✝️ Religious Education at St. Mary’s

At St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Religious Education is at the very heart of our curriculum and our Catholic life. It is through RE that our children come to know and love Jesus Christ, deepen their understanding of the Catholic faith and discover how God calls each of us to live with love, hope and purpose. ❤️

Our Religious Education reflects our school mission:

🌱 “Our Community, Growing and Learning Together with Christ.”

As part of St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, within the Archdiocese of Birmingham, we are committed to providing an ambitious, faithful and engaging Catholic education in which every child is encouraged to flourish academically, spiritually and morally.

🌿 Discerning Disciples

From September 2026, Religious Education at St Mary’s is taught through Discerning Disciples, the Religious Education curriculum developed for Catholic primary schools across the Archdiocese of Birmingham.

Discerning Disciples is rooted in the Religious Education Directory (RED), To Know You More Clearly, providing a carefully sequenced journey of faith from Nursery through to Year 6. Learning builds upon what children have encountered before so that their knowledge and understanding of Scripture, Catholic teaching and the life of the Church grows progressively as they move through school.

Through the curriculum, we want our children not simply to learn about the Catholic faith, but to consider what that knowledge means for them and the way in which they choose to live.

🧠 KNOW • ❤️ DISCERN • 🙌 RESPOND

Every RE lesson contains three important elements:

🧠 KNOW – children encounter and remember important knowledge about Scripture, Jesus, God, the Church and the Catholic faith.

❤️ DISCERN – children think deeply, ask questions, make connections and consider what is true, good and beautiful.

🙌 RESPOND – children consider how their learning can shape their choices, actions and the way they live their lives.

These three elements are central to every lesson and allow children to move from secure knowledge towards meaningful reflection and thoughtful response.

Lessons are taught through the diocesan DISCERN model, which places purposeful dialogue, strong subject knowledge, carefully planned support, collaborative discussion, responsive assessment and independent thinking at the heart of high-quality RE teaching. This approach is designed so that all pupils, regardless of their starting point, can flourish as discerning disciples.

📖 Faith that is known, understood and lived

Throughout their time at St Mary’s, children encounter Sacred Scripture, explore the teachings and traditions of the Catholic Church, develop their religious vocabulary and literacy, and make meaningful connections between faith and life.

Children are encouraged to wonder, question and reflect, while developing the knowledge they need to make increasingly thoughtful judgements. The curriculum also provides meaningful opportunities to explore Catholic Social Teaching and consider how our faith calls us to uphold the dignity of every person, care for God’s creation and work for a fairer and more loving world. 🌍💚

From our youngest children onwards, pupils learn that they are created and loved by God, that every person has dignity and that this should be reflected in the kindness, care and respect we show to others. As children grow, the curriculum challenges them to explore these beliefs at greater depth and consider how their faith should influence their choices within school, their community and the wider world.

🙏 Prayer, Scripture and the life of the Church

Our RE curriculum helps children encounter the richness of the Catholic faith through Scripture, prayer, reflection, discussion, sacred art, liturgy and the teachings of the Church.

Children learn about prayer and the sacramental life of the Church, explore the liturgical year and are encouraged to recognise God's presence in their own lives and in the world around them. ✨

RE also works alongside the wider Catholic Life and Mission of St Mary’s, helping children understand that faith is something we do not simply learn about — it is something we are called to live.

🕊️ Forming Discerning Disciples

Ultimately, our ambition is that every child leaves St Mary’s as a discerning disciple: someone who has a secure knowledge of their faith, thinks deeply, asks thoughtful questions, treats others with dignity and compassion, and recognises their own responsibility to make a positive difference in the world.

We want our children to grow as Christ-centred young people with kind hearts, questioning minds, a thirst for knowledge and a hunger for justice. ✝️❤️🌍

🏡 Families and Faith

We recognise and value parents and carers as children's first and most important educators. We therefore encourage children to share their learning and faith at home and warmly invite our families to participate in the Catholic life of St Mary’s through Mass, prayer and liturgy, celebrations, workshops and special events throughout the school year.

By working together as home, school, parish and Trust, we can help every child grow in knowledge, faith and love — becoming confident young people who recognise God's call in their lives and are ready to respond to it. 💙

🔗 Find out more

Further information about Catholic Education and Religious Education within the Archdiocese of Birmingham can be found through the Birmingham Diocesan Education Service (BDES) website.

On the BDES website, visit Catholic Education, where families and schools can find information about the work of the Diocesan Education Service. The diocesan Primary Resource Base is also signposted from this page and contains the latest guidance and resources for schools.