religious education

Intent Statement

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of Life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:1-3

St Ambrose Barlow RC High School is a school with a Roman Catholic religious character. We aim to prepare young people for British society and the world through robust teaching of the Faith, covering beliefs, practice, sources of authority, forms of expression, philosophy, ethics, Scripture and Catholic Social Teaching.

To present engagingly a comprehensive content which is the basis of knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith;
To enable pupils continually to deepen their religious and theological understanding and be able to communicate this effectively;
To present an authentic vision of the Church’s moral and social teaching so that pupils can make a critique of the underlying trends in contemporary culture and society;
To raise pupils’ awareness of the faith and traditions of other religious communities in order to respect and understand them;
To develop the critical faculties of pupils so that they can relate their Catholic faith to daily life;
To stimulate pupils’ imagination and provoke a desire for personal meaning as revealed in the truth of the Catholic faith;
To enable pupils to relate the knowledge gained through Religious Education to their understanding of other subjects in the curriculum;
To bring clarity to the relationship between faith and life, and between faith and culture. The outcome of excellent Religious Education is religiously literate and engaged young people who have the knowledge, understanding and skills – appropriate to their age and capacity – to reflect spiritually, and think ethically and theologically, and who are aware of the demands of religious commitment in everyday life.

RE Department Staff

Mr B Davies - Subject Leader of Religious Education

Mrs B Dwyer-Moores

Miss S Moore

Miss C Scholes

Key Stage 3

Religious Education is part of and central to the core curriculum of our school.

At St Ambrose Barlow, we teach and live out our Christian ethos in our daily life and we encourage our students to take part in the active growth of their own beliefs.

At Key Stage Three, all students follow the Diocesan Guidelines, taught by specialist teachers as preparation for Key Stage Four. In addition, Year 7 and 8 pupils enjoy one weekly RE lesson held in the School Chapel - the aim of this is to enhance Social, Spiritual, Moral and Cultural Education alongside a real understanding of modern British values.

The GCSE is taught to all students and it combines Religion, Life and Society with a study of Mark's Gospel. RE is an academic subject and therefore has the same status, rigour and vigour as other core subjects, across all years.

It is the responsibility of the RE department and the school as a whole, to deliver to the students the experience of a Christ-centred education and develops a variety of skills by nurturing any faith in students. At St Ambrose Barlow, as part of the individual's faith journey, the school provides a caring and Christian environment in which the values of the Gospel are applied on a daily basis.

All students take part in daily worship through form time prayers and assemblies. On special occasions and Holy Days of Obligation, the school celebrates Mass together, as well as liturgies at the start and end of each school year. There is the opportunity for students to attend different Prayer Services during important times of the year. We encourage our students to involve themselves in the community and the life of the school by taking part in extra-curricular activities, such as Youth St Vincent de Paul and retreat days. Each year there is a residential retreat for Year 9 pupils.

KS3 Curriculum Maps

KS3 Knowledge Organisers

Key Stage 4

RE - Recovery Curriculum

Under normal circumstances The GCSE RE curriculum would be completed as detailed in the Key Stage 4 Curriculum Maps. Due to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic a modified curriculum is being delivered which specifies what students learn in school and remotely. The department examined the Scheme of work and decided which elements of the course were essential and would still give the students the required knowledge and skills to successfully complete the course. The recovery curriculum maps are available below

Recovery Curriculum Maps

KS4 Curriculum Maps

KS4 Knowledge Organisers

Chaplaincy

At St Ambrose Barlow RC High school, we take the development of the whole person very seriously. Spiritual development is an essential part of human development and we provide plenty of opportunities to assist students.The Chaplaincy plays a key role in fostering the mission and ethos at St Ambrose Barlow and strives to provide students and staff with opportunities to develop personally and spiritually. We are proud of our Catholic tradition whilst also welcoming students and staff of all faiths.The Chaplaincy Team are students who work together to provide a social and supportive network. They build on their personal faith and the way they express their faith. The Chaplaincy Team help to raise money for charity and organise social campaigns in addition to their collective prayer time.