Current Programme of Study
Religious Education is at the core of our curriculum, allowing us to develop children’s religious literacy, knowledge and understanding of their faith. We currently follow the ‘Come and See’ RE scheme of work, which is based on the truth revealed by God about ourselves, our life together and our ultimate destiny with God. This is the recommended scheme of work within the Nottingham Diocese.
‘Come and See’ invites pupils to explore the religious aspects of life, dignity and purpose within the Catholic tradition. Pupils reflect on personal experiences and links are made with the Catholic faith as well as other faith traditions.
To view the RE long term plan, please click here.
To view an example of RE medium term planning, please click here.
To view the specific RE curriculum content coverage, please click here.
At the heart of our RE curriculum are our ‘Big Questions’, which ultimately drive the learning of the topic. These questions remain open ended and challenging, providing children with opportunities to engage with the deepest questions of life (Peter 3:15), encouraging pupil collaboration, discussion and reflection. Children are exposed to the mystery of God, the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Church, lives of Saints and the relationship between faith and life. Please find the ‘Topic and Big Questions’ grid below.
RE is a core subject and, in line with the Bishops’ Conference recommendations, 10% of teaching time is allocated to RE per week. This equates to two hours for Infant classes, and two and a half hours for Junior classes.
A variety of teaching methods and resources are used, including stories from the Bible, songs and hymns, role play, liturgical dance, creative activities, videos and discussion.
New Religious Education Directory (R.E.D.) launching in September 2026
‘To Know You More Clearly’ is the new programme of study that will become statutory in all Catholic Schools in England and Wales from September 2026 and will replace the previous programme of study listed above. This is for all children aged 3-19 who are educated in a Catholic setting, and aims to provide a model curriculum for schools.
As the statutory requirements do not come into effect until 2026, Christ The King is continuing to teach from the ‘Come and See’ programme. However, as a leading school within our Trust and Diocese, we are actively involved in the working party of schools who are trialling materials ahead of the launch. For the academic year 2023-24, our Reception classes have taken part in a trial of resources created within our own Diocese as well as resources from the Brighton and Arundel Diocese. In the Pentecost Term of 2024, our Year 1 classes have taken part in a trial of materials produced by the company TenTen, who also produce our RSHE programme of study. This trial is also on behalf of the Nottingham Diocese and our staff are active participants in the feedback cycle within the working party. At this current time, there is no set scheme to deliver this syllabus that has been endorsed by Nottingham Diocese.
The full R.E.D ‘To Know You More Clearly’ can be read in full here.
To sample some of the trial materials in EYFS, click here.
To sample some of the trial materials in Year 1, click here.
The pupils study three themes each term and 63 topics in total from Reception through to Year 6.
The themes are:
All of the topics are rooted in the children’s own experiences in life and our teachers then extend the learning further through reflection and purposeful activities. We look at scripture passages that match the topic being covered and unpick the meaning and how we can use this Scripture to enhance our lives and help us to be better Christians.
We assess our children in RE using the Nottingham Diocese End of Year Expectations document, which uses key driver words for each year group. We make use of external and internal moderation opportunities to ensure the quality of teacher’s judgments, as well as half-termly book scrutinies to ensure work is engaging and is sufficiently challenging for all pupils.
During the academic year, two other faiths are also taught; during the Advent term we learn about Judaism and during the Pentecost term, we discover more about another world religion such as Islam, Sikhism or Hinduism.
Each term, parents receive an information sheet that details what the pupils will cover as well as some suggested activities that can be done at home to support pupils. Please find these in the attachments below.
Examples of the children’s work by year group:
‘What do you like most about RE at Christ the King?’
‘As a parent, I clearly see that the religious education provision at CTK is exemplary. Whilst complying with the national curriculum requirement, CTK goes way beyond this with the ‘Come and See’ programme. The visit of Sr. Anna to promote the teaching of Christian meditation and the provision of Class Masses, which I can personally vouch for as such a wonderful aid to the understanding of the basics of Catholic Church worship, have amongst other additions to our RE provision, proved to be so inspiring to our children.’ – Year 3 parent
‘The organisation, the planning of everything and their absolute care of every single child.’ – Yr 4 parent
‘My children came home last year after the Easter liturgy very enthusiastic and able to recount to me in great detail, the stories and meaning of Holy Week. I was so impressed that they understood the meaning of Lent and Easter and were interested and excited to learn more. From this, it is clear that the teachers absolutely know the subject. I hold Catholic schools in very high regard, and Christ the King is a wonderful example of this. My children are at ease with their religious upbringing and I can only see benefits from having a Catholic Life at school as well. They understand about having faith in God, being kind to one another and the messages that Jesus taught us and this is definitely reinforced at school. ‘ – Year 2 parent
© 2024 Copyright St Thomas Aquinas - Catholic Multi-Academy Trust | STA-CMAT is a limited company by guarantee registered in England and Wales (company number: 08090890)
