What is R.E.?
RE is the core subject that is at the heart for everything we do here at St Cuthbert's. It is about the Christian Vision of the human person. Religious Education is the study of:
In Religious Education we also explore other faiths from around the world, we will learn about the traditions of these faiths and their symbols.
We consider RE to be at the ‘Core of the Core’ of everything we do here at St Cuthbert's.
Why is RE important?
Religious Education plays a vital role in our life here at St Cuthbert's. The beliefs and values we will study will contribute to our children's personal development and overall well-being and we will promote mutual respect and tolerance of our diverse society. It encourages our children to develop their sense of identity and belonging and plays an important part in preparing our children for adult life , employment and lifelong learning. It will enable our children to develop a respect and sensitivity towards others, in particular those whose faith and beliefs are different from their own.
How is RE taught at St Cuthbert's?
As a voluntary aided Catholic primary school, Religious Education sits at the heart of our school life and curriculum, fully aligned with our Mission Statement: We Love, We Learn, We Grow.
The Religious Education Curriculum taught at St Cuthbert's follows the guidance outlined in the Religious Education Directory for Catholic Schools, Colleges and Academies in England and Wales 2023, "To know You more clearly", a document produced by the Bishops of England and Wales. We currently deliver a rich and high-quality Religious Education curriculum through a combination of schemes, including Lighting the Path, the Diocese of Salford Pilot scheme and Caritas in Action.
EYFS and Key Stage 1 classes at St Cuthbert’s are currently taught Religious Education through the “Source to Summit: Lighting the Path” Catholic Primary Religious Education Programme, produced by Oxford University Press.
In the academic year 2025-26, Key Stage Two classes will be following the advice of the Diocese of Salford and teaching Religious Education through the Diocesan Pilot programme from January 2026. Years 3 and 4 will be following the Year 3 Pilot, whilst Years 5 and 6 will follow the Year 5 Pilot.
We are excited to be preparing for a full transition of all classes to the Lighting the Path programme, with the intention of fully embedding it into our teaching and learning by September 2026, when their programme for Key Stage 2 classes has been released.
Structure
Both Lighting the Path and the Diocese of Salford Pilot Programme follow the structure of the recommended model curriculum as outlined in the Religious Education Directory. The school year is divided into six branches of learning, each lasting one half-term and having it's own core theme. The six branches are:
Autumn 1
Branch 1: Creation and Covenant
Children will meet the God who creates and calls a people. They will explore the belief that all comes from God, the Creation accounts in Genesis and the call of God and his covenant with his people through Abraham, Moses and the narrative of the Old Testament.
Autumn 2
Branch 2: Prophecy and Promise
Children will explore the teachings of the prophets as they point towards the fulfillment of God's promise of a messiah, Jesus Christ. They will explore how we wait for the coming of the Messiah in Advent and how this speaks to Christians today as we wait for Christ. Children will learn about the nativity of Jesus and the mystery of the incarnation.
Spring 1
Branch 3: Galilee to Jerusalem
Children will experience the ministry of Jesus, the Word of God. They will learn about the life of Jesus and will see how he reveals the Kingdom of God through parables, encounters, miracles and teachings. They will learn about the call of the disciples and what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
Spring 2
Branch 4: Desert to Garden
Children will study the season of Lent and will learn how it builds up to the events of Holy Week. They will learn that the events of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday are at the heart of the Catholic Church's Liturgy and life. They will discover the journey from the desert of Lent to the Garden of resurrection, from darkness to light and from death to life.
Summer 1
Branch 5: To the ends of the Earth
Children will learn about the events surrounding the Resurrection, Ascension and the Coming of the Holy Spirit. They will become familiar with the work of the apostles and the early Church. They will also learn about the Catholic Church today and how we can trace our liturgies and structures back to those of the early Church.
