Religious Education at Our Lady & St Kenelm's 

Religious Education Directory- To Know You More Clearly

The Religious Education Directory (RED), To Know You More Clearly, introduced by the Catholic Education Service (2023) has replaced the long-standing Come and See programme across Catholic schools, ensuring that Religious Education remains the central focus of education and reflects the Church’s vision for a renewed, rigorous and engaging curriculum.

The new RED consists of six branches taught half-termly: 

• Creation and Covenant 
• Prophecy and Promise
• Galilee to Jerusalem
• Desert to Garden
• To the Ends of the Earth
• Dialogue and Encounter

Within each branch are the four knowledge lenses, taken directly from the four parts of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Hear, Believe, Celebrate and Live. Each lens reflects the language of the Catechism itself, which states that the mystery of faith which we hear and receive requires us to ‘believe in it’, to ‘celebrate it’ and to ‘live from it’. All our lessons begin with 'Hear', where our children listen to the Word of God, directly from the Bible. 

In order to assess the children’s learning in R.E, the RED provides ‘The Ways of Knowing’, a set of skills that children will develop: Understand, Discern and Respond. The Ways of Knowing and the Knowledge Lenses help provide the expected outcomes for each branch that teachers use to assess what children have learnt and acknowledge areas for development.

RE Intent

Religious Education underpins the whole of Our Lady & St Kenelm bespoke curriculum. We ensure our pupils understand how R.E. is the core of all subjects and know God's providence across each and every one. As a school, our vision is to develop the pupil’s knowledge and understanding of religion, religious beliefs, practices, language and traditions and their influence on individuals, communities, societies and cultures. Our curriculum enables all pupils to be religiously literate and engaged young people; they use their knowledge, understanding and skills effectively, to reflect spiritually, and to think ethically and theologically. Our pupils are encouraged to ask questions and to consider different views as they develop in their own understanding. 

Religious Education at OLSK invites awe and wonder at the character and nature of God. The lessons are engaging and creative, helping both pupils and teachers to develop spiritually. As a school, we believe the moral development of our children is moulded by their learning within R.E. and has a direct impact on how they view themselves and their role in society. This is then lived out within our school family, our local community and across the wider world through prayer and fundraising. 

Throughout our school, R.E is taught through the ‘Religious Education Directory’ (To know you more clearly) which has been written by the Archdiocese. There is a clear and coherent progression which builds year upon year as they follow the 'branches'. This promotes children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and prepares all pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of the present and the future. As well as this, promoting the Gospel Value of the Church including: Compassion, Trust, Care, Respect, Tolerance and Forgiveness also underpins everything we do and forms the ethos of the school.