RE at Parochial
'Parochial Cares', our mission is to prepare children for the future by living, learning and growing together in God.
To live life... life in all its fullness (John 10:10)
Vision:
At Parochial, we aim to develop pupils’ curiosity and reflective skills about their beliefs and values through developing self-awareness, respect, open-mindedness, appreciation and wonder. The curriculum is planned in a way, which allows each child to flourish and have the most powerful and lasting effect on the child’s heart and mind. Religious Education curriculum at Parochial provides opportunities for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, as well as personal reflection. It develops children’s knowledge and understanding of the nature of religion and belief. It provokes challenging questions about meaning and purpose, truth and values, identity and belonging. Our Religious Education curriculum prepares children for citizenship in today’s diverse society. It enables them to develop sensitivity to and respect for others
Implementation:
At Parochial we are:
Educating for Wisdom, knowledge and skills in Religious Education through the development of a clear progression in skills and knowledge which builds upon strong foundations. Religious Education enquiry begins in the Early Years, as children begin to explore the world around them. This is achieved using enquiry based lessons that are led by children’s existing knowledge and interests.
In Key Stage 1, using the Questful syllabus scheme and Understanding Christianity resource, children begin to explore God and his creation, the Bible, and special books of other faiths. They start regular visits to the places of worship, such as St Michael’s Church and Albion United Reformed Church in Ashton-under-Lyne. They learn about Jesus being special and a friend to everyone and start building on the knowledge of Christmas, Easter and other Christian and non-Christian festivals.
In Key Stage 2, children continue to develop their reflective skills through the investigation of the rules for living, sacred places and sacred books, as well as building upon their knowledge of Christian and non-Christian festivals and their deeper meaning. Children continue to visit various local places of worship, such as Ashton Central Mosque, Ashton Hindu Temple and St Gabriel’s Church, they meet people of diverse faiths and explore their own sense of religious, moral and spiritual ideas.
All pupils take part in weekly school and class collective worships including worship through song and celebration assembly.
Educating for hope and aspiration through Religious Education by learning and understanding courageous advocacy and aspirational people, who faced injustice and overcame barriers in order to help others for the greater good. Children explore ideas of courageous advocates in various humanitarian fields and get inspired to engage in social action to improve local, national and global community. During Enterprise week and PSHE themes, children learn about the work of Mother Theresa, Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, Malala Yousafzai, Greta Thunberg and many others. Throughout the Key Stages, children learn about people who dedicated their lives to helping others and changing the world for the better, such as Florence Nightingale, Martin Luther King Jn, Rosa Parks and of course, Jesus.
Educating for community and living well together by getting actively involved with our local churches and charities. The children regularly meet local worshippers at St Michael’s Church, visit elderly and disabled friends at St Gabriel’s Church and spend time with the residents and volunteers at Willow Wood Hospice. During the Advent and Lent seasons, all Parochial pupils, their parents, carers and family members get actively involved in fundraising events for the local food pantry Infinity Initiatives, Willow Wood Hospice and other local charities such as Reuben’s Retreat. The pupils continually develop their social conscience, empathy and respect towards people who might have different ethnic, religious, social and cultural background, becoming more aware of difficult social themes, being able to express themselves, support those in need and challenge discrimination and social injustice.
Educating for dignity and respect by exploring weekly Picture News, discussing the themes of equality, fairness, mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs, and for those without faith, individual liberty, rule of law and democracy. Through our weekly assemblies and altar themes, children have regular opportunities to explore Gospel values and learn how to treat others with care and compassion, being polite and courteous, how to share and be selfless, how to respect each other’s differences, listen and take opinions of others into consideration. Every week, the children receive a mission to individually challenge themselves - they are encouraged to consider their own values and explore their ability to apply what they learnt during the school assembly in practice. During Friendship week, the children explore how to recognise and effectively challenge discrimination, inequality and unfairness.
Impact:
Our spiral Religious Education curriculum equips our children with the thinking, reflecting and communication skills by developing a broad and accurate religious vocabulary, reading and responding to sacred texts, prayers and stories, communicating their ideas using the creative and expressive arts, talking and writing with understanding, reflecting critically on ultimate questions of life and engaging as global citizens to make a positive impact in society. Our children leave us ready for the secondary curriculum as they are able to think critically about religious concepts and issues. Our children have a secure knowledge about the world they live in, their impact upon it and the issues that affect people across the globe. They have the tools to tackle complex issues of beliefs, values and self-identity and are ready to further develop their confidence, self-reliance, responsibilities, respect and empathy.