Why is Religious Education important in Catholic Schools?

Religious Education is the "core of the core curriculum" in a Catholic school (Pope St John Paul II). Placing RE at the core of the curriculum in Catholic schools helps the school to fulfill its mission to educate the whole person in discerning the meaning of their existence, since "Religious Education is concerned not only with intellectual knowledge but also includes emotional and affective learning. It is in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of what it is to be human truly becomes clear. Without religious education, pupils would be deprived of an essential element of their formation and personal development, which helps them attain a vital harmony between faith and culture." (Religious Education Curriculum Directory p4). Furthermore, religiously literate children and young people are able to engage in a fully informed critique of all knowledge, "leading, for example, to an understanding of the relationship between science and religion or history, and between theology, sport and the human body." (Religious Education Curriculum Directory p4).

Who inspects Catholic schools?

All Catholic schools are subject to a diocesan inspection (which for maintained schools is also a section 48 inspection) at least every five years. These inspections will be carried out by diocesan inspectors appointed by the bishop in whose diocese the school is situated. (Education Act 2005).

All maintained Catholic schools are also subject to Ofsted inspections at the intervals prescribed by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector.

What do Catholic schools teach about creation and evolution?

Catholics teach that God is the creator of all things visible and invisible. By this we mean that everything that exists has its ultimate source and origin in God.

Catholic schools however are not “creationist”. A “creationist” is someone who believes that the theological truths expressed in the first books of Genesis are also literal scientific and historic descriptions of the beginnings of the world. Some creationists would also insist that the earth is only approximately 6000 years old. This is not the position of the Catholic Church which rejects the creationist interpretation of Genesis. That is, Catholic schools do not teach that God’s creation of the world implies anything about how this creation occurred. The Catholic Church is clear that evolution is currently the best explanation of the origin and diversity of life on earth and that the earth is as old as current scientific orthodoxy suggests (approximately 4.54 billion years old). The Church would say that the doctrine of creation expresses a theological truth – that all existence derives from and depends upon God, whilst evolution expresses scientific truths about the history of the physical universe.

For more information on Catholic Education see: https://www.catholiceducation.org.uk/resources/religious-education-guidance

Religious Education at Our Lady of the Rosary

The new Religious Education Directory (RED) ‘To know you more clearly’ was produced in June 2023 and all classes are accessing this new curriculum using the Day by Day scheme of work. It was published by St Mary’s University, Twickenham, and it encourages the children to experience God through scripture, to deepen their personal relationship with Jesus and to learn about and from people of other religions with our community.

For more information on the Day by Day scheme see: https://www.abdiocese.org.uk/news/day-by-day-launch

For more information on the Day by Day resources see: https://www.stmarys.ac.uk/education/catholic-diocese/teaching-learning-resources.aspx