At St Bede’s, Religious Education is at the heart of all that we do. As a Catholic school, we embrace the teachings of the Catholic Church and work closely with the local Catholic community. In partnership with families and parishes, we support the children’s faith journeys and we ensure the Gospel values are central to our daily interactions as well as being the foundation of all our policies.
Our Aims and objectives
Our Catholic faith is central to the day-to-day life of our school and all aspects of the curriculum and pupils are encouraged to recognise the importance of their faith and respond to all forms of liturgy and collective worship with respect and reverence.
In particular, we support children:
- To foster a love of God through knowledge and understanding of the Catholic Faith.
- To encourage the development of a personal relationship with God.
- To help our children be aware of and respect other faiths.
- To encourage children to study, investigate and reflect.
- To develop respect for truth and for the views of others.
- To develop thinking and listening skills.
Teaching and Learning in Religious Education
Our curriculum and ethos are designed to instil Gospel values in our children, teaching them to be kind, caring, forgiving and respectful young people. Links are made between the teachings of Jesus and how we behave and treat others in our own lives.
The RE curriculum we follow is based around the ‘God Matters’ scheme, the Portsmouth Diocesan Religious Education programme, which forms the basis of the school’s Catholic RE curriculum. The “God Matters” curriculum is followed throughout our school and is split up into ten themes which are revisited and developed each year to support the faith development of the children. It makes learning about our faith lively, interactive and relevant.
We embrace the culture and heritage of all children and follow a planned programme of work to raise multi-cultural awareness. The children at the end of each unit will cover other religions such as Hinduism, Judaism and Islam.
Children will have opportunities to work individually as well as co-operatively and collaboratively, developing their own knowledge and expertise as well as sharing their experiences with others.
All work will involve thought provoking reflection and discussion, encouraging the children to develop their moral and spiritual consciences.
Teachers are encouraged to make cross curricular links when planning R.E. incorporating opportunities for speaking and listening, art and design, computing and extended writing where appropriate.
See below for a God Matters programme overview on what each class covers.
