have embraced the Catholic Schools Profile with regard to the Virtues. Each half term a new pair of virtues are introduced and reflected on during the half term, identifying and celebrating children who are displaying these virtues. Each Class also learns about the school mission, St Augustine and their own Class Saint. Our MTP’s start with the vocational statement for each class, the virtues which are being taught and also links with Catholic Social Teaching (CST). Each half term we focus on one of the principles of CST and have also identified links through the Curriculum that we offer in each year group as well as offering Key Stage and whole school experiences. Our Curriculum is enhanced by the programmes of Sacramental Preparation in Years 3 and 6, assemblies and Masses.
Prayer has an important role in the scheme and is taught both as an integral and a discrete area of study. Each Classroom and the School Hall must have a religious focal point. The prayer table includes drapes appropriate to the liturgical season. Children are expected to develop a repertoire of prayers appropriate to their year group.
We follow the Diocesan expectations in relation to Assessment in RE.
RE Impact
The RE curriculum is central and pervading in its purpose, appropriate and balanced in its content and vibrant and meaningful in its delivery and works to provide the children with a knowledge and understanding of the Catholic Faith, including the virtues needed to make a difference within the world we live. The Curriculum supports the children to grow in their relationship with God and giving them the skills to develop personally, socially and emotionally.
For us, therefore Religious Education is an essential way in which we can grow in our faith, by learning about and from our faith and thus become the people God is calling us to be and, as a result, fulfil our vocation as mature and whole members of God’s universal family. However, it is not our belief that this process is confined solely to Religious Education, but rather that it encompasses and permeates the school curriculum in its entirety.
Birmingham Diocesan Education Service (BDES)