Religious Education
Subject Leader: Mrs Jukes
Our Mission Statement affirms that the values expressed by Jesus in the Gospels are at the heart of our school community. We aim to offer every child a genuine experience of belonging to a Christian community, where faith is lived out both explicitly and implicitly.
Religious Education is taught in accordance to the doctrine of the Catholic Church, as required by the school’s Trustees. Teachers follow the Lighting the Path programme, which provides children with a solid understanding of the Catholic Faith whilst helping them to appreciate the relevance of religion in their own lives. Pupils are encouraged to respond thoughtfully to what they learn and to reflect on their personal growth as Christians, particularly in their relationships with others and with God.
Every day begins with Reflection Time in each class, ensuring that prayer and spirituality shape the rhythm of our learning. Whole school celebrations of the Word also play a vital role in the religious life of our school. During these gatherings, we pray together, sing hymns and reflect on aspects of our Faith in ways that connect meaningfully with our own experiences.
As a community, we regularly celebrate Mass – on certain feast days, at the beginning or end of the school year, and on Sundays throughout the year at Our Lady Help of Christians Parish Church in Folkestone. These celebrations strengthen our shaped identity and deepen our commitment to living out the Gospel Values.
Note: All parents have a legal right to withdraw their child from the daily assembly or from religious education. Any parent wishing to withdraw a child from either assembly or religious education should contact the Headteacher. Pupils who are withdrawn from assembly or religious education are provided with appropriate alternative activities.
R.E - Intent
Religious Education at Stella Maris is designed to help the children understand the place of God in the world, to know how they can respond to that understanding through religion, and to be able to use that knowledge and understanding in their daily lives so that they can all contribute to building God’s kingdom in their community.
Our RE curriculum reflects both our Ethical Values - Love, Trust, Respect, Care and Share - and our Learning Values - Challenge, Creativity, Independence, Interdependence, Thinking and Spirituality. We ensure that Spirituality in particular is at the root of our teaching - we want the children to ask deeper questions and look for meaning in the world around them, to value difference in others and not just tolerate them, to make good choices even when no one is watching and to know that their life matters.
Above all we want them to know that they are loved and to learn about ways in which they can respond to that love, supported by the teachings of the Church about social justice, care for creation, and faith and morals.
"The Child is the beauty of God present in the world." Saint Teresa of Calcutta
R.E - Implementation
Religious Education is taught according to the doctrine of the Catholic Church, as required by the school’s Trustees. Teachers use a scheme called Come and See and lessons focus on both providing the children with a knowledge of the Catholic Faith and leading them to an understanding of the significance of religion in their lives. They are encouraged to give a variety of responses to what they have learnt and to measure their own development as Christians by reflecting on their relationships with others and with God.
Closely linked to our teaching of RE is the way in which this is reflected in the Catholic life of the school. Every day starts with Reflection Time in each class, so that prayer and spirituality are at the heart of every days' learning. Assemblies are another important part of the religious life of our community. At assembly we pray together, sing hymns together and reflect on aspects of our Faith within the context of our own experiences.
We also regularly celebrate Mass together as a community – on certain feast days, at the beginning or end of the term, and on Sundays throughout the year at Our Lady Help of Christians Parish Church in Folkestone.
"For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord." Jeremiah 29:11
R.E - Impact
Our children do know that they are loved - there is evidence all around for this, in every aspect of the life of our school. They leave Stella Maris knowing that they have a purpose in the world and a responsibility towards one another. This is reflected in the positive impact they have through their responses to charitable work, their contributions to the liturgy of the school and the parish, and in the reflective work they produce in their RE books. RE is assessed at the school like any other subject, and there are high expectations for the quality of their written work. But it is also assessed through our mentoring system and in the application of our Behaviour Management Policy to track their growth in faith, morals and spirituality.
"Children are a gift from God." Psalms 127:3
R.E Progression of Skills