Our RE curriculum underpins all aspects of life at our school and is a fundamental part of everything we do. Along with liturgy and prayer, the RE curriculum is the foundation on which the school’s spiritual and moral growth is built.  All those who learn and work at OLSK are valued and the teaching of our faith reflects this. We also see our faith as the building blocks of our home/school links. 

At OLSK, home, school and parish are linked through our Masses and charitable works. As part of the expectations for Sacramental Preparation and as practicing Catholics, children are expected to regularly attend weekend Mass, either are OLSK church or in their own parishes. Father Stefan will be distributing attendance cards at the Sacramental Parents Meeting and children will need to get these signed every week to show their commitment to their Sacramental journey.

What will the children learn about in Year 3?  

As a school, we follow the Archdiocese of Birmingham’s Curriculum Strategy for Religious Education in Catholic Schools called “Learning and Growing as People of God” and RE is allocated 10% of curriculum time in line with the expectations of the Archdiocese. The strategy is spilt into units which are covered throughout the year. In Year 3 we use two exercise books, one for Sacramental Preparation and the other which focuses on other areas of the RE curriculum.

UNIT A - BELONGING, WE GATHER AS GOD’S FAMILY

This unit involves the children exploring the different groups to which they belong. Through the theme of belonging they will study the Sacrament of Baptism as a Sacrament of Belonging to the Church. They will also learn how Catholics celebrate their belonging to the Family of God through the Celebration of Mass.

UNIT B - RECONCILIATION

This unit involves the children exploring human choices, the consequences of sin, Christ’s teaching on forgiveness and the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

UNIT C - ADVENT

This unit involves children looking at Bible stories of the Annunciation and Visitation. They will explain how Mary and Elizabeth prepared to welcome and recognise Jesus Christ. They will develop their understanding of Advent as a time to prepare for Christmas and reflection on Christ being in the world.

UNIT D - CHRISTMAS

In this unit the story of the shepherds provides a focus for children to reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ and who he is.
 

UNIT E - WE LISTEN TO GOD’S WORD AT MASS

This unit involves the children in thinking about listening and finding out about the Liturgy of the Word at Mass. Through this topic they will explore the value and the importance of listening to the Word of God in the Scriptures.
 

UNIT F - LENT

The unit is designed to help the children appreciate that during Lent Christians resolve to change and try to become more like Christ. The children will be introduced to new Gospel stories about Jesus bringing change into the lives of people he encountered.
 

UNIT G - PRAYER

This unit involves the children learning something about the prayer life of Jesus. They will examine and reflect on some of the ways in which Catholics pray and the signs and symbols associated with prayer.
 

UNIT H - HOLY WEEK

The unit is designed to help deepen the children’s knowledge of some of the events of Holy Week and to deepen their understanding of the foundation of the Church’s celebration of the Mass.
 

UNIT I - EASTER

This unit explores the Story of Easter through the Story of Emmaus and the Story of Breakfast at the Shore. It is designed to help the children realise how the Apostles became aware of the presence of the Risen Christ in these events.
 

UNIT J - THE EUCHARIST IS A THANKSGIVING TO GOD

In this topic the children are provided with opportunities to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. They will think about why this is such an important celebration in the life and worship of Catholic Christians.
 

UNIT K - PENTECOST

In this unit children learn about the gift of the Holy Spirit and the change it brought to the lives of the Apostles. They will think about the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Sacraments the Church celebrates.

MULTICULTURAL WEEK - JUDAISM

Throughout this week the children will learn about the Jewish religion and how this is linked to Catholicism. They will learn some of the prayers that Jesus would have known and understand some of the special festivals and celebrations. They will take part in a trip to Singer’s Hill Synagogue in Birmingham to find out more about a Jewish place of worship.

During the year there will be opportunities for parents to come into school to take part in workshops with their children to understand more about what they have been learning about in RE. Details about these will be given nearer the time as well as dates for the Sacramental meetings for parents in church.