Religious Education at St. John Fisher

Religious Education at St John Fisher Catholic Primary School

Religious Education at St John Fisher Catholic Primary School

At St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, we provide our pupils with a rich, varied and balanced curriculum in a safe, caring and nurturing environment which is underpinned by our Mission Statement:

‘With God’s love, we are family, Caring, Learning and Growing together’

Our RE curriculum gives children the opportunity to develop spiritually, morally, socially and culturally and to celebrate and rejoice in their faith and experiences.

Every child is recognised as an individual with their own strengths, interests and talents. We celebrate and welcome uniqueness and diversity and show respect for ourselves and others.

Through our broad curriculum, we build character by creating opportunities for children to try new things, problem solve and develop resilience through varied, challenging learning opportunities where they can experience first-hand the joy of discovery. Children are encouraged to listen to others and to be critical, creative thinkers. We celebrate local traditions, learning and developing new skills to enable the children to take an active role in events throughout the year whilst developing a sense of belonging to their community. We develop a clear understanding of our environmental responsibility and the need to preserve the precious world we live in. Through our curriculum, we create a happy, enjoyable learning culture where children develop a love of learning, a thirst for knowledge and are equipped with the skills to become lifelong learners.

RE Curriculum - To know You more clearly (Reception to Y4)

Reception: God is Love

In Reception, children are introduced to the foundational belief that God loves each person and all of creation. Through stories, celebration and lived experience, pupils begin to understand God as Creator and loving Father.

·         Creation and Covenant: God made the world and God made me; introduction to God as Creator (Genesis 1).

·         Prophecy and Promise: The Annunciation and Nativity; learning about Mary, the shepherds and the crib.

·         Galilee to Jerusalem: Jesus welcomes and blesses children; Feeding of the Five Thousand; learning to love God and others.

·         Desert to Garden: Lent as a time to care for others; the Easter story.

·         To the Ends of the Earth: Ascension and Pentecost; early Christian community; parish church and friends of Jesus (St Peter and St Paul).

·         Dialogue and Encounter: Exploring how different faiths and cultures celebrate key festivals including Diwali, Hanukkah, Lunar New Year and Eid.

Children are introduced to simple prayers and symbols, including the Sign of the Cross, and begin to recognise church as a special place.

Year 1: Revelation - How do people know about God?

In Year 1, pupils explore how God reveals himself through creation, Scripture and Jesus. Learning focuses on understanding God as a loving Father and recognising how people come to know God through prayer, the Bible and the life of Jesus.

·         Creation and Covenant: God as Creator and Father; the Creation story; caring for God’s world as a response to God’s love.

·         Prophecy and Promise: The Christmas story; Mary as the mother of Jesus; Jesus as God made visible and the fulfilment of God’s promise.

·         Galilee to Jerusalem: Jesus’ life and mission; calling the disciples; Jesus’ love for all, especially children and those on the margins.

·         Desert to Garden: Lent and the Easter story; Jesus’ death and resurrection; understanding new life and hope.

·         To the Ends of the Earth: The Ascension and Pentecost; the Holy Spirit; the Church as a community of believers.

·         Dialogue and Encounter: Introduction to Judaism; learning about Jewish life, beliefs and practices.

Through this learning, pupils grow in understanding of who God is, how Christians come to know Him, and how faith is lived out through prayer, belonging and care for others.

Year 2: Baptism - Belonging to the Christian community

In Year 2, pupils explore how Baptism welcomes people into the Church and calls them to live a new life in Christ. Learning focuses on covenant, forgiveness and how faith shapes belonging and behaviour.

·         Creation and Covenant: God’s covenant with Noah; understanding right and wrong; recognising sin as turning away from God and

the call to forgiveness.

·         Prophecy and Promise: Advent and Christmas; the Annunciation and birth of John the Baptist and Jesus; God’s promises being fulfilled.

·         Galilee to Jerusalem: Jesus’ teaching through parables and miracles; learning how Jesus shows love, compassion and healing.

·         Desert to Garden: Lent and Holy Week; reconciliation and forgiveness; understanding God’s mercy.

·         To the Ends of the Earth: The Ascension and Pentecost; the Holy Spirit; how people are changed by God’s Spirit.

·         Dialogue and Encounter: Judaism; Shabbat, the synagogue and Sabbath; understanding Jewish belief and practice.

Through this learning, pupils deepen their understanding of Baptism, forgiveness and belonging, recognising how faith shapes life within the Church and the wider community.

Year 3: Celebrating the Eucharist

In Year 3, pupils explore the Eucharist as the central act of worship in the Catholic Church and a source of strength for Christian living. Learning focuses on understanding Mass, Jesus’ actions and words, and how worship shapes faith and mission.

·         Creation and Covenant: Re-visiting the Creation story; using symbolism to explore the relationship between God, humanity and the

world; understanding holy days.

·         Prophecy and Promise: The Nativity and Gospel of Matthew; Epiphany and the visit of the Magi.

·         Galilee to Jerusalem: Miracles and parables of Jesus; the miracle of the loaves and fishes; the Last Supper.

·         Desert to Garden: The Eucharist; extracts from the Eucharistic Prayer; the Road to Emmaus.

·         To the Ends of the Earth: Mission of the apostles; the early Church; the life and mission of St Paul, including the Road to Damascus and his letters.

·         Dialogue and Encounter: Jewish Passover; introduction to Islam and the Five Pillars of Islam.

Through this learning, pupils deepen their understanding of Mass, the Holy Trinity and the liturgical life of the Church, recognising how faith is

lived out through worship and mission.

Year 4: People whose lives have been transformed by faith and hope in God

In Year 4, pupils explore how faith and trust in God transform individuals and communities. Learning focuses on key figures from Scripture and Church tradition, helping pupils understand how belief leads to action, service and mission.

·         Creation and Covenant: God’s covenant with Abraham; faith, trust and obedience; how God’s promises shape people’s lives.

·         Prophecy and Promise: The role of prophets, including Elijah, Isaiah and John the Baptist; understanding prophecy and God’s promises

being fulfilled.

·         Galilee to Jerusalem: Jesus’ identity and mission; miracles and teachings that reveal Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God.

·         Desert to Garden: Lent and Holy Week; forgiveness, mercy and reconciliation; how God’s love brings transformation.

·         To the Ends of the Earth: The early Church; Peter’s leadership; the Apostles’ Creed; belonging to the Church as one, holy, catholic and apostolic.

·         Dialogue and Encounter: St Paul’s conversion and mission; worship, liturgy and service; living faith through action.

Through this learning, pupils develop a deeper understanding of how faith shapes identity and guides Christian living, preparing them for further theological study in Upper Key Stage 2.

Come and See Year 5 and Year 6 only

To fulfil our aims and objectives for Religious Education, St John Fisher will follow the Come and See programme of Religious Education in year 5 and year 6 only. This is recommended by the Archdiocese of Liverpool as our scheme of work. 

Come and See is an invitation to exploration and promise of life for everyone. Come and See offers the opportunity to search, to explore, to discover, and to respond; this is part of what it is to be human. 

Come and see aims to raise questions and provide materials for children to reflect on their own experience. For all children, the programme will raise questions of meaning and purpose and enable children to think critically, providing materials for reflecting on their own experience. 

It will help them to explore the beliefs and values and the way of life of the Catholic traditions, and of other faith traditions, developing good attitudes and dispositions so that children are instilled with a 'love learning' and a desire to go on learning. 

Children will be offered a sense of self-worth through experience of belonging to the caring community of St John Fisher Catholic Primary School.