Religious Education and RHE
"Preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season." 2 Timothy 4:2
Religious Education is taught in accordance with the rites, practices and teachings of the Catholic Church. As an aided school these teachings are found in all areas of the curriculum and every subject is used to proclaim the message of love and salvation through Jesus Christ. The whole aim of the school is to nurture the spiritual growth of your child in their relationship with God the Father. Each child is asked to reflect on not only their own growth but also that of the Church and its members. Each pupil is encouraged to find their place within the Christian community and consider the ways in which they reflect the teachings of Christ.
Parents may request that their child be withdrawn from specific religious education lessons. However, the evangelical role of the school in the community insists on a constant and sure missioning of each child to know God as Father, Jesus as his Son and the Spirit as the comforter and giver of life. This message is heard in every aspect and subject of the school. Therefore, it will not be possible to withdraw your child from the teachings of the Catholic Church as they are inherent in every aspect of the school. A full policy on Religious, Moral and Spiritual Education exists within school and parents are invited to request a copy.
The Religious Education Scheme used in Holy Trinity is the Archdiocesan ‘Learning and Growing as the People of God’. This contains units of work taught in each year group and contains the common strands of scripture, the sacraments, life in Christ and prayer. Children are taught in an age appropriate manner and are helped to understand in depth the teachings of Jesus and the Church.
Additionally, each year group is required to undertake multi faith learning. The KS1 children are taught about festivals and celebrations across a number of faiths. Within KS2 children learn about Judaism, Islam, Sikhism and Hinduism.
Relationships and Health Education within Holy Trinity School is based on the teachings of the Catholic Church. As a child progresses through school a firm and sure basis of family and health education reflects their stage of development. The school recognises all parents as the primary educators of their children and seeks to support them in their role in this area. Relationships within the family are explored as are the changes, both physically and emotionally, which the children will experience themselves.
Holy Trinity uses the scheme ‘Life to the Full’ as the basis for this work and many aspects are dealt with sensitively in Religion, PSHE and Science lessons. Parents are informed fully of the appropriate programme of work before their child embarks upon it. The school fully recognises that our children develop in varying ways and at different rates and that parents are best placed to decide each child’s readiness for such work. At this point, you may withdraw your child from the work covered and the school respects and supports this decision.
The people responsible for the development of this area are the Acting Head Teacher Mrs. Lester and the RE Coordinator Miss Beards.