“Into your hands, Lord, we put each day, all that we do and all that we say.”

Religious Education at Runnymede is based on the national scheme ‘Come and See.’ Religious education recognises and enables a dialogue at many levels. There are three main questions that are to be answered by all the children from Reception to Year 6:

“Where do I come from?” “Who am I?” “Why am I here?”

RE takes up 10% of the curriculum, but is not totally confined to lesson time. RE permeates the whole life and ethos of the school. The whole school explores the same theme but from different aspects, through year group topics on a one year cycle. This enables the children to celebrate their new experiences and understanding together whatever their age.

The children will 'Explore' the topic in a way appropriate to their age range. Then they will come to the heart of the process, where they will 'Reveal' the Christian understanding of the mystery of God and human life as expressed in the person, life and gospel of Jesus Christ. The children will then 'Respond' to their new knowledge and understanding by celebrating together.

Sacramental Preparation and Baptism:

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King is no longer able to accommodate the children of Runnymede St Edward's in making their First Holy Communion at the Cathedral due to their commitments with other schools within the parish. Parents and Carers of children in Year 4 are advised to contact their own parish in order to join their ‘With You Always’ sacramental preparation programme, as this is parish led programme. 

Collective Worship is an important aspect of Religious Education. Each day the children take part in a Collective Worship, whether it is in small groups in class, in year groups or in department groups. Collective Worship is an ideal opportunity to celebrate. Celebrations are an essential part of life for people of every age and faith. Collective Worships consist of varying elements such as gathering and greeting, listening, reflecting, responding through community praise, especially in song, prayer and of course the children’s own work and ideas.

At Runnymede we have whole school Collective Worships to celebrate the new academic year, Harvest Festival, All Saints, Advent, Christingle, the Shoe-box Appeal and Christmas in the Autumn Term.

In the Spring Term we celebrate Lent, the Good Shepherd Collection for the Nugent Care Society and the joy of Easter Week. In the Summer Term we celebrate the feast of Blessed Edmund Rice the founder of the Christian Brothers, pupils who have received the Sacraments this year in a special school celebration near the Feast of SS Peter and Paul and a Year 6 leavers’ thanksgiving collective worship. Of course throughout the year we celebrate many Feasts and Holydays of the Catholic Church.

For one week of the Autumn term we spend all our R.E. time looking at Judaism and in the Spring term we look at Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism to give the children an experience and understanding of an Other Faith which is so important in our multi-cultural society.

There is a First Friday Prayer Group for anyone to attend- all welcome.

The Edmund Rice Group meets weekly for reflection and how to respond to the life and inspiration of Blessed Edmund. The group leads the school in charity work and seeks to keep the example of Edmund alive in our school.

Festivals and Celebrations

Celebrations are an essential part of life for people of every age and faith. The cycle of a year and the span of a lifetime are marked by rituals, when people gather to celebrate with their friends.

Rejoicing and celebrating help all of us to reach into the heart of life and to realise the deepest meaning of what is happening here. They keep before us what is important in life: its joys, difficulties, sorrows and successes. Celebration is an opportunity to experience joy and also to come to terms with sadness and difficulty in order to feel joy again. Our understanding is heightened so that we are able to get back to living with renewed vision and hope.

At Runnymede, as we explore the topics in 'Come and See', we have the opportunity to develop the knowledge and understanding of our Catholic faith. To read further please see the Religious Education section of the website.

Through the themes for each term, the children will become familiar with the seasons of the Christian Church. Through the topics, they are introduced to the traditions, customs and practices of seasons and special feasts. Making time to celebrate enable children to acknowledge the value of the experiences they have explored.

During the year, we at Runnymede have many opportunities to celebrate. At the end of each topic the children plan a celebration of the work they have completed during that particular topic. This could involve, singing, dancing, scripture readings, art work, dressing up, picnics a walk in the beautiful grounds or many other alternatives. A truly special time.

Outside the curriculum lessons we celebrate many aspects of our lives and the lives of others. We begin the year celebrating a new beginning and welcome new and old members of our school community. On the feast of St. Edward, October 13th, we celebrate in school and the children also have a holiday from school (attached to half-term).

Before the end of the first half term the whole school celebrates Harvest Festival. A time to thank God for all we have and a time to share with those who do not have as much. We collect tinned food, biscuits and crisps which we give to local food banks and the homeless. We have a Fun Run in our school grounds which is very enjoyable and donations go to a global charity like CAFOD or our twin school in Sierra Leone, Blessed Tansi.

Advent is a time of preparation. We celebrate the beginning with a Mass or a special Collective Worship. During Advent we fill our Shoe-boxes so they can be sent to children who otherwise would not receive any gifts at Christmas. We celebrate the latter part of Advent with a Christingle Service, which is all about light in the darkness. Christmas is celebrated with Nativity plays, Carol Services, Christmas concerts, Carol singing and of course lots of parties and fun.

The Spring Term begins with us celebrating the Epiphany, the arrival of the The Wise Men. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, this is celebrated in school with a Mass or special Collective Worship. During Lent we celebrate again how lucky we are by collecting for the Nugent Care Society, the Good Shepherd. Children are asked to do extra jobs at home to raise money e.g. set the table for tea, help with the dishes or tidy their rooms. To celebrate Easter, the events of Holy week are reenacted with special Collective Worships, led by the children. We also have Easter bonnet parades and Easter Rabbits visiting the school!

The Summer Term is a time to celebrate so many things. May marks the feast day of the founder of the Christian Brothers, Blessed Edmund Rice. Year 4 children, who have received the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Confirmation and First Holy Communion, lead a special whole school celebration. Year 6 have a special Mass and Leavers’ Collective Worship to celebrate their life in Runnymede as they leave to move on to their Secondary schools. This term is also a time when we celebrate achievements, academic, sporting, musical and progress formally taking place at the Cathedral for the Runnymede, Prize Giving.

Throughout the year many people help us celebrate, visitors to the school, parents, teachers, support staff and we have links with our local parishes, especially St Paul's and Our Lady, Queen of Martyrs.

Other Faiths

Runnymede is a Catholic school, but we have children and families of other faiths. We have an open attitude to all faiths. As Catholics we are committed to respecting people of other faiths and to recognise that God is in work in them. In the multi-faith society of today, Religious Education introduces children to the background and beliefs of people of other faiths so that prejudice and misunderstanding can be overcome from an early age.

In the Autumn term we explore Judaism and in the Summer term we look at either Islam, Hinduism or Sikhism.

Charity

At the centre of the ethos of our school is the desire to help others, by following the message of Blessed Edmund Rice and the Gospels. We at Runnymede do this in our charity work. We try and support local and global charities by raising money, but also by our prayers and work in school.

• Blessed Tansi School, Sierra Leone
• Blessed Edmund Rice 250 charities
• Samaritan's Purse with the Shoebox Appeal
• The Nugent Care Society "The Good Shepherd"
• Zoe's Place Hospice in West Derby.
• CAFOD
• Claire House Hospice
• Poppy Appeal
• Blue Peter Appeal.
• Marie Curie Cancer

Often children have desires to highlight and raise money for a charity that is of special interest for them. We try to help as much as we can.