Subject Leader: Emily Jones

Religious Education is at the heart of our curriculum and school life of St Francis of Assisi Catholic School. It permeates all aspects of school life. We believe that every child is a unique gift from God, each with his or her own special gifts. It is the aim of all staff at St Francis School to deliver an RE curriculum which will recognise and develop these gifts. Following the example of Christ himself, we aim to treat all with respect, giving our children the love, support and encouragement they need to enable them to develop to the best of their ability academically, morally and spiritually. We aim to teach the children and each other, for example, in the daily life of the school.

Prayer and worship

Subject Leader: Alannah Batchelor

Prayer is an important aspect of our school life. Through prayer, we seek to deepen the children’s relationship with God in a way that is relevant and meaningful to them.

Prayer forms an essential part of all acts of collective worship and liturgical celebrations. Each class has their own prayer table which is a focus for the children’s prayer.

More formal prayers are taught and shared too, such as morning and evening prayers, grace before and after meals. Children are also encouraged to compose their own prayers and to pray spontaneously and peacefully.
We gather together for assemblies and to celebrate the Liturgy on a number of occasions each term. Parents are regularly invited to celebrate Liturgies and assemblies with us.

Through RE lessons, assemblies and liturgies, the children deepen their knowledge and understanding of the scriptures, the church and also develop their moral attitudes.

On certain Holy Days of Obligation and other special occasions, we celebrate the Eucharist as a school. We also celebrate the sacrament of Reconciliation at key times in the year. 

Parish and school links

We recognise and acknowledge the importance of partnerships with the home and parish communities to which our children belong. Therefore, we welcome the visits of local clergy and their involvement in the life of the school. We work collaboratively with the Crawley Parish in preparation for the children in Year 3 for the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion.

We promote children’s awareness of the local and wider communities by encouraging them to participate in charitable activities and fund-raising.

The Religious Education Curriculum

In keeping with our Mission Statement, we aim to provide a Religious Education that attends to the needs of every pupil. We follow the RED (Religious Education Directory) in Years R, 1 and 6. In the rest of the school we follow “Come and See”, in line with Diocesan guidance. Over the next few years, St Francis, along with all Diocesan schools, will be RED compliant. Our curriculum fulfils the canonical duty the Bishop's Conference has for setting out Religious Education in Catholic schools.  We are committed to providing children with rich and varied learning opportunities that will help them to deepen their knowledge and understanding of Christ and the Catholic faith.

Multi-faith Programme

As part of the curriculum, all children study a different world faith for two weeks of the year, including Judaism, Sikhism and Hinduism.

This enables children to have an understanding of what life is like for a child of another faith by the time they leave us. It also fosters inclusivity, understanding and community.