Religious Education

At St.Winefride’s we believe that Religious Education is not one subject amongst many, but the foundation of the entire education process. The beliefs and values it communicates inspires and unifies every aspect of school life. At St.Winefride’s Children follow the RE curriculum scheme ‘The Way, The Truth and The Life’ from Reception to Year 6. Each year, children cover topics linked to the liturgical year. We teach tolerance and respect for other faiths, races, cultures and communities within each of these topics.
We also recognise that our children come from a range of backgrounds and abilities and that our teaching of Religious Education will reflect this.

The primary purpose of Catholic Religious Education is to come to know and understand God’s revelation which is fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ…In the person of Christ, the deepest meaning of what it is to be human — that we are created by God and through the Holy Spirit united with Christ in his Incarnation — is discovered. This revelation is known through the scriptures and the tradition of the Church as taught by the Magisterium. Religious Education helps the pupil to know and experience the meaning of this revelation in his or her own life and the life of the community which is the Church.

The Aims of Religious Education

1 To present a comprehensive content which engages pupils and is the basis of knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith;
2 To enable pupils continually to deepen their religious and theological understanding and be able to communicate this effectively;
3 To present an authentic vision of the Church’s moral and social teaching so that pupils can make a critique of the underlying trends in contemporary culture and society;
4 To raise pupils’ awareness of the faith and traditions of other religious communities in order to respect and understand them;
5 To develop the critical faculties of pupils so that they can relate their Catholic faith to daily life;
6 To stimulate pupils’ imagination and provoke a desire for personal meaning as revealed in the truth of the Catholic faith;
7 To enable pupils to relate the knowledge gained through Religious Education to their understanding of other subjects in the curriculum;
8 To bring clarity to the relationship between faith and life, and between faith and culture.

In line with Bishops’ Conference recommendations, 10% of curriculum time is allocated to Religious Education.