COME AND SEE

At St. Augustine's we adapt the "Come and See" programme to teach Religious Education. Each year group from Year One to Year Six covers three topics per term which link to a whole school theme. The programme is taught through three main themes; Church, Sacrament and Christian Living which are gradually explored at greater depths as the children get older. In these themes children will be taught about their family, their local community, the sacraments such as baptism and marriage as well as key events in the Christian Church such as Advent, Easter and Pentecost.

The process for delivering the topics in ‘Come and See’ has three stages:

1) Explore

‘Explore’ is the introduction to the topic where the children’s life experience is explored. The questions it raises are wondered at, shared, investigated and their significance is reflected upon.

The children are presented with a big question at the beginning of each topic. These questions demand a more active and engaging approach to learning where the children are encouraged to investigate and find answers to the deeper questions in life. Throughout each lesson, the children will reflect on what they have learnt and how this helps them to answer their big question.

2) Reveal

‘Reveal’ is the heart of the programme where knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith is revealed through the Word, in Scripture, Tradition, doctrine, prayers, rites and Christian living.

3) Respond

‘Respond’ is where the the key learning from the topic is remembered, celebrated and responded to in daily life. At the end of each topic, a different group of children will plan and lead a Collective Worship linked to their learning.

World Faiths

At St. Augustine's, the children also learn about other world religions such as Islam and Judaism. 

The teaching of ‘World Faiths’ is important for our children because:

• Learning about the religion and cultures of those who do not share the Catholic faith is one of the ways in which we embody the call ‘to love one’s neighbour’.
• We seek, through the learning of other faiths to try to understand better the religion of our neighbours, and to experience something of their religious life and culture.
• It prepares the pupils in our Catholic schools for life in a modern Britain, giving them an understanding of the beliefs of others. This in turn will improve social cohesion and contribute to the common good by increasing mutual respect between those of different religions.

We had a wonderful week learning about Judaism. Ruth from Judaism for schools led a whole school assembly and engaging workshops for each class. On Friday we held a whole school collective worship to celebrate and respond to our learning.