Pupil Chat with Governors 11/5/12

We had the pleasure to meet with children on Friday and discuss the topic of R.E. and Collective Worship and how it was taught within the school. The juniors brought their RE books to show us some of the work they had completed.
Infancts, Reception, Year 1 & 2
The children were asked if they knew what the abbreviation RE stood for and the children from Year 2 were able to answer this.
The children were asked “what does RE means to you?”
Their responses included:
“Thinking about Jesus and the 3 kings”, “praying”, “talking to God”.
When the children were asked what they liked to do in RE, they included the following:
“Painting and making stuff”, “role play”, “lighting candles” & talking to God”.
They all enjoyed the subject of RE because they liked learning about Jesus and God.
All of the children were aware of other religions and the Year 2 children could actually describe some of the practices implemented by other religions.
With regards to Collective Worship the aim is for the children to do this daily in various forms e.g. assembly, hymn practice with prayers. Mrs Opalko sets them a target from the Gospel reading in Monday’s assembly. They enjoyed the collective worship held within their classrooms because they are “inviting God into their class”.  The children enjoy attending school mass and like visiting the church as part of their lessons.
Juniors
The children were asked what topics they were learning in RE and these included Pentecost and the story of Lazarus. They could recount the stories but go a stage further and also explain what it actually meant to them as an individual.
What do you enjoy about RE?
Their responses included:
“Learning about God and Jesus”, “role play”, “hot seating” “learning how to use rosary beads” and also “who to turn to when life gets difficult”.
The children were fully aware of other religions and could explain some of the similarities as well as the differences between them. The upper juniors particularly enjoyed the trip to the Gurdwara and the seder meal that Mr Brookman prepared for them.
With regards to Collective Worship, like the infants, the aim is for the children to do this daily in various forms e.g. assembly, hymn practice with prayers. Mrs Opalko sets them a target from the Gospel reading in Monday’s assembly.
They enjoy Collective Worship because they feel “at peace with God”. One of the rewards in the upper juniors was to lead Collective Worship or take some of the RE lesson. The children thoroughly enjoyed this and liked being taught by another child as they felt they made it easier to understand.
They enjoy attending mass and having the opportunity to talk to the priest and ask him questions after.
Some suggestions they had for future RE lessons included “making a sculpture of God” “writing their own prayers” and “using actions to help bring prayers to life”.
It was evident that all of the children we met enjoyed the subject of RE and the different methods used to teach it. It was also clear from the children that they were being taught more that the readings in the bible, but also how to use God’s teachings in their every day life.