Religious Studies Curriculum Map

It is our intent for the Religious Education element of our Academy curriculum to engage, inspire, challenge and encourage students, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to answer challenging questions about the world around them. Religious Education is the “core of the core curriculum” (Pope St John Paul II) at St Mary’s Catholic Academy. Our mission is to educate the whole person in discerning the meaning of their existence. Religious Education is concerned with more than just intellectual knowledge as it includes emotional learning. It is through Religious Education that students are able to consider what it means to be truly human.

St Mary’s follows the Religious Education Directory as laid out by the CatholicEducation Service. The curriculum is structured around six curriculum branches—such as “Creation and covenant” and “Galilee to Jerusalem”—that follow the narrative of salvation history and are revisited sequentially to deepen understanding. It integrates content through four “knowledge lenses” (Hear, Believe, Celebrate, Live) and three “ways of knowing” (Understand, Discern, Respond), focusing on developing a knowledge of Catholic faith, scripture, liturgy, and the application of these beliefs to life and social justice issues. Significant emphasis is also placed on fostering interreligious and intercultural dialogue with other Christian denominations, Abrahamic faiths, and other worldviews.

The model curriculum presented in the Religious Education Directory uses a structure of six curriculum branches that correspond to the six half-terms of the school year. This framework is rooted in the narrative of salvation history, allowing learning to be sequential and progressive.

Below is an overview of the content covered in each of the six half-terms (Branches) for Year 7, Year 8, and Year 9, drawing on the model curriculum outlines provided in the sources.