RE

At St. Giles’ we place Religious Education at the heart of the curriculum and our Catholic faith runs through everything we do. It is a fundamental part of the Catholic Life of our school which is further enhanced through Collective Worship opportunities. At St. Giles’, we recognise that every child is unique and created in the image of God. It is our aim to develop the whole child; to help them to grow in faith and love and to develop as global citizens with a maturing Christian awareness.

For our RE curriculum, we follow the Diocesan Strategy, ‘Learning and Growing as the People of God.’ We ensure that a minimum of 10% of Curriculum time is allocated for Religious Education teaching across all key stages.

The Strategy is divided into a number of units for each year group, which cover four main areas of study:

• The Liturgical Seasons of the Church’s Year: The children find out about the significance of each season, its particular signs and symbols and the different liturgies celebrated in each season.
• Scripture: The children study both Old Testament and New Testament Scripture in order to give them familiarity and knowledge of Scripture as well as enabling them to explore and understand how Catholic beliefs are rooted in what Scripture reveals to us.
• The Sacraments: There is a strong Sacramental focus in each year group. In Year 3, the children are fully prepared to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist, while in Year 6, the children prepare to receive the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit through the Sacrament of Confirmation.
• Living as Christians including Prayer: 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.