Lighting the Path

Religious Education is at the heart of life at St Joseph’s. Through our RE curriculum, we aim to help every child grow in knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith, deepen their relationship with God and recognise how faith can guide the way we live and treat others.

At St Joseph’s, we follow Lighting the Path, the Oxford University Press Catholic Religious Education programme supported and strongly encouraged by the Diocese of Salford. The programme has been developed to support the implementation of the Religious Education Directory (RED), which provides the framework for Religious Education in Catholic schools.

Why Lighting the Path?

Lighting the Path provides a rich, engaging and carefully sequenced curriculum which enables children to build their knowledge and understanding as they progress through school.

Through the programme, children:

• encounter and explore Sacred Scripture and learn about the life and teachings of Jesus;
• develop a secure knowledge of Catholic beliefs, traditions, worship and prayer;
• revisit important ideas and vocabulary so that they can know more and remember more;
• ask questions, reflect, discuss and develop their own theological thinking;
• make connections between faith, everyday life and the way Catholics are called to live;
• explore how Catholic teaching encourages us to care for others, our community and our common home;
• have opportunities for prayer, reflection, creativity, discussion and high-quality written work.

The curriculum is organised into connected branches of learning, with knowledge and key vocabulary developed progressively from the Early Years through to Year 6. Children regularly revisit previous learning so that they can make connections and deepen their understanding over time.

Teachers adapt learning appropriately for the children in their classes while maintaining the intended theological content and learning objectives. We place particular importance on discussion, questioning, scripture, retrieval of previous learning and providing opportunities for children to explain and reflect upon what they have learnt.

Our aim is not simply for children to learn about the Catholic faith, but for Religious Education to help them consider what faith means for the way we live — encouraging them to become compassionate, thoughtful and responsible members of our school, parish and wider community.