The Aim of Religious Education

The aim of Religious Education at St Saviour's Catholic Infant school is to provide a programme which takes into account the religious and educational needs of all our children;

those from supportive Catholic homes
those for whom the school may be their first and perhaps their only experience of church
those from other Christian traditions
those from other faith backgrounds

Religious Education is a collaborative activity, which respects and promotes the child’s inate capacity for wonder, awe, reverence and imagination; for the Spiritual.

Objectives

To provide each child with the language of religious experience, including religious activities, places, stories, symbols and rituals, people and objects.
To provide opportunities for celebration, prayers and reflection.
To present a systematic presentation of the Christian event, message and way of life, in ways appropriate to the age and stage of each child.
To explore appropriate materials about other faiths.
To support the work of sacramental catechesis
To offer Staff the opportunity to develop their own understanding of theology.

The Religious Education Programme

To fulfill our aims and objectives we use the national 'Here I Am' programme of RE. The aim of this programme is to explore the religious dimension of questions about life, dignity and purpose within the Catholic tradition. Links are made with the children’s own experiences and with universal experience. Links are also made with the experience of other faith traditions.

For all children the programme will raise questions and provide material for reflecting on their own experiences. It will help them to explore the belief, values and way of life of the Catholic tradition and, where appropriate, other faith traditions.

For those from committed families, it will deepen and enrich their understanding and living of their faith.

The Sacramental Journey

The children's sacramental journey begins in Foundation Stage and continues throughout the school. They receive the sacraments of Forgiveness and Holy Communion in Year 3 with the support and guidance of all the community; parents, parish and school.

Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (P.S.H.C.E.)

The nature of education in sexuality recognises that human sexuality is a gift from God. It is about learning to accept one's sexuality and recognise its expression as part of one's personality and relationship with others. It is concerned with the spiritual and moral, physical and social development of each unique individual, permeating throughout the curriculum as it is part of daily Christian life.

We begin with the person of the child, his/her nearest interest and experience. We will help him/her develop and grow in him/herself, and in his/her relationships and with the wider community.

The topics in "Here I Am" give us a good focus in their Termly themes:

Family, Belonging, Loving.
Giving, Relating, Community.
Serving and Inter-relating.

SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning)

This scheme enables the children to develop skills for life;

Self-awareness
Managing feelings
Motivation
Empathy
Social skills

Because of day to day contact with children, schools are particularly well placed to observe outward signs of abuse, changes in behaviour, or failure to develop. Parents should be aware, therefore, that where it appears to a member of staff that a child may have been abused, the school is required, as part of the Cheshire Child Protection procedures, to report their concerns to the Social Services Department.