Religious Education

Religious Education is a core subject at St. Edmund's. Through Religious Education lessons, we encourage the children to learn about religion, from religion and also to analyse and evaluate, expressing how values and beliefs influence our everyday lives.

As in all schools, parents have the right to withdraw their children from all or part of Religious Education.  If you wish to do this, please contact the office in the first instance.  

The schools of the Diocese of Portsmouth follow a strategy called ‘God Matters’ from Nursery to Year 6. This approach aims to promote:

• Knowledge and understanding of Catholic faith and life;
• Knowledge and understanding of the response of faith to the ultimate questions about human life, its origin and purpose;
• The skills required to engage in examination of and reflection upon religious belief and practice.

As children progress through the school, they revisit the key themes in an increasingly sophisticated way. For each theme, they are supported to engage with the key ideas, explore them, carefully considering the ‘what and the why’, and to express their ideas and understanding in a wide variety of ways.

Adaptations are made to the curriculum so that it is accessible to and challenging for all and so that no child is disadvantaged by Special Educational Needs or Disability.

We teach about other religions as part of the Religious Education curriculum and children particularly learn about Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Sikhism. We also offer opportunities for pupils at St. Edmund’s and members of our local community who are practising members of other faiths to share information about their culture and traditions. Whilst we do not compare religions, this enables us to make links and reflect on what unites us as people of faith.

The document below outlines the structure of the year:

st edmunds god matters unit planner 2024.pdf

You can read about the expectations for each year group here. 

Mrs Fiona Semple is the Subject Lead for Religious Education.  If you require more information about how the subject is taught, please contact her via the school office.