Our Lady’s is a Catholic school and as such, Jesus Christ is at the heart of everything that we do.  Together we worship God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit and each person is valued as a child of God the Father.  Through Religious Education, pupils study the Catholic tradition and come to an appropriate knowledge and understanding of the different religious dimensions of life. We intend to support the children to examine their own religious attitudes, know about God’s love, their responsibilities as Christians and to be tolerant and respectful towards other religions, traditions and cultures. During their time at Our Lady’s, the pupils of the school develop the skills to make links and connections, engage and respond, analyse and evaluate using Scripture as a source of evidence.  This is achieved through a varied, interesting and engaging curriculum, and in the everyday interaction of school life, assemblies, meal times, play times and all the relationships that exist within Our Lady’s.

All lessons are taught as part of a broad and balanced curriculum offering learning opportunities across the curriculum, including English, Art and Drama.  In EYFS and KS1, additions may be made to the learning environment which enhance the RE learning, and is accessible to the pupils throughout their child initiated learning time.

At Our Lady’s, RE is a core subject, therefore 10% of curriculum time is given over to the teaching of RE.  This is in line with the requirements stated by The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales.  This equates to 2 hours and 30 minutes per week.  In EYFS and KS1, this is broken down into shorter sessions throughout the week, and in KS2, it is taught in one block a week, following collective worship in assembly time.   Units of RE topics are planned to include scripture analysis, links to the creative arts, use of Multiple Intelligences, outdoor learning, and links to Catholic Social Teaching as well as an inspirational person relating to the topic.  In addition to this, the teaching of the different forms of prayer is planned for, as well as prayerful colouring.  ‘Big questions’ are used at the beginning of each topic and referred back to throughout the unit, in order to support learners to make links between the taught topic and religious meaning.  In order to enable pupils to retain learning of key vocabulary and wider knowledge gained throughout a topic, retrieval practice is incorporated into lessons.  By studying Scripture, all children are given the opportunity to engage with their faith on a deeper level, and doing this for each topic studied in RE, children are able to master the skill at an age appropriate level. 

Through this, we intend for the children in our care to grow to know the unique role they individually play in their community, while also growing their relationship with Christ.

Extract from Section 48 Inspection (June 2017)

Our Lady’s is an outstanding Catholic school. It is a warm, welcoming school with an ethos deeply rooted in Gospel Values. The distinct Catholic identity is evident in the displays throughout the school and the many opportunities for prayer. Relationships between staff, governors, parents and pupils create a confident, secure and nurturing community. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding.