At St Alphonsus RC Primary School, we put Christ at the centre of our teaching and learning.  Our curriculum stems from our Mission Statement: 

God lives in me. I am His witness. 

I respect everybody, everybody respects me. 

In our loving school, everyone is unique. 

Just like the flowers in the field, as they

grow, we too grow in God’s love each day.

The life and teaching of Jesus and the values of the Gospel underpin all aspects of school life.

Religious Education

Here at St Alphonsus, RE is the beating heart of our school and we believe that God is the focus for everything we do. RE is considered as our ultimate core subject and the Holy Bible is our core text. We have a shared vision of where we believe the school is headed, and this is based upon our “community of faith”. By this we mean that all members of our school community have a common goal, a common purpose, a common faith. Our school community, at St Alphonsus, includes everybody involved in the social, moral, spiritual, cultural and educational development of the children in which Christ is our foundation.

The Religious Aims of the School

To provide a rich, stimulating curriculum that includes the National Curriculum, but is distinctive in that it reflects the teachings of the Catholic Church. This is provided within an atmosphere of controlled freedom where children are motivated and challenged in order to reach their individual potential.

To provide opportunities for celebration, prayer, daily worship and reflection in implicit and explicit ways.

To provide children with the language of religious experience – a “literacy” in religious activities, places, stories, symbols and rituals, people and objects, through a range of teaching styles.

To provide a systematic presentation of the Christian event, message and way of life.

To prepare children for the participation in, and appreciation of, the sacraments.

To foster the development of positive self-concepts and to encourage the children to be thoughtful, spiritual, enquiring, tolerant and responsible citizens.

To develop co-operation between home, school and parish based on mutual respect and support.

To enable each child to appreciate human achievements in art, humanity, science, technology and literature.

How is RE taught at St Alphonsus?

Our RE teaching is based on the Curriculum Directory for Religious Education and as a school we follow the Come and See programme in line with guidance from Salford Diocese. This programme is followed throughout school from Reception through to Year 6. 10% of the curriculum teaching time is dedicated to RE in line with the requirements set out by the Bishops of England and Wales.  

Here at St Alphonsus our teaching focuses on providing opportunities for teachers and children to deepen their theological understanding of the Christian faith and its application to daily life. The Come and See programme provides opportunities for celebration, prayer and reflection in implicit and explicit ways, introducing the children to a 'literacy' in religious activities, places, stories, symbols and rituals, people and objects, a 'systematic presentation of Christian event, message and way of life' in ways appropriate to the age and stage of development of each child on their faith journey. This programme explores the religious dimensions of questions about life, dignity and purpose within the Catholic tradition. Links are made with the children's own experience and with universal experience. We explore and reflect on big questions and explore the beliefs, values and way of life of the Catholic tradition. In Religious Education we also explore other faiths from around the world, we learn about the traditions of these faiths and their symbols.

Come and See is developed through three themes which stem from Christian belief and the churches response in faith. The three themes are; 

• The community of faith – Church
• The celebration of ritual – Sacramental 
• The way of life – Christian living

These themes are explored progressively every term and

at greater depths each time.

The process of each topic is opened up through Explore, Reveal and Respond:

Explore helps children to begin to share their experiences within their own lives and make connections between their own experiences and that of others in their world.

Reveal is at the heart of this programme when children discover the Christian understanding of the mystery of the Holy Trinity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They explore the mystery of human life and faith through Sacred Scripture and Tradition.

Respond is where children Remember, Rejoice and celebrate what they have learnt and apply their knowledge individually in order to serve others. Children will enjoy opportunities to respond wholeheartedly in a variety of creative ways through shared experiences and make connections between these experiences and Gospel teachings whilst developing attitudes of respect, grace and reverence. Children will understand that following Jesus is a call to holiness and wholeness of life.

The teaching of RE is split into 9 key concepts, which are taken from the Come and See scheme of work. These are; Domestic Church (Family), Baptism/Conformation (Belonging), Advent/Christmas (Loving), Local Church (Community), Eucharist (Relating), Lent/Easter (Giving), Pentecost (Serving), Reconciliation (Inter-relating) and Universal Church (World).

 Just as with our enquiry of English texts, in their exploration of Sacred Scripture, the children use their reading inferential skills and apply the principles of LIT (Leicester Inference Training) using the visual reading prompt cards to examine Scripture carefully. Teachers teach ‘Scripture for meaning’, enabling children to become analytical thinkers and learners, understanding that there are multiple interpretations of Scripture.

RE permeates the whole of St Alphonsus’ school curriculum and each day, children are provided with enriched opportunities to apply their faith, knowledge and skills in cross curricular studies to deepen their understanding of religious truths and allow them to think spiritually and creatively.