Religious Education | St. Anne's Catholic Primary School

Religious Education at St. Anne's

St Anne’s Catholic Primary School believe that the ethos of the school must in all its spiritual, moral and cultural aspects reflect the teachings of Christ in the Gospels, in accordance with the rites, practices and teachings of the Catholic Church.

Our aim is to provide a high quality Christian Education based upon the teachings of Christ in the gospels, recognising the uniqueness of each member of our school, enabling every one of them to develop his or her gifts and talents to the full. In order to achieve this, we will work in partnership with parents, carers, the parish and the wider community by:

Promote a welcoming, happy, lively and caring environment within which each individual can develop his or her own physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual potential to the full.

Nurture and develop the special nature of our Catholic school.

Foster a caring partnership between home and school.

Develop each person as a unique individual, and to respect the dignity of each individual irrespective of circumstance, gender, race or creed.

Provide opportunities for each individual to develop his/ her talents to their fullest potential, ensuring that success and achievement are promoted and all our children are supported to work hard and set high standards for themselves.
Develop and maintain an active partnership with the parish, the home, the school governors, as well as offering support to organisations and groups in the wider community at large.

To fulfill our aims and objectives we use the ‘Come and See’ programme from Years 4 and above and the Religious Education Directory 'To Know You More Clearly' programme for the EYFS (Nursery and Reception) and Years 1-3 recommended by the Archdiocese of Liverpool. Each theme is explored through different topics in each age group.

Autumn

Come and See:

The three autumn time themes are developed in the light of an understanding of Creation:

Family: Domestic Church focuses on life as gift, myself as a unique and loved creation, the creative love and care that can be expressed in family groups.
Belonging: Baptism/Confirmation focuses on the call to belong, the creative potential that belonging develops; and Baptism and Confirmation, sacraments of the gift of God’s life and friendship.
Loving: Advent/Christmas focuses on the capacity for entering into loving relationships and the perfect gift and revelation of God’s love, Jesus, born of Mary, born as one of us.

To Know You More Clearly

Creation and covenant:

‘The heavens are telling the glory of God’ (Ps 19:1). In this branch, pupils will encounter the God who creates and calls a people. They will explore revelation of the Christian belief that all that is comes from God, the Creation accounts in Genesis, and scientific explanations of the process of Creation. They will explore the call of God and his covenantal relationship with his people first through Abraham and Moses, then through the narrative of the Old Testament.
Prophecy and promise:

‘In many and various ways, God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets’ (Heb 1:1). The prophets speak of God reaching to his people, calling them back into a relationship with him. In this branch, pupils will explore the Christian understanding of the teaching of the prophets as they point to the fulfilment of God’s promise in a messiah, Jesus Christ. They will explore the expectant waiting for the Messiah through the Advent season and how this speaks to Christians today as they wait for Christ. Pupils will encounter the story of the nativity of Jesus and the mystery of the incarnation.

Spring

Come and See

The three spring time themes are developed in the light of an understanding of Incarnation:

Community: Local Church focuses on the people of God gathered in Christ, united in the journey of faith, in care for one another, in sharing their story and in celebration.
Relating: Eucharist focuses on the invitation to know Jesus, to live in communion with him and with one another.
Giving: Lent/Easter focuses on Jesus’ loving self-giving on the cross, the Father’s love that raises him to new life and the challenge to Christians to follow Jesus’ example of self-giving.

To Know You More Clearly

Galilee to Jerusalem:

‘God’s only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known’ (Jn 1:18). In this branch, pupils will experience the ministry of Jesus, the Word of God. They will learn about the life of Jesus and his revelation of the Kingdom of God through parables, encounters, miracles, and teachings. They will learn about the call of the disciples and the nature of being a follower of Jesus.
Desert to garden:

‘Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day’ (1 Cor 15:3). In this branch, pupils will study the season of Lent and its culmination in the events of Holy Week. They will learn about the Paschal Triduum at the heart of the Catholic Church’s Liturgy and life. The title of this branch points both to the liturgical journey from the desert of Lent to the garden of Resurrection, but also to the Paschal journey from darkness to light, barrenness to fruitfulness, death to life.

Summer

Come and See:

The three summer themes are developed in the light of an understanding of Redemption and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Serving: Pentecost focuses on the on-going mission of Jesus Christ in the Church through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Inter-Relating: Reconciliation focuses on the love, compassion and forgiveness of God the Father revealed in Jesus and poured out by the Spirit to bring forgiveness and reconciliation in the sacrament of Reconciliation.
World: Universal Church focuses on the same love revealed in the diversity of the world and its people, and in the gifts of the Spirit that bear fruit in love, joy, justice and peace for all people.

To Know You More Clearly

To the ends of the Earth:

‘Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’ (Mt 28:19). In this branch, pupils will study the events that flowed from the Resurrection and Ascension in the coming of the Holy Spirit and the work of the apostles and early Church. They will also learn about the Catholic Church today as the apostolic Church and how its liturgy and structures flow from the early Church.
Dialogue and encounter:

‘For “In him we live and move and have our being”’ (Acts 17:28). In this branch, pupils will learn how Christians work together with people of different religious convictions and all people of goodwill towards the common good, respecting the dignity of all humanity. They will also encounter other pathways of belief drawing on the teaching of the Church about intercultural dialogue.

The curriculum will also be supported by:

Children being involved in the presentation and preparation of masses in church and in school.
Children preparing and presenting class Collective Worship.
Children preparing and presenting Collective Worship for their parents and the wider community.
Children being involved in various aspects of community and parish life.

The Come and See and the To Know You More Clearly programmes also teaches the children about other faiths and religions. Throughout the year the children will study various aspects of Judaism, Hinduism and Islam.

The curriculum will also be supported by:

Children being involved in the presentation and preparation of masses in church and in school.
Children preparing and presenting class Collective Worship.
Children preparing and presenting Collective Worship for their parents and the wider community.
Children being involved in various aspects of community and parish life.

The Come and See programme also teaches the children about another faith and another religion. During the Autumn Term the children will study various aspects of Judaism. Then, in the Summer Term they learn about Islam.

The curriculum will also be supported by:

Children being involved in the presentation and preparation of masses in church and in school.
Children preparing and presenting class Collective Worship.
Children preparing and presenting Collective Worship for their parents and the wider community.
Children being involved in various aspects of community and parish life.

Miss B Whiteside

RE Subject Leader