“Religious education in Catholic schools refers to the integral education of the pupils, both through the religious dimension of the school as a whole and through the specific programme of religious studies which it provides.” (Pope John Paul II, 1992)

At St Benedict’s RE is at the heart of life of the school, underpinning its philosophy and its mission. As a curriculum subject it is central to the education of every pupil and will be studied from Year 7 – 13 as the subject that is regarded as the core of the core curriculum.

What Will You Do - KS3?

Year 7:

  • St Benedict
  • Who is Jesus
  • The Mass
  • Judaism

Year 8:

  • Creation
  • Covenant
  • Sacraments

Year 9:

  • World Religions
  • Vocation
  • Begin Eduqas GCSE Route B Paper 3 – Judaism

What Will You Do - KS4?

All students will work towards an examination qualification in Religious Studies.

Year 10 and 11 – Eduqas Religious Studies Route B

Paper 1 – Foundational Catholic Theology

  • Origins and Meaning
  • Good and Evil

Paper 2 – Applied Catholic Theology

  • Life and Death
  • Sin and Forgiveness

Paper 3 – Judaism

The RE course is assessed by three exams at the end of Year 11. Paper 1 and Paper 2 are 1 hour 30 minutes long and Paper 3 is 1 hour long.

Homework

Homework assignments will vary from tasks to be completed for the next lesson to lengthier assignments where work will be undertaken over a longer time scale. Test preparation and learning will also be required.

Celebrating our Faith

  • All RE lessons begin with prayer. There are regular form prayers during tutor time and a programme of chapel visits.
  • There is a weekly service every Friday, either Holy Mass or a Liturgy of the Word. In October and May there will be a focus on Marian devotion in honour of Our Lady.
  • There are opportunities for taking part in the Sacrament of Reconciliation during the year, particularly during Advent & Lent.
  • All students and staff are warmly invited to attend chapel at any time.
  • The RE department works closely with the new Youth Minister in celebrating our faith throughout the school, with our families, the local Parishes and within the wider community.

Parental Support

The importance of support from parents cannot be overestimated particularly in the faith development of each child as well as in their learning in Religious Education. Pupils should see what is being taught in the classroom being lived out in their own journey of faith both at school and in the home. We ask parents to help in the following ways:

  • To be aware of homework tasks noted in your child’s diary and to discuss these where possible
  • To encourage high standards in work completed at home
  • To help with organisation and meeting of deadlines

Extra-Curricular Opportunities

  • 4 days residential at the Diocesan Youth Centre, Alton Castle, Staffordshire in the autumn term in Year 8.
  • Involvement in various charitable/fund raising events http://healthsavy.com/product/kamagra/ throughout Years 7-13.
  • 4 days residential at Soli House Diocesan Youth Centre, now housed in the village of Alton (their new premises opening in Summer 2014.)
  • Opportunity to serve in Music Ministry for the celebration of whole school Masses.
  • Opportunity to serve in the Eucharistic Ministry in Year 11 and assisting with chaplaincy.
  • Spirituality Groups Years 7-9 and their outreach to the faith life of the school
  • Sixth Form Prayer Group • Lourdes Pilgrimage each Spring

What Will You Do - KS5?

Religious Education is studied as a core subject in the sixth form and takes place for one hour every week. The course is taught in separate study groups but has also been team-taught in whole year groups on occasions and for the benefit of outside speakers which are warmly welcomed as part of the wider Sixth Form RE curriculum.

A selection of some of the outside speakers we have welcomed to St Benedict’s over the last two years have been:

  • A Development worker from Zimbabwe & the Youth Activism Assistant from Progressio, London – to speak to the group about the impact of climate change on developing countries.
  • Sr. Anna O’Connor – from the Chaplaincy Team at Birmingham University
  • Ms Jane Lavery from CAFOD, to talk about CAFOD’s Hungry for Change campaign and her work in China.
  • Members of the CAFOD team also worked with yr12s to explore Catholic Social Teaching and its implications in our global society.
  • The LIFE team to explore sexuality and relationships
  • Emily Sara on her recent voluntary work in Palestine along with Friends of the Holy Land, who spoke to Year 12 about their charity work with the Christian community in the Holy Land.
  • Fr.Eddie Claire from Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Redditch, who delivered a short course on the dignity of the human person, based on scripture and Church encyclicals.
  • Sr Anna O’Connor, previously from the Chaplaincy Team at Birmingham University, speaking about University Multi-Faith Chaplaincies and what they offer the 21st century student.
  • A ‘Grill Bill’ session with the Sixth Form chaplain, Fr. Bill Wilton
  • This year two of our Year 13 students also had the opportunity to meet and interview the brother of Archbishop Oscar Romero, Gasper Romero, while he was on a visit to this country.

Alongside of the invaluable and varied input from our outside speakers, the two Sixth Form year groups follow the CAFOD produced post-16 resources, including courses on

  • Peace, Conflict & Community Cohesion
  • Stewardship, Creation & the Environment

The course also includes exploration of Catholic Social Teaching, some early Greek Philosophy, Religion & the Media, An introduction to World Religions and Christ in other Faiths, and this year we will be introducing a course in Feminist Theology. Since September 2013 we have also had the invaluable help and support of Naomi Ceairns as our Youth Minister for the school.

For further information contact Mrs G O’Gara, Head of the English Department