Welcome to the NRCDES resource page for religious education in the Diocese of Nottingham. All primary schools should be fully implementing the new Religious Education Directory by September 2026, as directed by the Bishops’ Conference.
The Religious Education Directory consists of six branches, across each year group to allow children to discover, develop and deepen their understanding as they move through the school. These are:
We want to tell the story of our faith. We are going to accompany young people on a journey of learning, growth and exploration with a curriculum that is centred on Christ and filled with Joy. Our curriculum will be open, diverse and accessible to all regardless of where we start from. It will be ambitious, challenging and engaging, built to allow young people and staff the freedom to explore a living and active faith made real in the everyday life of their community.
We are going to ask big questions and we are going to listen, with assessment approaches that allow young people the opportunity for heartfelt and authentic expression. We are going to understand how to live a life inspired by the Gospels and Catholic Social Teaching to allow young people to see faith at work in the world.
Our curriculum is not simply about imparting knowledge, but about educating and forming the whole person to feel, think and live.
| Our Principles of Teaching |
|---|
| Our curriculum for Religious Education is constructed upon common and agreed ‘golden threads’ which weave through the learning, allowing pupils to build meaningful schema over time. |
| Our lessons ensure that there are frequent opportunities to revisit and expand prior knowledge to enable pupils to flourish in future learning. |
| Our intention is that, through Religious Education, pupils are fully prepared for Catholic life in a modern world. |
| Our planning creates a solid foundation for future learning through a holistic, Christ-centred approach. |
| Our programme of study identifies precise knowledge which is built up over time. |
| Our belief is that all tasks and activities should be beautiful and of the best quality. |
| Our approach limits the overload of information and ensures that knowledge is age-appropriate. |
| Our classrooms create a culture where diversity is celebrated and respected. |
| Our pedagogy drives engagement, inclusivity and assessment through the range and quality of techniques and methodology. |
| Our objectives are specific to ensure that scripture and Church teaching are closely linked, with opportunities for pupils to have the freedom to develop their knowledge and exercise their creativity. |
‘To see you more clearly’
NRCDES is involved in an exciting project led by Fleur Dorrell*, whose website ‘The God who speaks’ provides wonderful resources for Catholic schools.
By September 2027, we will provide a set of easy-to-use resources to support RE lessons in line with the Religious Education Directory and our own Meet In My Name scheme of work. We are producing a set of teachers’ notes for RE lessons which will include, for every year group and each branch, a piece of carefully chosen artwork alongside comprehensive guidelines which will enable staff to confidently explore beautiful paintings and enrich lessons. Each picture will be biblically and catechetically correct, providing an accessible route to ‘open up scripture’ for all pupils and students.
Fleur* is the Biblical Apostolate Manager and the Faith and Formation Manager of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales.
David Quinn
Rebecca Lewis
Jody Murfin
Anne-Marie Bell
Kerry O’Neill
Alex Dawson
Clare Pyatt
Gemma Ellis
Nicola Lawrence
Shannon Keeton
Tammie McNamara
Sam Ward
Tim Ward
Bethany Holmes
Rachael Snowdon-Poole
Clare O’Brien
Amy Bennett
Sarah Rudd
Patricia Chapman
Susan Law
Emma Ruston-Donald
Annie Carter
Sinead Valente
Sarah Boyd
Katrina Dolan
Pauline Cefai-Azzopardi
Anthony Gallagher
Elizabeth Beaumont
Julie Spencer
Catherine Murphy
Special thanks goes to those for the time, commitment and expertise shared with David Quinn and your fellow writers on the project to write a diocesan scheme in line with the Religious Education Directory. The planning you have created is wonderful. I have enjoyed hearing regular updates from David about the work you have been undertaking. Now that we have had the opportunity to look in more detail at several of the branches, I have to say that Fionuala and I are very impressed!
There is more good news to share; David has submitted a document to the Catholic Education Service to request endorsement for our scheme from them. This is what Dr Mo Glackin, the former Religious Education Adviser for the CES, had to say:
This is a comprehensive, systematic and creative scheme of work which has been carefully developed to meet the outcomes of the RED. In this it is successful. Lessons are explicitly mapped to the ‘expected outcomes’ of the RED and content created to progress learning within the RED framework. This is supported by a comprehensive set of resources, including an extensive range of links to verified websites, which will give all teachers confidence in their use of the scheme and create a community of practice to further engender good practice. Please pass on my appreciation to the writing team for a very fine piece of work.
Thank you for your contribution to this great and significant piece of work. I am so immensely grateful.
Peter Giorgio
Director of Education