RE Curriculum
At St Joseph’s, we aim to embed a relationship of love between child, God and community. Our Religious Education is at the core of all we do and as such it fosters this relationship through daily prayer, collective Acts of Worship and Celebrations of Liturgy.
As a Catholic school, we feel it is important that children learn how to co-operate with others, respect others and forgive others through understanding the Gospel Values and living our lives through Christ. Scripture, teachings of the Church and the teachers’ own witness and example are the means by which these are taught. We work closely with our parishes and we value the partnership between home, school, parish and the wider community.
As a whole school, we are moving towards the full implementation of the new Religious Education Directory (RED). From September 2026, all year groups will follow Lighting the Path, the scheme chosen by the Southwark Archdiocese to deliver the RED in Catholic schools.
Currently, EYFS and Key Stage 1 are piloting the new scheme, which invites children to encounter the story of salvation through Scripture, tradition, Catholic Social Teaching, prayer and dialogue with other faiths and worldviews. Key Stage 2 continue to follow the national Catholic RE scheme Come and See, where pupils learn what it means to belong to the Church, explore the sacraments and develop an understanding of how Jesus is our model for a Christian way of living.
Through RE lessons, Prayer and Liturgy and Mass, all pupils are supported to grow in knowledge, faith and spirituality, and to live out the values of the Gospel in their daily lives.
Our aim is to guide the children to become religiously literate and spiritually developed young people who have the knowledge, understanding and skills – appropriate to their age and capacity – to think spiritually, ethically and theologically, and who are aware of the demands of religious commitment in everyday life.
Learning about the faith of others forms an important part of our school RE curriculum and all children visit different places of worship in our locality.
If you would like to see our overview from the ‘Come and See’ Scheme, please click here.
For 'Come and See' Key Vocabulary, click here.
For information about the new Lighting the Path scheme, please click here.
For 'Lighting the Path', Vocabulary based on RED click here.
For RE Newsletter and home activities, click here.
Click here for something nice to do with your child. The examen for children will help your child reflect at the end of the day and deepen their faith. Helping your child develop the habit of making a daily examen gives them a powerful tool for spiritual growth. It teaches children that God is near, present in every moment of their lives. Moreover, it teaches children to examine their own response to God’s presence, for better or worse, in their thoughts, feelings, and actions. And finally, it teaches them to make this examination in a spirit of gratitude.
Please click here to access the Wednesday Word leaflet.
The Wednesday Word is an accessible and attractive double-sided A4 leaflet which carries the Sunday Gospel into school family homes every week. A great way to share the Gospel with children, parents and families. Its mission is to help all school families draw closer to God, to the Church and to each other.
If you would like further information about our Catholic Life, please click here.