RE | St Peter's Catholic Primary School Sittingbourne

St Peter's Catholic Primary St. Peter's PTFA Sittingbourne

Our RE Lead is Miss Vedamuttu assisted by Mrs Jennings and Mrs Baker

This document aims to describe the Religious Education that we hope to impart to the children of St Peter’s Catholic Primary School in order to enable them to grow into fully committed Christians and members of the parish community.

We are part of the Sacred Heart Parish in Sittingbourne and work closely with our parish priest in developing the education and spiritual welfare of everyone in our school.

Intent

At St Peter’s we recognise the importance of promoting Christian values through the school and beyond. Our three core values are:

Faith
Love
Respect

These three important values are encompassed in our school’s Mission Statement which is “A love for God, ourselves and others”.

To help members of the school community to develop spiritually through mutual respect, sensitivity to the needs of others and through prayer and celebrations of shared values in order to nurture and strengthen the school family.

By living out these values we aim to create an awareness of a sense of belonging to and being part of the life of St Peter’s Catholic Primary School.

To encourage children to actively live their faith.

To help children to develop a personal relationship with God.

To develop the whole child: spiritually, mentally, morally, socially and culturally.

To teach the doctrines, traditions and culture of the Roman Catholic Church.

To offer children a wider experience of prayer and worship.

To provide a stable, secure and happy environment.

To foster and develop the spiritual life of each member of the school community.

To work in partnership with the home and parish.

Implementation

RE is taught every week throughout the school using The Way, The Truth and The Life Programme as a resource.

Throughout the school year the children will spend time learning about other faiths as well the Catholic faith so as to give the children a wider understanding of all religious beliefs.

Every school day begins with Collective Worship.

Each class will attend mass at the Sacred Heart Church several times a year alongside the parish community and each class will hold a class assembly according to the liturgical calendar.

Masses are held at the school three times a year conducted by the Parish Priest. When relevant to the liturgical calendar our Parish Priest also conducts services with our children to which the parish community and parents are invited such as: Ash Wednesday, Reconciliation and Benediction Services.

The Parish Priest regularly visits the school and individual classes to support the teaching of RE and the children’s learning.

Each year the whole school community celebrates the Feast Day of St Peter & St Paul.

In addition, the Year 3 children participate in a retreat day to Aylesford Priory in preparation for the Sacrament of First Holy Communion.

One class in upper Key Stage 2 visit the Priory for the Picnic & Praise Celebration which is a Diocesan event as organised by the Education Commission.

We educate the whole child through a structured curriculum permeated by Gospel values and linked with the PSHE & RHE Curriculum

This includes assessment opportunities through informal observation, marking and feedback and ongoing formal assessment opportunities.

The children’s work is recorded in individual exercise books and a class Big Book. The RE Team regularly reviews the progress and achievement through book looks and lesson observations.

Impact

The children of St Peter's can confidently talk about their own faith and the faith of others. They can ask questions to challenge their beliefs and can justify their own opinions linking with scripture and their own experiences. We have a Chaplaincy Team who will be leading assemblies and other forms of collective worship. Evidence from the Big Books show that children are developing a deeper level of understanding and are exposed to a wider range of scriptures, psalms, gospel readings, art work and hymns. Parents are encouraged to support their children and the school with their faith.

SEND

R.E is a subject in which knowledge, understanding and spirituality can be expressed in many ways. Teachers plan lessons which have many aspects to them enabling children of varying abilities and needs to share their ideas and ask their own questions. The ability of a child in R.E is not judged on their ability to write well but is based on the responses they give in many ways such as though art, writing, acting and in discussions. Teachers and Teaching Assistants are used to acting as scribes for children in order to capture their thoughts and knowledge.