RE
Come and See
The ‘Come and See’ programme of Religious Education is recommended by the Archdioceses of Liverpool.
Come and See is developed through three themes which are gradually explored each time at greater depths: Church, Sacrament and Christian Living.
The process for delivering the topics in ‘Come and See’ has three stages – ‘Explore’, ‘Reveal’ and ‘Respond’.
Explore
‘Explore’ 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 upon.
Reveal
‘Reveal’ 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.
Respond
‘Respond’ is where the learning is assimilated, celebrated and responded to in daily life.
The effective delivery of Religious Education
The following strategies and aims underpin the effective delivery of Religious Education at Holy Cross Catholic school.
- Religious education will be taught discretely and developmentally. It will include the deepening of knowledge, and understanding of key theological ideas and their application to life.
- Ample opportunities will be offered for children to apply and use their knowledge and skills in cross-curricular studies to deepen their understanding of religious truths and think creatively.
- Engagement with their own and others’ beliefs and values will help to develop good attitudes and dispositions so that children are instilled with a love of learning and a desire to go on learning.
- Engagement with difficult questions of meaning and purpose which everyone has to face will enable them to think critically about their own questions of meaning and purpose.
- Offer the children a sense of self-worth through their experience of belonging to a caring community and an awareness of the demands of religious commitment in everyday life.
Other Religions
Why teach about other Faiths or Religions?
“In Meeting God in Friend and Stranger” an article produced by the Bishops of England and Wales, it outlines that;
“Within our schools we are seeking to educate all pupils of whatever religion to be able to live a way of life that integrates their beliefs with all other aspects of what it means to be human. As part of this, they must learn to live alongside others who are different and hold alternative views, including religious views.”
In school we refer to Judaism as another faith because of our shared Christian and Jewish heritage. Jesus was a Jew. We refer to Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism as other religions. These are studied because they have a belief in one God. Judaism is studied for one week every year whilst the other religions are taught for one week annually in rotation.
We want our children to have a rich and varied experience so visitors and visits to other places of worship are welcomed and encouraged. Each unit is taught discretely and not in any way comparatively with Christianity.