Programme of Study 
The school uses Margaret Carswell which is linked to the new Religious Education Directory (RED) throughout the school. 

The spiral structure of the curriculum (contained within the revised RED) enables a build-up, layering a critical dimension each year, deepening pupils’ understanding of the story of salvation, developing a common language, and exploring the ‘memory of the Church’ and her teachings and how these have formed part of the history of ideas in the development of humanity.

The spiral pathway students follow from their first steps into Catholic education means that teachers can plan for progression, moving through basic questioning and notional understandings to ever deeper levels of engagement with Christianity’s divine and human drama and its significance for humankind.  (RED: ‘To Know You More Clearly’; 2023)

Curriculum branches

Curriculum Branches are the way this programme of study presents its model curriculum. The

model curriculum presents the expected outcomes in six curriculum branches that correspond

to the six half-terms of a school year. The six curriculum branches are:

• Creation and Covenant
• Prophecy and Promise,
• Galilee to Jerusalem
• Desert to Garden,
• To the Ends of the Earth
• Dialogue and Encounter.

Knowledge Lenses – End of Phase Expected Outcomes

The RED identifies six knowledge lenses which detail what should be known by the end of each age-phase. This resource can support teachers in helping to evidence expected outcomes in the ‘Hear - Believe - Celebrate - Live’ knowledge lenses.

Ways of Knowing

The RED identifies three ‘ways of knowing’ in its Programme of Study that enable skills to be developed at an appropriate level. The development of these aspects allows each knowledge lens to be explored appropriately. The ways of knowing are Understand (U), Discern (D) and Respond (R).

At the beginning of each topic (half-termly), staff gather together to plan the forthcoming half-term topic based on the branches contained within the RED; this is led/driven by the SLT who support staff with the planning process and identifying various assessment opportunities.  

Catholic Social Teaching (CST)

The school used Caritas in Action Programme to support children in developing their understanding of the various precepts of Catholic Social Teaching. This is supplemented by other resources as appropriate, including the Caritas ‘Rooted In Love’ programme.

Other Faiths

In addition to studying the Life and Teachings of Jesus, children study a variety of World Faiths.  This enables our children to understand more about the larger community outside home and school

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