Religious Education
Religious Education (RE) is unique in combining a spirit of academic enquiry with personal spirituality and the quest for meaning and purpose. Students are encouraged to think critically, listen to others, develop informed opinions and substantiate them using reasoned arguments.
At St Columba’s, we have a unique inspiration for RE teaching in the charism of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, emphasising the formation of the whole person while promoting solidarity with the poor, high personal expectations, and respect for self, others and creation.
Rarely affirm, seldom deny, always distinguish. Thomas Aquinas
The department’s dynamic classroom teaching is further enlivened by a programme of inspiring trips and extra-curricular activities for each year group, including visits to the London Jewish Museum and a local Hindu Temple. Form 4 attend a Humanitarian International Development day in conjunction with Thornton College, our partner school. All students have an opportunity to participate in the biennial trip to Rome and they have the opportunity to be RE Ambassadors, acting as lead learners in lessons and representatives of the RE Department.
RE lessons observed were inspiring and challenged the pupils to consider concepts which are new to their experience. Westminster Diocese Inspection Report 2018
Religious Education: Prep
Introduction
It aims to develop students theological literacy knowledge and understanding. We recognise that our pupils come into the school community from a variety of backgrounds and we take into account the religious and educational needs of all of our children.
Religious Education is viewed as a subject for all children; a collaborative activity, which respects and promotes the child’s innate capacity for wonder, awe, reverence and imagination.
Course Description
- To enable pupils to continually deepen their religious and theological understanding and be able to communicate this effectively;
- To present an authentic vision of the Church’s moral and social teaching so that pupils can make a critique of the underlying trends in contemporary culture and society;
- To raise pupils’ awareness of the faith and traditions of other religious communities in order to respect and understand them;
- To stimulate pupils’ imagination and provoke a desire for personal meaning.
- To enable pupils to relate the knowledge gained through Religious Education to their understanding of other subjects in the curriculum;
- To provide opportunities for celebration, prayer, praise and reflection in implicit and explicit ways.
- To bring clarity to the relationship between faith and life, and between faith and culture.
- To encourage children to respect and be fully aware of the needs of others as equal members of God’s creation.
- To implement the Archdiocesan Religious Education programme, ‘The Way, The Truth and The Life’.
Levels of Attainment and the Religious Education Curriculum Directory.
In accordance with the Diocese of Westminster, from September 2024, our children in Lower Prep will be following the new Religious Curriculum Directory (RED). The new model curriculum will in turn be rolled out to Prep Three & Four in September 2025 and Prep Five & Six in September 2026.
How are the students assessed?
They are assessed in a variety of ways from formal and informal across the years and for each end of term report. They are formally assessed by these:
At1: knowledge and understanding (‘learning about’ the bible)
At2: engagement and response (‘learning from’ the bible)
At3: analysis and evaluation
Home Learning
Supporting in prayer, developing moral choices, in daily life choices to become a better person make good choices.
Also have available a half termly re newsletter for parents with details of study for each year group and important feast days- they is a section for each year group on how parents can specifically support their child.
Useful Links
http://www.wednesdayword.org/ (we use this each week in our class re lessons which is the weekly gospel and activities for the child to complete.)
https://www.instagram.com/stcolumbasreligiouseducation St Columba’s RE on Instagram.
