Our RERC programmes and courses cover:
Catholic Christianity
Sacramental preparations
Other world religions
This is Our Faith has recently been approved by the Vatican and is used by all staff to inform our programmes of work.
Our Catholic school follows the customs and practices of the Church in order to nourish the spirituality and faith of pupils and staff. Our Catholic tradition is enriched by ancient rites, prayers and devotions which help young people to become aware of, and show reverence to, the sacred presence of the living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Guided by this tradition, we celebrate various seasons and special feast days to honour God, Mary his Mother and the Saints.
This regular practice of Prayer is complemented by religious services conducted, sometimes as part of an Assembly, to mark special occasions – e,g. the distribution of Ashes on Ash Wednesday, the seasons of Advent or Lent. To mark special Feast Days and Holy Days of Obligation, Holy Mass will be celebrated by the school chaplain, Father Joe Balmer, with the school community in St Thomas’ parish. Pupils, at Primary 4 and Primary 7, participate in retreats and pilgrimages to Schoenstatt.
The resource ‘God’s Loving Plan’ provides guidance to Primary school teachers on how children can be helped to develop healthy and respectful attitudes to their bodies and to relationships with families and friends. This important resource connects children’s learning about who they are and how they relate to others, to their learning about God and their relationship in faith. It helps children to understand how love can be at the heart of their lives. The detailed planning framework in God’s Loving Plan connects learning in Religious Education (RERC) to aspects of Health & Wellbeing (H&W/B) taught from Primary 1 to Primary 7.
In terms of pupil participation in Religious Observance, Scottish Government guidance makes it clear that it makes an important contribution to pupils’ development and that it promotes the ethos of a school by bringing pupils together and creating a sense of community. However, it also makes clear that parents have the right to withdraw children from participation in religious observance and that this right should always be made known to parents and their wishes respected. The Scottish Government also recognises that:
Where a parent chooses a denominational school for their child’s education, they choose to opt in to the school’s ethos and practice which is imbued with religious faith and religious observance. In denominational schools, it is therefore more difficult to extricate a pupil from all experiences which are influenced by the school’s faith character.
Links you may find useful:
This Is Our Faith
Principles and Practice Paper
Charter of Catholic Schools
