Religious Education

At St Bede’s the primary purpose of Catholic Religious Education is to come to know and understand God’s revelation which is fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. This revelation is known through the scriptures and the tradition of the Church. Religious Education is the 'core of the core curriculum' in a Catholic school and is planned, taught, assessed and monitored with the same rigour as other core curriculum subjects. It is at the heart of our whole curriculum and is taught for 10% curriculum time within a broad and balanced curriculum. It informs every aspect of the curriculum.

At St Bede's we follow 'The Way' to deliver our Religious Education programme. This is an exciting and ambitious curriculum that aims to deepen our children’s knowledge and understanding of their faith, while helping them to encounter and respond to the Word of God. The Way' is rooted in theology and Sacred Scripture, recognising the Bible as a treasury of stories through which children encounter the Word of God and come to know the People of God. Through the study of Scripture, children develop an understanding of how God reveals himself and enters into relationship with humanity.

In each year, children will encounter a series of six branches. Each branch will be uncovered during six weeks. The spiralling nature of the curriculum encourages the retrieval of knowledge from branch to branch to build a coherent and progressively sequenced understanding of religion, set in the context of Catholic Christian beliefs and traditions, to provide a model for exploration. The hinge week allows children to consolidate their learning, recalling what they have previously understood, before embarking on a new learning sequence.

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The Way is built around six branches:

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Each branch explores different aspects of the Catholic faith through carefully selected passages and stories from the Bible, helping children to develop a rich and deep understanding of Scripture. The spiralling nature of the curriculum encourages the retrieval of knowledge from the previous year and from the previous branches to build a coherent and progressively sequenced understanding of religion, set in the context of Catholic Christian beliefs and traditions, to provide a model for exploration.

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Each branch is taught through the knowledge lenses:

Our children are encouraged to explore Scripture, understand and articulate what the Church believes, consider how faith shapes the way we live, and celebrate our faith through prayer and worship. The study of other faiths and world views is carefully woven throughout the RE and wider curriculum, giving children opportunities to develop respect, understanding and appreciation for the beliefs and experiences of others.

​Through The Way, we want our children not only to know about their faith, but to encounter it, live it and grow in their relationship with God.

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