Religious Education - To Know You More Clearly

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

John 10:10

Intent

On this page we have gathered information about our approach to Religious Education as a Roman Catholic faith school. Our Mission Statement, “Shining in the Light of Jesus, as we learn, grow and love” demonstrates how we value the inspiration and light of Christ at the centre of our lives, in all that we do together for ourselves and the good of others.

Religious Education is about engaging with the deepest questions of life and finding reasons for the hope which is within them (Peter 3:15).

It is about the Christian vision of the human person.

It is the core subject which is central to the life of our Catholic School.

At Our Lady Star of the Sea, we use, 'To Know You More Clearly' as a programme from the new Religious Education Directory (RED) recommended by the Archdiocese of Liverpool. This programme is currently optional but will be compulsory for all year groups from September 2026. At Our Lady Star of the Sea we are using this programme and it will be explained further at the beginning of year academic year during our 'Meet the Teacher' sessions. If you have any further questions please arrange a meeting with our Assistant Headteacher and RE lead, Ms Richardson. 

Religious Education is the study of:

• The mystery of God, as discovered in the Bible and particularly through the life and teachings of Jesus Christ;
• The teachings of the Church;
• The lives of the Saints;
• The relationship between faith and life.

To achieve this, we;

* Provide a broad, well balanced Religious Education curriculum that is stimulating, fun and staff recognise the unique qualities in every child recognising we are all made in the image and likeness of God. 

* Develop the children's knowledge and understanding of the Catholic Faith and where appropriate, other religious traditions, by following the Gospel values and providing opportunities for daily Prayer and liturgy.

* All our school community feel cared for and care for each other so that everyone who enters Our Lady Star of the Sea feels welcome allowing them to engage and reach their full potential. We value and respect each other.

* To plan and provide children with a happy, memorable time at our school, we promote the child's innate capacity for wonder, awe, reverence and imagination to shine in all that they do and for everyone to see. We celebrate this through an 'Awe and Wonder' Week.

Overview of 'To Know You More Clearly'

There are six branches in 'To Know You More Clearly' - one per half term. The branches are:

Autumn 1 - Creation and Covenant

Autumn 2 - Prophecy and Promise

Spring 1 - From Galilee to Jerusalem

Spring 2 - From Desert to Garden

Summer 1 - To the Ends of the Earth

Summer 2 - Dialogue and Encounter

Within each branch children will explore what scripture they Hear, how this is shown through the Catholic Believe and how Catholics Celebrate and Live this out through their faith. At the end of each branch and lenses the children will; Understand, Discern and Respond to what they have learnt during that half term branch. 

Implementation:

Our Religious Education curriculum is taught using the Great Teaching Toolkit, 2020. We endeavour to be consistent in our approach to create a supportive environment that is inclusive. We support all our pupils using adaptive teaching techniques, Voice 21 talk tactics and oracy sentence stems. We activate hard thinking through our thinking schools strategies and Q Matrix questioning to bring Religious Education to life and develop a real sense of enquiry. At Our Lady Star of the Sea, we have a consistent recipe for teaching Religious Education which follows Rosenshine's Principles of Instruction.

Impact

The impact of our RE curriculum is measured through a variety of different strategies. Ongoing teacher assessment is used throughout lessons to inform teaching. Retrieval practice is used throughout each lesson to address gaps in pupils’ knowledge before moving on. Key 'driver' words help the children to understand what is expected of them and to support maximum possible progress for all pupils. 

Children’s learning is monitored by regular book scrutiny by the RE Subject Leader, Ms Richardson, in which constructive feedback is given to staff for future planning. RE is also monitored through learning walks and pupil voice. All of this is used to inform further curriculum developments and provision. 

At Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, staff work closely together as a team to ensure children receive the best RE curriculum to allow them to develop a love of learning and create an understanding of their own and others' faiths.