At Our Lady of Lourdes, Religious Education is rooted in the school’s mission statement with its desire to provide an atmosphere in which individuals feel valued and secure, ensuring they can work towards reaching their full potential – personally, spiritually, socially, physically and academically. This is taught with an appreciation that for the majority of our children, school is the main provider of developing an understanding of religion and their beliefs.

Our School is committed to the widest and fullest education of all pupils in a partnership between home, school, parish and community. We believe that Religious Education is never simply one subject among many, but the foundation of the entire learning process. We understand that Religious Education is the systematic study of the mystery of God and of Jesus Christ, of the Church, and of the central beliefs, which Catholics hold.

 Our children will develop a knowledge and understanding of their beliefs rooted within Catholic tradition, recognising how to reflect upon this and develop a sense of awe and wonder, joy, delight, mystery and the sense of ritual. They are encouraged to respond to questions about human life its origin and its purpose.

We believe that Christian worship, celebrates God’s presence in our lives. We encourage our children to give glory, honour, praise and thanks to God. It is our living response, in word and action, to God’s invitation to enter into a relationship, made possible through the work of Jesus Christ and the witness of the Holy Spirit.

The outcome of Religious Education is religiously literate young people, who have the knowledge, understanding and skills, appropriate to their age and capacity. They can think spiritually, ethically and theologically and are aware of the demands of religious commitment in everyday life.

Religious Education is taught as a discrete subject, but the aims permeate teaching and learning in all areas of school life. In line with the Bishops conference recommendations, 10% of curriculum time is allocated to Religious Education. This is approximately 2 ½ hours of curriculum R.E a week.

To fulfil revelation, church, celebration and life in Christ, the four areas of study as outlined in the curriculum directory, Our Lady of Lourdes uses “The Come and See” scheme. This scheme is enhanced by other units such as: CARITAS units and a study of the Corporal Works of Mercy.

Teaching of Religious Education should help people be attentive to the meaning of their experiences, illumined by the light of the Gospel, so that they may respond to God more fully. Experience can also make the Christian message more intelligible.

A variety of teaching and learning strategies will be used from across the curriculum. These will be adapted appropriately to the needs and learning styles of pupils. Children will experience whole class teaching, group work, individual work and work with talk partners.

Work in Religious Education is presented in a variety of ways. Work is depicted through art, writing, ICT, drama and other areas of the curriculum. The choice of presentation is dependent on the learning. Drama is used effectively to walk in the footsteps of others, developing a greater sense of empathy and an understanding of how others feel. All activities are planned through a deep consideration of how the learning objective can best be achieved. The evidence of their work is collected within discussion books and exercise books.

Assessment is an integral part of the planning and learning process in Religious Education. Formal assessment takes place at the end of each term and standards are recorded on tracking sheets. This is in line with the other core curriculum subjects.

Assessment of standards is carried out according to Diocesan guidelines in the Age related standards. In house moderation meetings take place twice a year and the RE subject leader attends the Diocesan external moderation meeting once a year.

In the foundation stage, during the autumn term, a baseline assessment is completed to assess the starting points of the children. This is recorded on the baseline document and is then updated every term in line with other core subjects. Tracking allows us to monitor the progress of all children through the related standards and identify gaps that need addressing.

Monitoring of teaching and learning at Our Lady of Lourdes follows the whole school policy in monitoring performance of staff, pupils, plans, lessons and books.