Religious Education
As a Church of England School, this is a core subject. We follow the Southwark Diocese Board of Education Units of Work. These include 2/3 of units focused on Christianity and 1/3 on other major World Religions.
We aim to help children to understand what it means to be committed to a religion and in particular what it means to be a Christian. We expect them to be able to discuss issues of faith and to show respect for the beliefs of others. Collective worship is a high priority. It is the means by which we offer the life of the school and individuals to God, as well as explore the meaning of faith in ways which children can grasp.
Parents and carers can withdraw their child from any/all RE lessons. Please speak to the class teacher about this in the first instance.
In February 2023 the school were again awarded the Gold Religious Education Quality Mark and in June 2019 Religious Education at St Mary’s was rated as Excellent as part of our SIAMS inspection.
Click below to learn about our Religious Education Curriculum Intent, Implementation and Impact:
Intent
At St Mary’s, Religious Education reflects our Christian vision and the Church of England’s aim to be deeply Christian while serving the common good. RE is designed to develop pupils’ religious and theological literacy through the three Golden Threads: believing, thinking, and living. Pupils gain a secure understanding of Christianity and the Anglican tradition, alongside meaningful learning about other world religions and non-religious views. The curriculum is inclusive by design. It ensures that all pupils, regardless of starting point, are supported to explore big questions of faith, meaning, and purpose, reflect on their own values, and develop respect, empathy and understanding for others.
Implementation
At St Mary’s, we follow the Southwark Diocesan Religious Education syllabus which is supported by high-quality resources including Understanding Christianity, diocesan planning and Walk Through the Bible. Over time, learning builds progressively and has a focus on securing knowledge through regular review of prior learning. Across the curriculum, a clear balance of two-thirds Christianity and one-third other religions is maintained.
Within lessons, learning is structured around the Golden Threads, using retrieval practice, explicit vocabulary teaching, high-quality talk, reflection and opportunities for deeper thinking. Teaching is adapted to meet the needs of all pupils so that they are all challenged. Beyond the classroom, enrichment through visits to places of worship and strong links with St Mary’s Church ensure learning is grounded in real-life faith and community experiences.
Impact
Over time, pupils make clear progress in their understanding of belief, meaning, and the impact of faith on people’s lives. Within lessons, they are able to agree and disagree respectfully, listen carefully to others, and express their own views with confidence and sensitivity. Pupils thoughtfully ponder theological and philosophical questions and can explain how beliefs influence the way people live and engage with the world around them.
Assessment and monitoring show secure progression across the Golden Threads, with disadvantaged pupils achieving well and higher attainers demonstrating depth of understanding. As a result, pupils develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for the next stage of education and life in a diverse society.
Visit to Lewisham Mandir
Year 4 visited the Mandir in Lewisham and learned so much about Hinduism.
The Beatitudes
Year 5 have been learning about The Beatitudes and how Christians apply the principles and teachings in their daily life. We discussed the meaning behind each Beatitude and how it might look like in our daily interactions with our friends, family members and others in the wider community. Can you guess which Beatitude each frieze represents?
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
Blessed are those who suffer persecution for righteousness' sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Easter - Holy Week Dance Workshops
Year 4 and Year 6 took part in a very special series of Dance workshops. Led by 2 professional dancers, they reflected on the events of Holy Week and explored their responses through creative dance. Year 4 focused on the Last Supper whilst Year 6 developed the themes of Crucifixion and Resurrection.
Walking Through The Bible
Year 6 have deepened their understanding of the Christian Faith through weekly sessions focused on the Old Testament of the Bible. Each week, they have explored the key themes with a visiting teacher, supported by some lovely resources. The children's increased knowledge and deeper reflection has supported their strong learning in both strands of RE - AT1 (learning about religion) and AT2 (learning from religion).
Diwali
Mrs Chetri led a lovely whole school celebration of the Hindu festival of Diwali. We lit the oil lamp (diya or diva) to bring positivity, prosperity and success in our life. It also symbolizes the victory of good over evil and we explored this theme as we learned the story of Rama and Sita and why this is important for Hindus. Finally, we learned some of the colourful ways that Hindus celebrate Diwali.
Year 1 learn about baptism at St Mary's Church
Father Max welcomed Year 1 to St Mary's as the children learned about the Christian beliefs and practices associated with Baptism.
Greenwich Islamic Centre
Year 1 and 2 visited the Greenwich Islamic Centre to learn about Islam.
Jaina :Muslims pray five times a day and when they pray, they face towards Mecca.”
Khaeleam : ” Men pray in one room and women pray in different room.”
Sariyah : ” Women cover their heads to show respect.”
Baking Unleavened Bread
The children in Reception class listened to the story of the last supper and made the unleavened bread after. They used milk, flour and a little honey to make the bread which they then enjoyed together thinking about the story of how Jesus shared the bread among his disciples.
Visit to the Hindu Temple
Year 3 and 4 went on a trip to the Hindu Temple in Lewisham. They learned about Hindu religious concepts, traditions and culture.
Visit to the Synagogue
Year 3 and 4 visited the Jewish Synagogue to deepen our understanding of the roots of Judaism and to find out more about how Jewish people worship. It was fascinating to hear about some of the similarities and differences between the Christian and Jewish Faith. We learned that men and women sit in different places during worship and that it is only the men that have to pray three times a day. We were shown the Torah and found out about how it is beautifully handwritten in Hebrew. We then shared some reflections of how the Jewish people were persecuted during the Holocaust and shared some refreshments together.
It was great to put all of our previous learning about Judaism into perspective and link our current learning about persecution in Christianity to the more recent victims of religious persecution.
The Christian Message
Year 3 and 4 went to St Mary’s Church to find out how the Christian message has survived for over 2000 years.
We learned about the history of Jesus by looking at the stained glass windows. Father Steffan what the Pentecost was and told us that it happened after Jesus’ ascension. We thought about what qualities the apostles needed in order to go out and spread God’s word and reflected on the Fruit of the Spirit.
Father Steffan then gave us some of the history of the church and showed us how the message is still spread today, using bible readings and sermons (teaching) and pictures. We also learned that when a bishop confirms someone, Christians believe that the Bishop passes the Holy Spirit on and then tells them to, ‘Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.’
Prayer Mats
As part of their home learning about Islam in Religious Education, Year 1 used digital software in Purple Mash to design these beautiful Prayer Mats.
