LEARNING FACULTY of JOURNEY IN FAITH: THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CURRICULUM AREA
The Religious Education Curriculum Area at St. Edmund’s Catholic Academy plays a central role
in the life of St Edmund’s. The Curriculum Area is responsible for maintaining its own high
academic standards, for stimulating the liturgical life of the academy and for fostering spiritual
development. The school Chapel and a suite of four classrooms form a hub for its work. In
September 2014 the Curriculum Area will comprise 4 full time members and 1 part time
member of staff.
St Edmund’s is justly proud of the academic success of the RE Curriculum Area. Results at
GCSE and A Level are, with the exception of a slight glitch in 2012, consistently good. A Level
teaching is shared with S. Peter’s Collegiate School, the Church of England Academy that shares
our campus. On average 20 students from the two schools choose to study Religious Studies at
AS and between 10 and 12 at A2.
The programme of study followed is as follows:
Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10
Year 11
Years 12/13
Years 12/13
The Way
The Truth
The Life and Mark’s Gospel
Edexcel Religious Studies
Edexcel Religious Studies
AQA Religious Studies AS/A2
General Religious Education
AS Philosophy and Ethics (Edexcel)
Level 2 (NOCN)
Some Sixth Form students follow an AS Philosophy Ethics course taught through one/two lessons
a week over two years. Others follow the NOCN course at Level 2. From September 2014 upils
have three Religious Education lessons a week at KS3 and KS4. In the Sixth Form those
following the AS/A2 specialist course have six lessons a week, teaching being shared with S.
Peter’s.
Pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9 attend Mass in Tutor Groups on a rota basis, there are annual Year
Group Masses and all pupils and students participate in Whole School Masses on Holy Days of
Obligation and on the Feast of St. Edmund. These are celebrated by local clerty and often by
Monsignor Mark Crisp, Parish Priest of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, the parish in which the
academy stands. A full-time Lay Chaplain is about to be appointed either for June or, if not,
for September 2014 and then, it is hoped, a Priest Chaplain will also be appointed as well to
support the spiritual, liturgical and pastoral life of the academy. Whole school Masses are
celebrated in the Sports Hall, which is also the venue for our Whole School Assemblies. Year
Group assemblies take place in the academy lecture theatre. The Curriculum Area plays a
leading role in the organisation of whole school Masses and in supporting the arrangements for
assemblies and tutor group prayers. Years 12/13 have the opportunity to stay at Alton Castle
the Youth Retreat Centre for the Archdiocese. The Alton Castle / Kenelm Trust Team also
works with Year 10 once a year and the Alton Castle Option was reinstated for Year 7 four years
ago. The Music Department collaborates very closely with the RE Curriculum Area and, as well
as wonderful liturgical music in-house, the academy is able to contribute to Masses across the
City and beyond on a very regular basis.
As an oversubscribed academy about 65% of all our pupils and students are baptised Catholics
and are thus expected and encouraged to take seriously the religious activities of the academy
and respond openly to the opportunities for prayer and worship. There are also a number of
pupils from non-Catholic and non-Christian backgrounds who are fully integrated into our
community. They are given the opportunity to contribute from their own culture to our
Assemblies and prayers.
May 2014