RE Curriculum

Our School sees Religious Education as the Core and Foundation of education. In school we use the Resource Framework for Religious Education in Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Westminster which is produced by Dr. Margaret Carswell. This particular approach to teaching Religious Education allows for the children to gain a deeper understanding of their relationship with God. There is a great emphasis placed on not only hearing and understanding scripture but also making links with it and their own lives today. A great deal of work is covered on encouraging children to reflect on scripture and notice how, because of these words, we make certain choices about how we live our lives. This form of teaching allows us as a school to drive forward our children’s religious literacy, a particular focus of the Diocese.

The Dr Margaret Carswell Framework is taught in a three-year cycle and links to the liturgical year. The content of this model offers a systematic programme of study which comprehensively covers all the strands and requirements of the Curriculum Directory.

• Planning Cycle – St. Dominic’s Catholic Primary School 3 Year Cycle 2021-2022 – RE Curriculum Overview

Religious Education Curriculum

COVID -19 hit in the 2019-2020 academic year, and we re-evaluated and re-assessed our approach to recording pupil outcomes with a greater emphasis on creativity.

This academic year our staff, HT and REC attended the Reinvigorating the RE Curriculum in our pursuit to provide the best quality teaching and learning to augment a creative approach.

In RE, the impact of attending the Diocesan CPD courses on ‘Creativity in RE’, ‘Poetry in RE’ and ‘Art in RE” has resulted in teachers improving and enhancing their planning and teaching of RE through art, mind maps, independent tasks, role-play and drama.

Topic: From Advent to Christmas

Our year four children created a mind map to explain how Christians prepare for the coming of God.

KS2 children took part in their weekly Acts of Worship, and after reading Luke 1:39-45, when Mary visited Elizabeth, the children then created worship art inspirited by the Gospel reading.

The children in year two re-enacted the story of the Visitation.

The children role-played the characters of Mary and Elizabeth and used key phrases from the scripture. They discussed how Elizabeth’s baby moved within her, and Elizabeth told Mary that she was blessed and her unborn child was blessed.

Year 4 children created an acrostic poem to discuss the different names Luke gives Jesus.

Topic: Being a Sacramental People

The children in year two used the iPads to create a presentation with pictures and used the microphone and music to show how God is present in their lives. The children thought of the actions that show others that God is present in our lives. They showed actions for sharing, caring, loving, respect, kindness, generosity, helping, and many other good characteristics.

Nursery- Sacrament of Baptism

The children in the nursery learnt about Baptism being one of the Sacraments. They discovered that we join God’s family when we are baptised and become part of the Christian community. They visited the church to look at the font and re-enact a baby’s Baptism both in the church and in the classroom. Mrs Teoniv stated that “Klay played the part of the baby’s godfather when acting out the baptism in the church. He also loved talking to Father Patrick”.

Reception Class – Dry Baptism

The children in reception went to church to learn about ‘The Sacrament of Baptism’. First, they looked at the font where the holy water is kept. Then the children role-played the baby’s baptism and pretended to pour the water on the baby’s head. Finally, the children celebrated the baby’s baptism together. Jessica in reception B said, “she loved singing the baptism song”.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation
The children in reception listened to the story from the Bible about Jonah and the Whale.
The story taught the children about Jonah, who didn’t listen to God. The children learnt that the big whale ate Jonah, and he prayed, asking for forgiveness and was forgiven and saved by God. After that, the children participated in ‘Godly Play’. The teachers asked the children, ‘Why do you think God saved Jonah? Lucy in reception B said, “Because he forgave him. He hid from God, but then he did what God asked him to do”.

The children in the nursery also learnt about Jonah and the Whale and created their whale and Jonah. Klay enjoyed the story and could relate it by saying sorry to be forgiven.

Topic: From Lent to Easter

Shrove Tuesday

The children at St Dominic’s started their RE topic from Lent to Easter with Shrove Tuesday. They learnt about the importance of the day and made pancakes, and learnt that Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday.

The Stations of the Cross 

Year one and two, teachers created a Stations of the Cross sensory board to help pupils recognise and retell the story of the Stations of the Cross. It allowed the pupils to order the Stations, know who the characters were, and understand what happened in the story of Jesus’ final journey.

Year one pupils visited the Church to look at the Stations of the Cross as part of their RE topic. The teachers walked the pupils through the Church, stopping at each Station of the Cross to discuss what each Station depicts in more detail.

At each Station, teacher’s asked the pupils questions:

1. Who is in this picture? 2. What is happening? 3. How is Jesus feeling? 4. How are the other people in this Station feeling?

After that, the children created freeze frames for each Station to help them remember the events.

Once they got back to class, they looked at their sensory board of the Stations of the Cross and discussed each Station as a class.

After year one, pupils visited the church and learned about the Stations of the Cross for their activity; the pupils ordered the 14 Stations of the Cross.

The year two, pupils created a Stations of the Cross booklet where they retold the story of the Stations of the Cross. They ordered each Station and wrote about what happened in the story.

The children in year two focused on the Sixth Station, where Veronica wipes the face of Jesus. Both classes thought about the woman named Veronica, who stepped out from the crowd with a towel and wiped the face of Jesus. 

They discussed Veronica, who wiped the face of Jesus, and how she risked being told off or punished by the soldiers or laughed at by the crowd. After the discussion, the children thought about how Veronica’s love and kindness overcame her fears. Finally, the teachers asked the children to think about a time when they had to try and show love and compassion to overcome their fear. 

Our year three pupils visited our local parish Church, and Father Patrick spoke to the children about the Stations of the Cross. The children thoroughly enjoyed Father Patrick explaining the Stations of the Cross.

After year three visited the church, the children role-played the Stations of the Cross and thought about what happened at each Station and how Jesus and the other characters would have felt.

The children in year 4 created a comic strip to understand and explain the events of Holy Week.

Year 4 pupils re-enacted the Entry into Jerusalem.

Year one pupil’s role played the Last Supper story from the Gospel of Luke and thought about who the characters are, where the story takes place and the main events in the story of the Last Supper.

The year two children used conscious alley to retell the story of Good Friday. They thought about the different emotions of the crowd and how Jesus would have felt.