Summer 2
Branch 6: Dialogue and Encounter
Children will learn how Christians work together with people who have different religious beliefs, and how all people of goodwill work together towards the common good, respecting all humanity.
Caritas in Action
Caritas in Action is a scheme built around Catholic Social Teaching and is championed by Bishop John Arnold, the Bishop of Salford. It is intended to guide our young people to know, understand and above all, to live out their Faith through actions based on the Social Teachings of the Church. It is a call to everyone in the Church to join the journey towards a better world, where human dignity flourishes and the destruction of our environment is challenged and remedied.
Caritas in Action is taught at St Cuthbert's through the year and is interwoven into the RE and wider curriculum e.g RSE/PHSE evidenced in our floor book across the school. The themes that we study are:
Theme 1: Dignity of the Human Person
Theme 2: Family and Community
Theme 3: Solidarity and the Common Good
Theme 4: Rights and Responsibilities
Theme 5: Option for the poor and vulnerable
Theme 6: The Dignity of Work
Theme 7: Stewardship
Religious Education is a core subject and is taught for at least 10% of the weekly timetable.
Our Religious Education curriculum is based on the delivery of the Curriculum Directory supported by the Come and See scheme of work which is used as a guide for the teaching and learning of Religious Education throughout the school. Our RE curriculum enables the children to explore key questions of life from the Christian tradition and how to put what they have learnt into context. We work closely with our local Parish to prepare liturgies and we value the partnership between home, school, parish and the wider community.
The primary purpose of Catholic Education is the step by step study of the mystery of Christ, the teaching of the Church and its application in daily life, therefore the principal aims of the school in terms of the Religious Education which it provides are:
to lead the children to a deepening knowledge and understanding of the Catholic Faith.
to provide opportunities for the children to develop a loving relationship with God and their neighbour.
to encourage children to respect and be fully aware of the needs of others as equal members of God’s creation.
Come and See
At St Cuthbert's we follow 'Come and See', which is a Catholic Primary Religious Education programme for Foundation and Key stages 1 and 2.
Come and See is a programme that has been developed to respond to the needs of children today as they progress upon their faith journey, enabling them to grow in their religious literacy. At the heart of the programme is the mystery of God’s self-revelation of love through Jesus Christ. Come and See gives all children the opportunity to explore the mystery of faith through scripture and tradition. The programme supports and enables the faith experience of all children because it starts with their real life experience and leads them to reflect upon and consider the Christian message in all its richness in that experience.
Come and See is developed through three themes which are gradually explored every term, each time at greater depths. These three themes are Church, Sacrament and Christian Living.
Each year group from Foundation 1 to year 6 have their own list of focus topics to consider throughout the academic year. The topic will coincide with the church calendar however, the depth in which the topic is explored is dependent upon the respective age of the child. For example, during Lent, whilst all children will learn about the plight of Christ, our Early Years children will consider the importance of growing and new life; Key Stage 1 children explore the effect of change and opportunities, with Key Stage 2 children considering the importance of self-discipline, sacrifice, death and new life.
Each unit lasts for four weeks, except the World Faith units. Each unit follows the same sequence:
Engage (1 lesson) à Reveal (6 lessons) à Respond (1 lesson).
Each topic is split into 3 sections-
Explore
Children learn through shared experiences and make connections between their life experiences and their friends.
Reveal
At the heart of the programme is the mystery of God’s self-revelation of love through Jesus Christ. Come and See gives pupils the opportunity to explore the mystery of faith through Scripture and Tradition.
Respond
Children remember and celebrate what they have learnt and apply their knowledge individually.
Children learn through shared experience and make connections between life’s experiences and the gospel teachings. Teaching methods stimulate activities resulting in a response from the ‘heart’ of the child, developing attitudes of respect and reverence and an understanding that following Jesus is a call to holiness and wholeness of life.
Children are taught in as creative a way as possible, using for example, role play, hot seating, drama, art, music, reflection; the children learn and live through experiencing living faith.