Religious Education is at the heart of the curriculum at St Mary’s and is a rigorous academic subject in its own right.

Through RE, children develop secure knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith, encounter Sacred Scripture and the teachings and traditions of the Church, and consider how faith influences people’s lives.

Children are encouraged to ask thoughtful questions, use religious vocabulary accurately, make connections, explain beliefs and reflect upon how faith calls people to respond.

Although Religious Education contributes significantly to the Catholic life and mission of St Mary’s, it is distinct from prayer and liturgy. RE is a taught, assessed curriculum subject, while prayer and liturgy provide opportunities for the school community to encounter and respond to God.

A new Religious Education curriculum from September 2026

From September 2026, St Mary’s will implement the new Religious Education Directory, To Know You More Clearly, published by the Catholic Education Service for Catholic schools, academies and colleges in England and Wales.

The directory is commonly referred to as the RED.

It provides a clear and progressive curriculum from the Early Years onwards, setting out the knowledge, understanding, vocabulary and ways of thinking that children should develop as they move through school.

The RED places Christ at the centre of Religious Education and gives children opportunities to:

• Encounter and understand Sacred Scripture

• Develop knowledge of Catholic belief and teaching

• Learn about prayer, liturgy and the sacraments

• Explore how Catholics live out their faith

• Use increasingly precise religious vocabulary

• Make connections between different areas of learning

• Consider important religious and human questions

• Engage respectfully with other religions and worldviews

• Reflect upon how faith can shape choices and actions

You can read the full directory on the Catholic Education Service website.

The six curriculum branches

Learning is organised through six branches that follow the story of salvation and the liturgical life of the Church.

Creation and Covenant

Children learn about God as Creator, the dignity of every person, humanity’s relationship with God and our responsibility to care for creation.

Prophecy and Promise

Children explore the Old Testament prophets, God’s promises, the expectation of the Messiah and the events leading towards the birth of Jesus.

Galilee to Jerusalem

Children learn about the life, ministry, teaching, parables and miracles of Jesus and consider what it means to follow him.

Desert to Garden

Children follow the Church’s journey through Lent and Holy Week, exploring Jesus’ suffering, death and Resurrection and the hope offered through Easter.

To the Ends of the Earth

Children learn about the Ascension, Pentecost, the Holy Spirit and the mission of the Church to share the Good News.

Dialogue and Encounter

Children encounter other Christian traditions, religions and worldviews and develop the knowledge and respect needed to participate positively in a diverse society.

Each branch is revisited annually. The content becomes increasingly rich and challenging as children move through school, allowing them to build upon secure prior knowledge.

The knowledge lenses

Within each branch, children explore their learning through four interconnected knowledge lenses:

Hear

Children encounter Sacred Scripture and other important religious texts. They learn to listen carefully, recall key events and understand texts within their religious and historical contexts.

Believe

Children develop knowledge of what Catholics believe and how these beliefs are expressed through the teachings and traditions of the Church.

Celebrate

Children learn how faith is celebrated through prayer, liturgy, the sacraments and the Church’s liturgical year.

Live

Children consider how Catholic belief influences choices, relationships and action, including service, justice, dignity, peace and care for creation.

Together, these lenses help children recognise that Catholic faith is heard in Scripture, understood through belief, celebrated in worship and lived through action.

Ways of knowing

The RED develops three interconnected ways of knowing:

Understand

Children gain secure knowledge and understanding of religious content. They learn important vocabulary, concepts, stories, beliefs, practices and traditions.

Discern

Children think deeply about what they have learned. They interpret texts and ideas, make connections, consider different perspectives and explore the meaning and significance of religious belief.

Respond

Children communicate their learning and reflect upon the questions and challenges it presents. Responses may be written, spoken, creative or reflective and will always be appropriate to the child’s age and stage of development.

Children are not assessed on their personal faith or the beliefs they hold. Assessment focuses on the knowledge, understanding and disciplinary thinking demonstrated through their RE learning.

RE in our mixed-age classes

Our mixed-age structure is a strength of St Mary’s, but it also requires careful curriculum planning.

