Religious Education - To Know You More Clearly
Religious Education
Religious Education is the heart of our curriculum. From Reception to Year 6, every class follows To Know You More Clearly, the programme of study in the Religious Education Directory (RED) prescribed by the Archdiocese of Liverpool. We give RE 10% of our curriculum time, as the Bishops' Conference requires.
Our RE lessons help children to know and understand the Catholic faith, to think about it for themselves, and to see how it shapes the way we live.
Ways of Knowing
In every unit, children develop three ways of knowing, which we call head, heart and hands.
| What Children Do | The Question They Ask | |
|---|---|---|
| Understand | Listen to Scripture, learn what the Church teaches, and explain what it means | What will I see and hear to help me understand? |
| Discern | Think creatively and carefully, compare ideas and reach their own reasoned views | How will I discover more? |
| Respond | Reflect on what they have learned and decide how it can make a difference to their own lives and to others | What can I do now? |
Four Lenses
We look at each topic through four lenses:
- Hear: listening to God's word in Scripture
- Believe: what the Church teaches
- Celebrate: prayer, liturgy and the sacraments
- Live: how our faith shapes the way we live and treat others
Six Branches
Our RE curriculum is organised into six branches, roughly one for each half term. Children revisit each branch every year, so their understanding grows deeper as they move through the school.
- Creation and Covenant: God who creates the world and makes promises to his people
- Prophecy and Promise: the prophets, Advent and the birth of Jesus
- From Galilee to Jerusalem: the life and teaching of Jesus, his parables and miracles, and the call of the disciples
- From Desert to Garden: Lent, Holy Week and the journey from darkness to light at Easter
- To the Ends of the Earth: the coming of the Holy Spirit, the early Church and the Church today
- Dialogue and Encounter: learning about other faiths and beliefs, and how to be a good neighbour to everyone
How We Teach
Lessons often begin with a Golden Box of objects to spark curiosity, awe and wonder. Children learn through Scripture, discussion, art, drama, music and technology. In Early Years and Key Stage 1, digital floor books and online platforms help us share children's learning with families. Teachers check progress through the year in the same way as in other core subjects.
Supporting Your Child at Home
As parents and carers, you are your child's first teachers in faith. You don't need to be an expert or have all the answers. Listening to your child and showing an interest makes a real difference.
Talk about their learning. The three questions we use in class work well at home too:
- Understand: What did you hear or learn about in RE? Can you tell me the story?
- Discern: What do you think it means? What do you wonder about?
- Respond: Is there something we could do this week because of what you've learned?
You could also ask which branch your child's class is exploring this half term, and what they enjoyed most.
Pray together. A short prayer at bedtime or grace before meals is a simple way to build a habit of prayer. Children often like to share a prayer they have learned or written at school.
Join in with school life. You are always welcome at our class liturgies, Masses and Stay and Pray sessions. Our newsletters and the Wednesday Word are a good way to keep in touch with what we are praying about.
Wonder together. Children's questions about God, the world and right and wrong are a gift. There's no need to rush to an answer. Exploring together helps faith to grow.
