Click on the sections below to explore and learn more about the RE curriculum at St Ethelbert’s.
The children of St. Ethelbert’s are welcomed into a safe, secure environment; every pupil is known as an individual and has a strong sense of belonging to our special community. We recognise that our children come from a range of backgrounds and abilities and that our teaching of Religious Education will reflect this. Every child is encouraged to aim high and to become the person God wants each of them to be. The school strives to nurture their faith, whatever that faith may be, and to help them to have a strong sense of self-worth and well-being, knowing that they are loved by God. Our pupils have a strong awareness of faith, morality and responsibility due to the school’s authentically Catholic ethos.
“At the heart of Catholic education lies the Christian vision of the human person. This vision is expressed and explored in Religious Education.” (Religious Education in Schools: Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales, 2000)
Our aim is to encourage curiosity, a love of learning and a deep understanding of the teachings of Jesus, which our pupils bear witness to through their relationships, behaviour and their care for those in need. Achievement, at all levels, is celebrated and valued. We aim for our children to have a life-long commitment to their faith; we want them to know of God’s love and compassion for everyone and to work towards living by His teachings. We believe that this can be achieved through an engaging Religious Education curriculum, which stimulates imagination and deep thinking; a curriculum which promotes an authentic vision of Catholic Social Teaching and which raises awareness of the faith and traditions of other religious communities.
Through our Catholic ethos and Religious Education provision, we aim to actively implement our school’s mission statement, establishing a solid foundation of beliefs and values for all our children, so that the Gospel of our Blessed Lord is truly alive within our school.
Our Subject Leaders for Religious Education are Mrs Messham & Mr. Walsh.
From September 2025, pupils in EYFS & KS1 will follow the new ‘Lighting the Path‘ scheme for Religious Education.
As recommended by the Diocese, until the scheme for KS2 is published (due September 2026), pupils in Years 3 & 4 will follow the Y3 Salford Diocese materials, whilst Years 5 & 6 will follow the Y5 units.
Wherever possible, teachers are encouraged to use the ideas laid out in the schemes in a more creative and imaginative way. Teachers are also expected to use the RE curriculum as a vehicle to apply skills in extended writing.
In addition to the published schemes, our curriculum also reflects the liturgical year, with activities designed to develop their knowledge and understanding of:
- Advent
- Christmas
- Lent
- Easter
- Pentecost
- Various feast days and holy days
Our Religious Education curriculum is run alongside our Prayer and Worship provision.
Teachers will use the tasks from the new materials to assess pupils’ knowledge and understanding.
