Curriculum - Religious Education
“Into your hands Lord, we put each day. All that we do and all that we say.”
Religious Education at Runnymede is based on the national scheme Here I Am. Religious education recognises and enables a dialogue at many levels. There are three main questions that are to by answered by all the children from nursery to Year6.
“Where do I come from? “
“Who am I?”
“Why am I here?”
R.E. takes up 10% of the curriculum, but is not totally confined to lesson time. R.E. permeates throughout the whole of the school life and the ethos of the school. The whole school explore the same topic at the same time on a four year cycle. This enables the children to celebrate their new experiences and understanding together whatever their age. The children will Recognise, Reflect and Respect the topic they are exploring. Then they will come to the heart of the process, where they will Relate the Christian understanding of the mystery of God and human life as expressed in the person, life and gospel of Jesus Christ. The children will then Remember Rejoice and renew their new knowledge and understanding. Thus completing the seven R’s.
Collective Worship
Collective Worship is an important aspect of Religious Education. Each day the children take part in a Collective Worship, whether it is in small groups in class, in year groups or in department groups. Collective Worship is an ideal opportunity to celebrate. Celebrations are an essential part of life for people of every age and faith.
Collective Worships consist of varying elements such as greeting, silence, community praise especially in song, prayer and of course the children’s own work and ideas.
Not only do the children have Collective Worships based on the topics in R.E. but also for special times within our school life. These are varied highlights which are so important in a child’s life.
At Runnymede we have whole school Collective Worships to celebrate, Harvest Festival, Advent, Christingle, the Shoe-box Appeal and Christmas in the Autumn Term. In the Spring Term we celebrate Lent, the Good Shepherd Collection for the Nugent Care Society and the joy of Easter Week. In the Summer Term we celebrate the feast of Blessed Edmund Rice the founder of the Christian Brothers, and the moving on of Year 6 to their Secondary Schools. Of course throughout the year we celebrate many Feasts and Holydays of the Catholic Church.
For one week of the Autumn term we spend all our R.E. time looking at Judaism and in the Spring term we look at Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism or Budhism to give the children an experience and understanding of an Other Faith which is so important in our multi-culture society.
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