At St Peter's, we follow "Discerning Disciples", a religious education programme for Catholic primary schools in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, which meets the requirements of To Know You More Clearly: The Religious Education Directory (RED) for Catholic Schools. It offers a coherent, sequential and progressive curriculum through which pupils can grow in knowledge, understanding, and love of the Catholic faith.
"To be a discerning disciple is to learn how to recognise what is true, good, and right, and to make wise decisions in the light of faith, reason, and lived experience. From their earliest years, pupils are invited to listen attentively to the Word of God, to wonder at the beauty of creation, to come to know Jesus in the Gospels, and to understand the life and mission of the Church. As their knowledge deepens, so too does their capacity to reflect, to ask thoughtful questions, and to see how faith illuminates the whole of life."
Archbishop Bernard Longley
The aim of Religious Education in our school is to help children to acquire and develop knowledge and understanding of Christianity and the other principal religions represented in Great Britain; to appreciate the way that religious beliefs shape life and behaviour, develop the ability to make reasoned and informed judgements about religious and moral issues and enhance their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
Discerning Disciples is taught through 6 branches:
The children learn about what it is to live as Christians today, how the Church is organised from global to parish level and also the opportunities which exist for them to participate in the life of the Church. Throughout the year the children also learn about the Liturgical Seasons and have opportunities to link learning to prayer and reflection.
The Sacramental Programme, led by the Parish Priest and Parish Catechist, is supplemented with 12 lessons for our Catholic pupils, 6 that focus on the Sacrament of Reconciliation and 6 that focus on the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
As a Catholic School our mission is to form Christ-centred pilgrims of hope, with kind hearts, questioning minds, a thirst for knowledge and a hunger for justice. This is at the heart of everything that we do; our Christian values permeate the whole curriculum.
We follow the Discerning Disciples Assessment Procedures which for Years 1 - 4 has two formal elements of assessment:
In the Early Years there is no formal assessment of learning in nursery but any evidence collected can be used to form the GLRED judgement at the end of Reception.
Enhanced skills in oracy are encouraged as pupils articulate their understanding of faith and moral issues with confidence, contributing meaningfully to classroom discussions and community activities.
At St. Peter’s pupils are taught that each person is a unique individual, created in the image and likeness of God to whom God has given special gifts to be used for the good of other people. Our school mission of ‘Love God and Love One Another’ underpins our approach to preparing pupils for life in a multi-cultural society.
If you wish to speak to the Religious Education Lead then please contact Mrs. Catherine Clubley.