Religious Studies in the Junior School

As a Christian school with a Catholic ethos, faith and spirituality is at the heart of everything that we do at St Mary’s.

The girls experience religion in action through our daily acts of prayer and worship, our commitment to charitable giving, and our sense of community and support for each other. In a year when teaching and learning have had to, at times, move online, our girls have shown that they are able to take their experience of living out their religious education and apply it to these extraordinary moments.
 
Religious Education at the Junior School is taught through Bible stories, learning about the lives of the Saints and exploring issues of justice. From the youngest years, our girls are asked to reflect on their families and school community, how Jesus taught us to be kind to others and how we can care for God’s creation.

Girls of all faiths are encouraged to share their beliefs. Our annual World Religions week allows the school to celebrate our diverse community and learn more about religion from each other.

We usually enjoy visiting many of the local places of worship but instead, this year we have had to replace these experiences with a unique approach. For example, Year 5 had a virtual tour of a Mosque during their lessons about Islam. 

Faith Council

Our Faith Council is an example of how we support classroom learning with leadership opportunities. In the past, the Faith Council has taken a central role in planning and delivering collective worship. In this remarkable year, we have taken our whole school liturgies online, with Faith Councilors showing a great adaptability in being able to use their online learning skills to prepare and deliver whole school services for Remembrance Day, as well as other celebrations in the Church’s calendar.
 
In a year when we have not heard the sound of hymns drifting through our school corridors, it has been a comfort to know that we have been able to continue with our ethos.

The girls have responded to this by showing us the same commitment, adaptability and faith in all aspects of their learning about, and learning from, religion.

Mrs Richards

Image above: Islamic patterns

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