Religious Education

Through learning with & about Religious Education our students will develop:

• Appropriate values, attitudes and skills through the effective delivery of the Learning Strands and modules of the Religious Education programme
• Understandings of our faith that are theologically sound, using the resources of various cultures, while allowing for each child’s free faith response
• Ways of integrating faith and live and culture.

Arrangement for learning

learning sequences will take place in a variety of formats, depending on the focus and identified learning intentions. Learning can be one or more of: whole class, ability groups, mixed ability groups, individual work.

• Religious Education teaching and learning will also include explicit teaching of the vocabulary of faith (our students are Learning to Learn – able to reflect, critique their work and recognise their next learning steps)
• All students are expected to engage in thinking about what they are Viewing, Reading, Writing and Discussing – to contribute to the class learning community, working purposefully with peers and teachers to learn ~ create ~ share ~ reflect.
• Teachers and Students work together to co-construct Learning Intentions, with on-going co-construction of success criteria as a reflection of learning
• Students will discuss their learning in a variety of situations e.g. Think-Pair-Share, Team Reports—Inside/Outside Circle, Numbered Heads Together, Timed Talking, T-Chart (see RE Strand teacher resources for details)
• Conversations are about learning, rather than the task
• Students will record their thinking and learning orally, in written form and/or digitally
• Teaching and Learning programmes will encompass the cognitive, spiritual, affective and psychomotor domains of the St Patrick’ School Learning Model
• Key Competencies will be explicitly incorporated.

Standards of excellence

All students will be encouraged to achieve personal standards of excellence through:

• experiencing learning sequences appropriate to their level of understanding and faith experience
• ensuring that Religious Education learning sequences are intercultural and free from gender bias
• explicitly linking Religious Education and faith concepts across the learning areas and contexts
• growing understandings of how faith shapes the world and its people.

Our faith is central to who we are

It is obvious in our relationships with others and the world. Our community of believers will have opportunity to participate in a wide range of liturgy:

• Classroom prayer is an intrinsic part of the daily programme and a well maintained and relevant prayer focus area is evident in each classroom. A variety of approaches to classroom prayer are used.
• School Masses are celebrated at least twice each term: at the beginning and end of each Term, on major feast days of the Church’s Liturgical Year
• Friday Masses are attended by at least two classes. It is important our students have the opportunity to take an active part in Liturgy to help them deepen their relationship with God.

The Religious Education Curriculum

The religious education curriculum consists of six Learning Strands:

• God
• Jesus
• Holy Spirit
• Church
• Sacrament
• Communion of Saints

and four Learning Modules:

• Prayer
• Liturgical Year
• Sacramental Celebrations
• Myself and Others