St Augustine's Catholic Primary School

Religious Education lies at the heart of our curriculum and school life. At St. Augustine's, all pupils are invited to encounter Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ as the living person at the heart of their study in a way that respects their individual identity.

In Years 2, 3, 4 and 5 the RE Curriculum is delivered through the Catholic Primary Religious Education Programme ‘Come and See’ (2012, updated 2017). EYFS, Year 1 and Year 6 follow the new Religious Education Directory, " To know you more clearly"

'Come and See' is an invitation to exploration and a promise of life for everyone. The invitation is open to all. In response to the question; ‘Where do you live?’ which was asked by the disciples, Jesus invited them to; ‘Come and See.’ (John 1:39) The disciples went with Jesus ‘and spent the rest of that day with him.’

 “Come and See” is the Catholic scheme for primary schools, and is taught in line with Diocesan guidance and The Curriculum Directory.  We are committed to providing the children with the rich and varied learning opportunities that will help them to be able to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith.

“Come and See” is developed through three themes based upon which are gradually explored each time at greater depth. They are:

Community of Faith – Church

Celebration of Ritual – Sacraments

Way of Life – Christian Living

The RED (Religious Education Directory), is Scripture based. It follows the story of Jesus, and it is an invitatation to Know Him more clearly.

It allows children to get to know Him, to journey with Him through His life, death and resurrection.

The RED is taught through six curriculum branches: Creation and Covenant; Prophecy and Promise; Galilee to Jersualem; Desert to Garden; To the ends of the earth; Dialogue and Encounter. In each lesson, children explore their learning through four knowledge lenses: Hear/Word; Believe/Creed; Celebrate/Liturgy; Live/Life .

In our school, RE is taught discretely and developmentally. It includes the deepening of knowledge and understanding of key theological ideas and their applications to life. Children are encouraged to engage with the difficult questions of meaning and purpose which everyone has to face will enable them to think critically about their own questions of meaning and purpose. Religious education also offers the children a sense of self-worth through their experience of belonging to a caring community and an awareness of the demands of religious commitment in everyday life.

At St Augustines, we believe in providing the children with rich and varied learning opportunities. Teachers are encouraged to be as creative as possible in their lesson planning and to employ a range of teaching styles including:

PRAYER AND WORSHIP

In keeping with our Mission Statement, we believe that Christian worship in a Catholic school is concerned with celebrating our love for God. It is our loving response, in word and action, to God’s invitation to enter into relationship, made possible through the work of Jesus Christ and the witness of the Holy Spirit.

There are daily acts of worship during the school week in the form of Key Stage assemblies, Worship Through Song, class worship and a whole school assembly led by Mrs Walsh, our Headteacher.

Prayer is an integral aspect of our school life.  Through prayer, we seek to deepen the children’s relationship with God in a way that is relevant and meaningful to them.  Prayer forms an essential part of all acts of collective worship and liturgical celebrations.

Each class has their own prayer table which is a focus for the children’s prayer.  More formal prayers are shared too, such as morning prayer, grace before meals and evening prayers. Children in every class also experience a special way of praying through Christian meditation. Children are also encouraged to compose their own prayers.

OTHER FAITHS

As part of the "Come and See" programme, two weeks are set aside for the study of other faiths, one in the Autumn term and one in the Summer term.

Judaism, the root of our faith, is studied every year in the Autumn term; Islam is studied in the Summer term.

In the new RED, children enter into dialogue about other faiths in their sixth branch of the curriculum - Dialogue and Encounter.

LIVING OUT FAITH

We run the Faith in Action club for our Year 6 learners who have a chance to deepen their relationship with God. Children participate in discussion during reflection points; they celebrate each reflection point in a special liturgy, and plan projects and fundraising that they would like to implement as part of their faith in action journey. They receive their pin-level award at the end of the programme.

Diocesan Website    

Home | Arundel & Brighton Diocese (abdiocese.org.uk)

Diocesan Education Services

Education Service (abdiocese.org.uk)

Come and See website link

Come and See (comeandseere.co.uk)