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St. Mary’s R.C.Primary School
R.E. Policy and Collective Worship
Mission Statement
Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”(Matthew 18:20)
Religious education is divided into doctrinal teaching, the development of the children’s spiritual beliefs, liturgy and other faiths.
DOCTRINAL TEACHING
RE teaching follows the scheme, “Come and See”. This is supplemented and enriched by the use of “God’s Story”, “The Church’s Story” and Bibles appropriate to the age of the children.
In EYFS, children will explore the life Jesus orally and record work in class Big Books and visual displays.
From Year 1, R.E. will consist of one oral lesson a week and one lesson in which the children record some aspect of what they have learnt in their Special Books.
Catechists from the parish of St Mary’s will prepare children in Year 3 for First Holy Communion within the Church setting. Whole school assembly on Thursdays will also have elements of doctrinal teaching
Each class will have a display board devoted to a “Come and See” topic and will include pieces of work showing progression of teaching and understanding of the topic throughout the school
The EYFS and KS1 children perform a Nativity play each year for parents and local elderly residents.
Yr 3 and Yr 4 children re-enact the events from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, this is a moving experience for the whole school, all of whom are encouraged to take part. Year 3 play the prominent part in this special assembly as they will receive their First Holy Communion in term 6.
SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN
It is the policy of St Mary’s school to create opportunities throughout the curriculum to develop our awareness and response to the mysterious, intricate and immensely beautiful world in which we live, and to the events and people encountered.
Children are helped to realise that always doing their best, thinking of others and showing an appreciation of all that is around them is a way to show glory to God. By doing so they are following the teachings of Jesus and using him as our role model, which reflects the opening bullet pointin our Mission Statement.
- Jesus is the role model for all that we do, say and think within the school so that our lives are a living witness to the Gospel.
At St.Mary’s the spiritual development of each child is personal and separate from his or her doctrinal learning.Through quiet reflection and the opportunity to say own prayers children are able to feel closer to God and the teachings of Jesus.
There is a dedicated time each day after lunch where all classes meditate using the suggested method advocated by The World Community of Christian Meditation. This entails the internal word of Maranatha (Come Lord). The length od the time in meditation is determined by the child’s chronological age. Reception meditate for 4 minutes whilst Year 6 meditate for 10 minutes. The meditation is introduced with an introductory song and finished with the doxology of the Blessed Trinity.
LITURGY
KS2 childrenjoin the parish for Mass on Holy days with Key Stage 1 and Reception children having a Liturgy of the Word at school. The children lead the parish in choosing and singing the hymns as well as reading the Readings and leading the Prayers of the Faithful. Masses are said at particular times in the year in school to which the parish are invited. These would be at the beginning of the academic year, to celebrate with the First Communion children and a Leaver’s Mass for the Year 6
Each class has a R.E. focal pointlinked to the Come and See topic. Children say prayers in the morning, lunchtime and home time. They are encouraged to say their own prayers this gives the children a feeling of closeness to God and a realisation that you can speak to him at any time and in any place and about anything.
The Reading of the Week plays a prominent part in the daily liturgical life of the school. This reading is based on one of the Sunday readings, usually the Gospel, and simplified for the children. It is displayed in focal points throughout the school and in each classroom. It is read at the close of each day.
Children attend a variety of assemblies during the week, some whole school and some K.S.; these include Bible stories, stories with moral teaching and celebration of birthdays, children’s work and achievements.
Hymn practice takes place first thing on Monday mornings to show that to praise and worship God is the most important act of our week.
Adults within the school are encouraged to take an active part in school collective worship and Liturgies.
A special liturgy takes place during Lentwhen the children receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
A Mass for the whole school takes place in the summer celebrating the children’s First Holy Communion.
Visits to the Church are encouraged and there are regular visits from the Parish Priest.
The Year 6 children attend the leavers Mass at Clifton Cathedral and prepare a Mass for their parents every summer.
Various opportunities are given to children to meditate on the Stations of the Cross during Lent.
During the summer month’s there is the opportunity for assemblies and Masses to take place outdoors, as a means of helping the children realise that they can worship God anywhere.
OTHER FAITHS
The children should have experience of the multicultural society that we live in. This should be part of the entire curriculum including R.E. The teaching of other faiths will include culture where appropriate and is about the religious beliefs of those faiths. The other faiths should be taught discretely and not by comparisons or by isolated festivals.
The Jewish Faith and the teachings of Islam or one other faith are introduced to the children during the year. The teaching of the Jewish faith needs special attention because of its relationship with Christianity – our roots lie in Judaism. It is important that children learn about Jesus’ Jewish background separately from modern Judaism. This will give the children an insight in to the life of Jesus and help to teach acceptance and tolerance of other religions.
DIRECT TEACHING
Direct teaching includes instruction and explanation, discussion and questioning, and role-play. It is an interactive, oral and lively approach to teaching. Pupils are involved in a two-way process, responding to questions and contributing discussion points. It is important that children use ICT as part of their learning experience. The differentiation of work when appropriate allows children to achieve at their appropriate level.
EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE
The children in Foundation Stage also follow the “Come and See” programme. They learn about God’s love for them mainly through oral lessons. Recorded work is pictorial with simple dictated sentence and then put into class “big books”. The use of role-play is a very important part of the teaching of RE in the Foundation Stage.
CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
The development of children should be equal for all pupils regardless of their special educational needs. Every effort is made to support the needs of the child.
RECORDING
Children show their development by writing and drawing in their Special Books. Displays, photos and artwork are all ways of illustrating R.E. topics.
ASSESSMENT
Recording of children’s work takes many forms, eg. Pictorial, written, wall displays, assemblies etc. A focal point for R.E. is in every classroom, where the Reading of the Week is displayed. There are special R.E. books and three times a year there are formal assessments using the Levels of Attainment in Religious Education. Coverage and progress in the two attainment targets of AT1 Learning about Religion and AT2 Learning from Religion should be evident from the assessments as should coverage of the different strands. There are marking ladders in every book pertaining to each topic taught and includes both pupil and teacher assessment.
RESOURCES
The main resource is the Christian beliefs of the staff. The library has a section of books for children and staff.There are reference books, CD ROMs, web sites and information collected from courses for teachers to use. The R.E.co-ordinator, who happens to be the Headteacher, is another valuable resource as is our parish priest. Come and See, God’s Story and Church’s Story are also valuable resources. There are Bibles for both key stages and a collection of prayer books, posters, crucifixes, rosary beads and other religious symbols and artefacts that are used to enrich teaching in Religious Education.All teaching is based on the recommendations of the amended R.E. Curriculum Directory (2012) and incorporate Revelation, Church, Celebration and Life in Christ.
PRAYER AND WORSHIP
The prayer life of the school is a gift of the Holy Spirit who lives in each baptised person. Therefore showing children different ways of praying and modelling it for them plays a vital part in the religious formation of children. In order to achieve this children are guided to explore meditation, reflect on the Word of God, listen to music, see God in all things as well as formal prayer. Individual as well as group ways of praying are experienced in formal and informal settings.
Each day in each class the day begins with a prayer and ends with the Reading of the Week. There is also a focal point of prayer in each classroom with children’s work, prayers displayed. Each class during the week makes time for personal prayer. There is assembly every day which always has at its heart collective worship.
As mentioned previously, daily meditation forms an integral part of the daily worship of the school.
Collective worship is the gathering of all or some of the school community and this aims to foster the spiritual, moral and cultural development of all those present. The week begins with Hymn Practice for the whole school first thing on Monday morning. This is usually led by the classteacher whose class is leading the Friday assembly. The music of the week is also chosen by this teacher. This gives a very clear message to the whole school community that praise and worship to God is the most important thing we are about. Tuesday is Key Stage 1 assembly which is led by a classteacher, , Wednesday is Key Stage 2 assembly led by a classteacher Thursday is a whole school assembly taken by the Headteacher and Friday afternoon is a whole school assembly to which the wider community are welcome. The Friday assembly is led by a class and the hymns sung on Monday morning feed in to that assembly. The first part of the Friday assembly will always be centred on the Word of God.The second part is given over to the school celebrating achievement and success both in school and beyond the school. This takes the form of award certificates. The Reading of the week for Sunday Mass is read out and distributed to each class to take back and display ready for the following week with the mission to put into practice what the reading tells us.
Displays by the hall will reflect the Liturgical year as well as work covered in R.E. classes. The Mission Statement is prominently displayed in each classroom and around the school and is often referred to when talking to the children at assemblies, class work or asking them to reflect on behaviour
Whole school Masses will be held in the school at the beginning of each school year, and in thanksgiving and celebration with the children who have made their First Holy Communion. These events are always celebrated with the parish being invited. On Holy days of Obligation Key Stage 2 will walk to the Church to participate in the parish Mass. They will lead the singing, act as readers and lead the Prayers of the Faithful. Special assemblies at Harvest time and CAFOD fast days will be celebrated. Year 6 will celebrate the Docesan Leaver’s Mass at Clifton Cathedral each June as well as prepare a special Leaver’s Mass for themselves and their families at St Mary’s Church.
ROLE OF THE R.E. CO-ORDINATOR
The Headteacher will be the R.E. Co-ordinator.
The R.E.Co-ordinator will lead the staff in developing their teaching of Religious Education by:
- support and advice offered at staff meetings and in informal conversations;
- ensuring that the resources needed are available to staff and children;
- suggesting cross curricular links;
- organising appropriate in-service;
- developing and extending, with the support of the staff, the Catholic ethos of the school in relation to worship, prayer, scripture, assemblies, the Mission Statement and the general life of the school;
- strengthening the links between home, school and parish in order to build up a truly Christian community united in the love of God, the teachings of Christ and reflecting the second statement in the school Mission Statement.
“Our school is part of the community of love with parish and family.”
SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION
Children in Year 3 are prepared for the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist by catechists from the parish on a Saturday morning. The school is used as a venue. The children are prepared alongside the Year 3 children from their parish sister school, St Catherine’s. The school fully supports them in their preparation and celebrates with them at a special Mass afterwards.
September 2013
St Mary’s Catholic Primary School is the trading name of St Mary’s Catholic Primary School (Academy Trust), Swindon, registered in England and Wales under 07697658, registered office Bessemer Road East, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN2 1PE