Teachers use the RED’s age-related expectations to ensure that children receive teaching appropriate to their year group. Shared Scripture, themes or experiences may provide a meaningful starting point, but tasks, vocabulary, questioning and expected outcomes are adapted so that learning remains ambitious and progressive for every child.

Where appropriate, children may be taught in smaller year-group or phase groups to ensure that important concepts and curriculum expectations are addressed with sufficient depth.

Teachers revisit previous learning, explicitly teach key vocabulary and make clear connections between branches so that children build a coherent body of religious knowledge over time.

Time for Religious Education

As required within Catholic schools, approximately 10% of curriculum teaching time is dedicated to Religious Education.

This is separate from the time given to collective worship, prayer, liturgy, Mass and the wider Catholic life and mission of the school.

RE is taught regularly so that children can build knowledge securely and engage with ideas in appropriate depth.

Teaching and learning

RE lessons may include:

• Reading and exploring Scripture

• Studying religious artwork, music and symbolism

• Using artefacts and other sources

• Learning and applying theological vocabulary

• Discussion and carefully structured questioning

• Written explanations

• Comparing ideas, beliefs and practices

• Drama, art and creative responses

• Making connections with Catholic Social Teaching

• Exploring how belief influences people’s lives

• Personal reflection

Children are encouraged to speak thoughtfully, support their ideas with evidence and listen respectfully to the contributions of others.

Assessment

Assessment is an integral part of RE teaching.

Teachers assess children’s knowledge and understanding through their spoken contributions, written work, use of vocabulary and ability to make connections and explain ideas.

Assessment helps teachers to:

• Identify what children know and remember

• Recognise misconceptions or gaps

• Adapt future teaching

• Provide appropriate support and challenge

• Evaluate progression through the curriculum

• Report clearly to parents and carers

Children’s work is considered against the age-related expectations within the RED. Assessment does not judge a child’s personal faith, religious practice or willingness to participate in worship.

Inclusion and SEND

Religious Education is ambitious and accessible for every child.

Teachers use adaptive teaching to remove barriers while preserving the essential knowledge and meaning of the curriculum. Support may include:

• Pre-teaching important vocabulary

• Visual prompts and symbols

• Carefully selected Scripture extracts

• Practical resources and artefacts

• Structured discussion

• Additional modelling

• Sentence stems and writing scaffolds

• Opportunities to respond orally, practically or creatively

• Revisiting and overlearning key concepts

Children with SEND are supported to participate fully and demonstrate what they know in ways suited to their individual strengths and needs.

Other religions and worldviews

The RED is rooted in the teaching of the Catholic Church while also providing structured opportunities for children to learn about other Christian denominations, religions and worldviews.

Through the Dialogue and Encounter branch and wider curriculum opportunities, children develop accurate knowledge, respectful curiosity and an understanding of the religious and cultural diversity of modern Britain and the wider world.

Teaching about other faiths is approached sensitively and authentically. Similarities and differences are explored without presenting different traditions as though they are all the same.

Supporting RE at home

Parents and carers can support children’s RE learning by:

• Talking about what they have learned

• Reading Bible stories together

• Discussing the meaning of religious vocabulary

• Visiting churches, museums and places of worship

• Noticing religious art, symbols and architecture

• Talking about celebrations within the Church’s year

• Discussing examples of justice, service and care for others

• Encouraging children to ask questions

• Sharing family traditions and experiences

• Using materials and vocabulary shared by school

Families of all faiths and none are encouraged to discuss learning openly and respectfully. Children benefit greatly when they can share questions, ideas and experiences between home and school.

Our curriculum documents

The following documents will be available on this page as the new curriculum is introduced:

• St Mary’s RE Curriculum Overview

• RED Branch Overview

• RE Progression Document

• Age-Related Expectations

• Religious Education Policy

• Guidance for Supporting RE at Home

• Catholic Education Service Religious Education Directory

These documents will be reviewed as staff implement the RED and evaluate how effectively it meets the needs of our children and mixed-age classes.