Intent

At St Dunstan’s school, we aim to support parents in their role of handing on the Catholic faith with the purpose of bringing our children into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We want our pupils to be drawn into discipleship with Jesus through their personal relationship with him, a knowledge of the faith and of the teachings of the Church. We aim to demonstrate to our pupils the relevance of the Catholic faith and her teachings in the world today through an emphasis on her social teachings and putting faith into action. Through a strong foundation in the Catholic faith, we intend to develop pupils who are faith-filled, responsible citizens ready to take their place in God’s world.

Our RE curriculum encourages:

• A strong focus on developing knowledge and understanding of Scripture and the Catholic faith
• An understanding of religious vocabulary
• An enquiring mind to ask “how” and “why” questions which explore meaning and purpose of faith and life
• A respect for the dignity of all people, recognising that we are all unique individuals who are made in the image and likeness of God.

Implementation

St Dunstan’s school follows the religious education strategy for the Archdiocese of Birmingham called Learning and Growing as the People of God. The directory covers four main areas of study:

• The Liturgical Seasons of the Church’s Year
• Scripture
• The Sacraments
• Living as Christians including Prayer

Our RE curriculum introduces the four strands of study in Nursery and to enable progression these are revisited and developed with increasing complexity across each year group. Teachers use The Strategy to plan their teaching and learning outcomes for each unit. The planning of learning outcomes is supported by the KU and ER statements for assessment. Our pupils are encouraged to ask and answer questions and to engage confidently with the “big” questions of life. Where applicable and relevant, cross-curricular links are made with other subjects.

Our RE lessons incorporate the elements of knowledge, understanding (what does this mean?) and relevance (how do I apply this knowledge and understanding to my life?). The teaching and learning may be through independent tasks, paired or group work and may be represented in different formats such as a written piece, mind map, artwork or a piece of drama. Differentiation within questioning and task allows for all pupils to engage with and access learning appropriate to their level of understanding.

Impact

The assessment of RE follows the diocesan schedule which is over a four-year cycle. Each year takes a particular strand for its focus. The schedule specifies which units relevant to the strand are to be assessed. Our aim is to equip our pupils with the knowledge and understanding needed to access RE teaching at KS3. Further to that, we hope to provide a foundation for life-long faith within our pupils who will know that they are made by God out of love, to be loved and to show love.