Religious Education

Intent

St Peter is ‘the rock’ upon which our faith is built. Accordingly, RE is the “core of the core curriculum” (Pope St John Paul II) at St Peter’s Roman  Catholic High School. We teach pupils about religion so that they may come to see the key relationship between faith, modern culture, human knowledge and society.

Religion has shaped everyday life, politics, science, art, law and international relations, and it continues to do so, either directly or through its absence. Pupils will clearly understand their own and other religions, developing socially, morally, spiritually and culturally. They will grow to know themselves and know how the world is intertwined with faith to live their Catholic vocation and positively impact the challenging society they will mature into.

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Introduction

In the faith life of the Catholic school, Religious Education plays a central and vital part.  However, this does not replace the role of the parents, who are the Catholic faith's first and most important teachers. The parents take their children for their baptism in the Catholic faith, and the parents act as role models for their children, encouraging them to grow in the knowledge and practice of their religion.

We like to partner with the family and ensure pupils see the beliefs and values taught in R.E. lived out in the home and family. To this end, we see the support of parents for all R.E. and spiritual enrichment as vital to the Catholic Ethos of the school.

R.E., as well as being a robust academic subject, is the core/foundation for everything in our lives.  Reflecting this "lived faith", the department provides unique visits, trips and initiatives to celebrate the liturgical year. We hope that these occasions strengthen the faith of our pupils.

The R.E. course aims to facilitate pupils on their faith journey and provide an environment that encourages the development of their faith and the understanding of other religions in our multi-faith society.  Understanding and tolerating other faiths is central to living as a Christian citizen in our global community.  Pupils also need to know how religion impacts how people live their lives—ultimately, learning from religion and about religion.

The course for KS3 follows the Archdiocesan programme, ‘People of God,’ prescribed by the Catholic Education Service.  Pupils will be encouraged to develop skills such as self-management, thinking and problem-solving, managing information, working with others and being creative. Work in R.E. will include research, group work, use of ICT to generate homework or project work, collage, extended writing, creative writing, role play, media analysis, and empathy. In addition, they will examine various world faiths, including Hinduism, Judaism and Islam. There will be regular formative and summative assessments as this subject is valued alongside the other academic subjects and is considered one of the four core subjects at St. Peter's.  All pupils will be tested, and progress will be monitored. Pupils will be expected to do homework and revise course content regularly.

At KS4, pupils will follow the ‘Edexcel examination syllabus ‘Specification A’ and study three papers. The course focuses on Catholic Christianity, including beliefs, teachings, practices, sources of wisdom and expressions of faith, and the study of Jewish beliefs, teachings and practices. In addition, pupils study arguments for the existence of God and marriage and relationships in the twenty-first century.  Religious Education is essential if a person is to live effectively and faithfully in our modern world. We hope that in studying these topics, our pupils will realise the relevance and importance of R.E. lessons which aim to equip pupils to understand and evaluate life and faith in contemporary society.

Pupils are expected to complete formative assessments regularly and end-of-module tests at the end of each unit of work, along with a mock examination at the end of Year 10 and midway through Year 11. The course will culminate with three exams at the end of Year 11. Pupils are taught in groups according to their ability level and are encouraged to achieve their full potential. This examination course, whilst allowing pupils to enhance their academic achievement, also focuses on the knowledge, understanding, and evaluation skills essential if our pupils are to grow spiritually and develop their faith for their future lives.

The Archdiocese of Liverpool’s Christian Education Department inspected the school and department in June 2014 under Section 48. The overall effectiveness judgement was that “St. Peter’s provides Outstanding Catholic Education”. The full report is available via our website under ‘Key information’.

The school also received a Section 48 inspection visit at the end of 2019, and the school’s provision for Catholic Education was again judged Outstanding.

Pupils have RE for 3x 50 minutes a week which is 10% of their timetable

R.E. is taught in its purpose-built suite of five classrooms with the RE office and store room on the same landing.