At the heart of Catholic education lies the Christian vision of the human person. This vision is expressed and explored in religious education, which recognises the human person as one ‘created in “the image and likeness” of God… unfaithful to God in original sin, but redeemed by Christ… [and] destined to eternal life’.

The Religious Education Directory (RED 2023) makes the aims of Religious Education explicit:

1. to engage in a systematic study of the mystery of God, of the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, the teachings of the Church, the central beliefs that Catholics hold, the basis for them and the relationship between faith and life;
2. to enable pupils continually to deepen their religious and theological understanding and be able to communicate this effectively;
3. to present an authentic vision of the Church’s moral and social teaching to provide pupils with a sure guide for living and the tools to critically engage with contemporary culture and society;
4. to give pupils an understanding of the religions and worldviews present in the world today and the skills to engage in respectful and fruitful dialogue with those whose worldviews differ from their own;
5. to develop the critical faculties of pupils so to bring clarity to the relationship between faith and life, and between faith and culture;
6. to stimulate pupils’ imagination and provoke a desire for personal meaning as revealed in the truth of the Catholic faith;
7. to enable pupils to relate the knowledge gained through religious education to their understanding of other subjects in the curriculum.

The outcome of excellent religious education is religiously literate and consciously engaged young people who have the knowledge, understanding, and skills – appropriate to their age and capacity – to reflect spiritually, and think ethically and theologically, and who recognise the demands of religious commitment in everyday life (RED 2023 p6).

We follow the Religious Education Directory, To Know You More Clearly, which provides the framework for Religious Education in Catholic schools.

Through the six curriculum branches: Creation and Covenant, Prophecy and Promise, Galilee to Jerusalem, Desert to Garden, To the Ends of the Earth, and Dialogue and Encounter, children build their knowledge and understanding as they journey from Reception to Year 6.

Our curriculum is carefully planned through mixed age planning, so that learning builds over time. Children encounter Scripture, explore Catholic beliefs and teachings, develop their understanding of prayer and liturgy, and learn about other religious traditions and worldviews.

Throughout their learning, children are encouraged to understand, discern and respond. They learn to make connections, explore important questions, express their ideas and reflect on what their learning might mean for themselves, for others and for the way we live together.

We want Religious Education at St Nicholas to be something children experience and enjoy, not simply something they read about.

Teachers bring learning to life through Scripture, stories, discussion, questioning, art, music, drama, writing, reflection and prayer. Children are encouraged to wonder, ask questions, share their thinking and use increasingly rich religious vocabulary to explain their ideas.

We maintain high expectations for every child. Where a child experiences a barrier to learning, teachers make thoughtful adaptations so that they can participate fully in the same ambitious curriculum as their peers.

Our mission calls us not only to learn about our faith, but to live it.

Alongside our RE curriculum, children follow a programme of Catholic Social Teaching, supported by Caritas in Action: Education and Formation in the Social Teaching of the Catholic Church.

Through Catholic Social Teaching, children explore what it means to recognise the dignity of every person, care for our common home, stand alongside those who need our help and contribute to their community.

Most importantly, children are encouraged to see that they can make a difference. Through acts of service, charity, care for others and opportunities to take responsibility, they learn what our mission “Love one another, as I have loved you” can look like in action.

Our commitment to helping every child flourish also shapes our approach to Relationships and Sex Education.

We follow Life to the Full by Ten Ten Resources, a Catholic programme which supports children to understand themselves, their relationships with others and the importance of treating every person with dignity, love and respect.

Learning is age-appropriate and rooted in the Catholic understanding that each person is created, loved and valued by God.

Together, Religious Education, Catholic Social Teaching and RSE help our children grow in knowledge and faith, develop strong relationships, care for others and understand how they can contribute positively to the world around them.