Religious Education – 'To Know You More Clearly'

Religious Education is at the core of our curriculum at St. George’s. In line with the requirements of the Bishops of England and Wales, we follow the new Religious Education Directory ‘To know you more clearly’. The new curriculum seeks to present the teaching of R.E. in a sequential way which progresses through each year and is in line with key events in the liturgical calendar. The focus of the new curriculum is the Word of God. As the children hear the word, they then interpret it and apply to their own lives.

The framework has four structural elements:

· Knowledge lenses which indicate what children should know by the end of each age phase. They are split into the following elements; hear, believe, celebrate and live.

· The ‘ways of knowing’ are the skills the children will acquire as they progress through the curriculum. They are categorised as understand, discern and respond.

· Expected outcomes are set for each age phase and encapsulate what the children are expected to know, remember and be able to do.

To Know You More Clearly is divided into six curriculum branches; one per half-term. The branches are the same for each year group and are as follows:

· Autumn 1 – Covenant and creation. Encounter the God who created the world we live in and calls all people to focus on the accounts of creation.

· Autumn 2 – Prophecy and promise. Here the children explore the theme of waiting for the promised Messiah through the season of Advent.

· Spring 1 – Galilee to Jerusalem. This is where the children experience the ministry of Jesus and really listen to the Word of God. This is taught through parable, miracles and teachings.

· Spring 2 – Desert to Garden. The children explore the season of Lent and the events through Holy week.

· Summer 1 – To the ends of the earth. This is where children experience the ‘in between’ phase of Jesus’ life after His resurrection up until Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

· Summer 2 – Dialogue and encounter. This is where the children learn how Christians work with people of other faiths to gain an understanding of working towards the common good of our world and people.

At St. George’s Catholic Primary School, we use the ‘Day-by-Day’ supporting resources for our lessons, which enable us to explore the creative aspect of R.E. as well as the written.