The Jubilee Year 2025: Pilgrims of Hope
It is the Jubilee Year of Hope which is celebrated by the Church every 25 years. In the Catholic Church, a Jubilee or Holy Year is a special year of forgiveness and reconciliation, in which people are invited to come back into right relationship with God, with each other and with all of creation. The theme this Jubilee Year is ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ and it begins on 24th December 2024, with the opening of ‘Holy doors’ including one at St Peters Basilica. It ends on 6th January, with the closing of the same Holy door. At Saint Mary’s we have each designed a Holy Door of Hope to remind us that every day during the Jubilee year, we can be Pilgrims of Hope in all we do.
Jubilee Schools 2025 Key Dates Flyer
Diocesan Canonical Inspection June 2018
We were delighted with our GOOD rating in this inspection and are working hard to reach outstanding.
St Mary’s Loughborough RE Report
Religious Education
Saint Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School is part of the Saint Thomas Aquinas Multi Academy Trust which is made up of 17 primary schools and 4 secondary schools. ‘To Know You More Clearly’ is the new programme of study that will become statutory in all Catholic Schools in England and Wales from September 2026 and will replace the previous Come and See Curriculum that we had in place.
Take a look at our policies below and explore our website to see how R.E., Catholic Life and Celebration of the Word are central to all we do each day.
We live by our school Mission Statement:
With Jesus as our guide, we promise to care for one another, to work hard, to build a community in Christ’s love.
Our curriculum intent: what are we trying to achieve in our curriculum?
Religious Education is at the core of our curriculum, allowing us to develop children’s religious knowledge and understanding of their faith. The study of RE at Saint Mary’s is based on the fundamental truth that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and each person is made in His image.
RE is a core subject and, in line with the Bishops’ Conference recommendations, 10% of teaching time is allocated to RE per week. This equates to two hours for Key Stage One classes, and two and a half hours for Key Stage Two classes. At Saint Mary’s we will be teaching the RE curriculum through the ‘To Know You More Clearly’ programme from the new Religious Education Directory (RED) from September 2025.
Please see this programme here: To Know You More Clearly Handbook RED
Our curriculum implementation: how will we go about achieving our intent?
Based on the constitutions of the Second Vatican Council and rooted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the objective of the new programme is to produce religiously literate and engaged young people, with the knowledge, understanding and skills to reflect spiritually, think ethically and theologically, and recognise the demands of religious commitment in everyday life. While nurturing the faith of Catholic pupils, the curriculum prepares all pupils to play their part as critical citizens in a plural and diverse culture.
Within the RED curriculum, there is also a focus on broadening opportunities for pupils’ RE learning through the use of art, music, literature, science, and architecture, equipping young people to engage with the Church beyond intellectual remits.
Branches and Lenses
There are six branches in the RED Curriculum. Each class will study one topic per half term.
The branches are:
- Creation and Covenant
- Prophecy and Promise
- From Galilee to Jerusalem
- From Desert to Garden
- To the Ends of the Earth
- Dialogue and Encounter
Each branch follows:
- Here
- Believe
- Celebrate
- Live
Please see the Whole School Overview below: RED Whole School Overview 25 26
At the heart of our RE curriculum are our ‘Big Questions’, which ultimately drive the learning of each topic. Each year group’s ‘Big Question’ gets gradually more thought provoking and provides opportunity for in-depth responses. Nonetheless, all the questions for each year group remain open-ended and challenging, providing children with opportunities to engage with the deepest questions of life (Peter 3:15), encouraging pupil collaboration, discussion and reflection. Children are exposed to the mystery of God, the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Church, lives of Saints and the relationship between faith and life.
Please see the Big Question Grid: Big Questions Grid June 2025
Assessment
At the end of each branch and lenses the children will:
- Understand
- Discern
- Respond
at the appropriate level for their year group. The expectations for each year group progress to develop a deeper and broader understanding of Religious Education. We make use of external and internal moderation opportunities to ensure the quality of teacher’s judgments, as well as half-termly book scrutinies to ensure work is engaging and is sufficiently challenging for all pupils.
You are most welcome to visit our school to find out more about R.E. provision. The Chaplaincy team would love to show you around too!
