Religious Education Curriculum at Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School

Here at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, our Religious Education curriculum has been carefully designed to reflect the unique context of our school community. It is broad, balanced, and rooted in purpose, ensuring that every pupil has the opportunity to engage deeply with their learning. Our curriculum helps children understand not just what we learn about religion, but why we learn it — empowering them to make sense of the world, live out their faith and contribute to transforming society through compassion, service, and love.

As a Catholic school, we are deeply committed to nurturing each child’s faith journey, with Jesus Christ as our guide and Our Blessed Lady as our role model. Our mission is lived daily in the way we educate, form and prepare children for life in modern Britain and the wider world. With a strong moral foundation, we challenge pupils to become resilient, confident and independent learners, ready to respond to the challenges of today with courage and hope.

We also place great importance on developing children’s knowledge and understanding of other world faiths, encouraging respect for different beliefs and values. Recognising the rich social, moral, spiritual, and cultural diversity of our local community and city, we use this as a resource for learning. Through exploration and respectful dialogue, pupils are inspired to be curious, tolerant, and appreciative of the world around them, gaining a deeper understanding of how modern Britain — and the global community — is shaped by diversity.

At Our Lady’s, Religious Education is at the heart of the curriculum. In line with the expectations of the Religious Education Directory, 10% of curriculum time is dedicated to RE across all key stages, including the Foundation Stage. RE is supported by high-quality staffing and resources, reflecting its central role in the life and mission of our school.

Implementation of the New Religious Education Curriculum

From September 2025, a new Religious Education curriculum will be introduced across all classes at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, following the revised Religious Education Directory: "To Know You More Clearly." This new curriculum is designed around a four-part pattern that supports pupils in their faith journey: to hear, believe, celebrate and live the Gospel.

The implementation will take place in phases, allowing for a smooth and effective transition from our current programme to the new curriculum.

Partial Implementation: September 2025:

From September 2025, the new RE curriculum will be fully adopted in the following year groups:

· EYFS

· Year 1

· Year 2

These year groups will follow the updated learning objectives and begin using a new scheme of work called 'Lighting the Path', which forms the basis of the new curriculum. This scheme is structured around six thematic branches and is supported by a range of additional high-quality resources. Teachers in these year groups will receive training and support to ensure the successful introduction of this new approach.

Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 will trial the Diocesan Pilot Scheme, created by Salford Diocese. This follows the same structure and approach as 'Lighting the Path'.

Full Implementation: September 2026

It is anticipated that by September 2026, all year groups across the school will be teaching the new Religious Education curriculum using the 'Lighting the Path' scheme of work. At this point, Years 3, 4, 5, and 6 will also begin delivering the new curriculum, completing the whole-school transition.