The Religious Education Programme
At Carleton House Preparatory School, we are committed to providing a rich and meaningful Religious Education that nurtures our pupils' faith, understanding, and spiritual development. We follow the new Religious Education Directory and its programme, "To Know You More Clearly", which is being introduced across EYFS, Key Stage 1, and Lower Key Stage 2 from 2023-2025.
This innovative programme deepens pupils' spiritual journey by fostering a greater understanding of Catholic teachings and values. It goes beyond traditional learning, encouraging children to explore their faith through curiosity, reflection, and discussion. Through engaging lessons, interactive activities, and meaningful scripture-based study, pupils are encouraged to develop a personal connection to their faith and a deeper appreciation of Catholic traditions.
Scripture is at the heart of the curriculum, shaping pupils' knowledge, understanding, and compassion while inspiring a sense of awe and wonder.
To know you more clearly
We are embarking on a journey to embrace the new Religious Education Directory, with its innovative and enriching program, To Know You More Clearly. This program will be rolled out across the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), Key Stage 1 (KS1), and Key Stage 2 (KS2) from 2023 to 2025, aiming to deepen our pupils' spiritual journeys and foster a profound understanding of Catholic teachings and values.
To Know You More Clearly encourages pupils to explore their faith through curiosity and introspection, going beyond the traditional curriculum. The program features engaging lessons, thoughtful reflections, and interactive activities that create a dynamic learning environment. It helps pupils connect with their spirituality on a personal level, building a genuine and enduring relationship with God and contributing to their overall spiritual development.
Scripture forms the foundation of each area of study, and the program will promote the development of knowledge, understanding, skills, compassion, and a sense of awe and wonder across the curriculum.
The Ways of Knowing
The Ways of Knowing describe the skills pupils develop as they progress through the Religious Education curriculum. These are:
- Understand
This aims to help pupils understand deeply the meaning of sacred texts, religious beliefs, sacred rites, and the lives of individuals and communities shaped by these texts, beliefs, and rites. - Discern
This helps pupils judge wisely in response to different interpretations of the meaning, significance, and implications of texts, beliefs, rites, and ways of life. It enables them to arrive at justified conclusions about what is true, good, and beautiful. - Respond
This encourages pupils to reflect personally and with integrity on what they have learned and consider the implications of this knowledge for their own lives and the world around them.
Knowledge Lenses
The Knowledge Lenses outline what should be known by the end of each age phase. These lenses represent the perspectives through which we explore our faith:
- Hear
This lens focuses on the human capacity for God, Divine Revelation, and its transmission. It explores Sacred Scripture and how we respond to God’s invitation. Hear emphasizes the Word of God, which we listen to. - Believe
This lens deals with the contents of the Creed and focuses on the Church’s profession of faith. Pupils will explore doctrines such as the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Holy Spirit, the communion of saints, and the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary. - Celebrate
This lens explores liturgy and prayer, particularly how the Church celebrates the Paschal Mystery of Christ. It focuses on sacraments of initiation (such as the Eucharist), sacraments of healing, and sacraments of service, along with other liturgies and sacramentals. - Live
This lens delves into Catholic social teaching and explores how Christ’s disciples are called to live in the world. It emphasizes the dignity of the human person, freedom, conscience, virtue, law, grace, and sin. - Dialogue
This lens explores the relationship between Catholicism and other Christian traditions, as well as Catholicism’s relationship with other religions and worldviews. It highlights the importance of living faithfully in a world that embraces differences. - Encounter
This lens encourages pupils to engage in a study of other faiths, religions, and worldviews. It focuses on loving our neighbours, respecting other cultures, and learning how to live peacefully with differences.
At Carleton House, we are excited to embark on this transformative journey with our students, helping them grow in their understanding of faith and spirituality, while fostering a deep sense of connection with God and others.
Religious Education in Years 4-6
For our older pupils, we follow the ‘Come and See’ programme, as prescribed by the Archdiocese of Liverpool. This programme encourages children to explore fundamental questions about life, dignity, and purpose within the Catholic tradition, linking their learning to personal experiences, the wider world, and other faith traditions.
The ‘Come and See’ programme provides opportunities for reflection, discussion, and spiritual growth. It allows all children, regardless of their background, to explore and engage with Catholic beliefs and values. For those from Catholic families, it deepens and enriches their understanding and practice of faith. For others, it offers a welcoming introduction to Christian teachings in a supportive and inclusive environment.
At Carleton House, our Religious Education curriculum ensures that every child develops a strong moral foundation, a sense of belonging, and a lifelong appreciation of faith, kindness, and community.
