Religious Education

As a Catholic school, we believe that we are all called to be disciples of Christ and share the light of his love in our homes, school parish and with our global community using the gifts and talents God has given to us. Through our Mission statement ‘Learning together in friendship with God’ we aim to encourage our children to be part of building and bringing about God’s Kingdom through living out the fruits of the Holy Spirit. The aim of our carefully tailored curriculum is for the children to grow in their own spirituality and faith, through their love for God and one another, their learning about and from God and their praise of God and his creation.

Through their lived-out experiences in school, we aim to nurture an understanding that the children are part of a global community united through the values of the Gospel. With the Gospels and ‘Laudato Si’ as our inspiration, the children develop an understanding of their role in caring for our common home and caring for one another. We aim to provide an environment where the children will learn about the mission of Christ through careful study and emersion in scripture, which is rooted in experience. Through our curriculum and the Catholic life of the school, the children learn how Christ showed tolerance, compassion, justice, love and forgiveness to those most in need and are encouraged to think and ultimately act this out in their own lives.

We develop children’s understanding and knowledge of other faiths and cultures, respecting and appreciating alternative viewpoints. We recognise the social, moral, spiritual, and cultural diversity of our communities, and encourage curiosity tolerance and respect, inspiring pupils to understand how life in Britain and the wider world is changing around them.

We aim to develop the children in…

  • Joyfully placing scripture at the heart of their worship and prayer
  • Engaging and responding to the challenge of the modern world in the context of the Gospel
  • Thinking critically about their role as followers of Christ
  • Developing their knowledge and understanding of their faith

 

Implementation

Religious Education is at the centre of everything we do as a Catholic school and permeates through every aspect of the curriculum and school life. We ensure that a minimum of 10% of Curriculum time is allocated for RE teaching across all key stages.

Through the high standard and exceptional teaching of RE, pupils are inspired to become critical thinkers and to reflect deeply upon their own faith journey. They are challenged through the topics taught, to think about how they put the teachings of the church and Jesus into practise in their own daily lives. The children are encouraged to continually think about their own spirituality and teachers plan opportunities for children to explore this through discussion, lesson, prayer and different forms of Collective Worship.

In September 2025, we have introduced Lighting the Path as our Religious Education (RE) scheme for children in EYFS, Year 1, and Year 2. This new curriculum is rooted in the Catholic faith and is designed to help pupils “hear, believe, celebrate and live out the Gospel” through a carefully sequenced, inclusive, and engaging programme. This programme will be introduced into Key Stage 2 in September 2026 when the new materials are made available.
Lighting the Path has been developed in line with the new RE Directory, which will become statutory from September 2026. This scheme provides a comprehensive and supportive resource for all teachers with accessible online lesson plans, scriptural background, and materials that meet curriculum and inspection standards, the programme fosters inspiring and inclusive RE for every child. Written by a team of religious professionals the scheme promotes a high quality Catholic Education within our school. By adopting Lighting the Path, St. Aelred’s continues its mission to nurture faith-filled, compassionate learners who grow in their knowledge and love of God.

In Years, 3-6, we currently use Come and See curriculum. The process for delivering the topics in ‘Come and See’ has three stages – Explore, Reveal and Respond which enable the pupils with the development of knowledge, understanding, skills and the fostering of attitudes. The sequence is as follows:

Explore

This is the introduction to the topic where the children’s life experience is explored, the questions it raises are wondered at, shared, investigated and their significance reflected on. This session may include:

  • Exploring experiences through music, story, drama, dance or art
  • Investigation and story telling
  • Consideration of the Big Question
  • Discussion
  • Reflection

Reveal

This is the heart of the programme where knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith is revealed through the Word, in Scripture, Tradition, doctrine, prayers, rites and Christian living. The process of this delivery will include:

  • Meeting new knowledge of Religious Education
  • Reflecting on the wonder of the mystery
  • Research, collating information
  • Asking searching questions
  • Discussion
  • Making links between Cristian understanding and the shared life experiences
  • Acknowledging and respecting differences
  • Being open to new perspectives.

Response

This is where the learning is assimilated, celebrated and responded to in daily life. This may be carried out through:

  • Creating a quiet, prayerful atmosphere for reflection
  • Reviewing work carried out throughout the topic
  • Sharing thoughts and feelings