Religious Education
“The first educators in the faith are parents. It is they, above all others, who establish in their children the first sensitivity and responsiveness to the presence of God, to the practice of prayer and to the patterns of life in the community of faith, the parish. By their example in the home and, their participation in the Mass and the other sacraments, the foundations of a life-long faith and discipleship in their children are laid down.”
Statement from the Bishop’s Conference of England and Wales on Religious Education in Catholic Schools 2000.
It is, with this statement in mind that we recognise and acknowledge the importance of the partnership with the home and parish communities to which our children belong. As the General Director for Catechesis affirms: “This partnership between home and parish is enhanced by the role of the Catholic school in which the educational mission of the church finds a particular and important expression.”
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
In keeping with our Mission Statement, we at St Charles 
Borromeo Catholic Primary School aim to provide a Religious Education that attends to the needs of every pupil. We follow “Come and See”, the Catholic scheme for primary schools, in line with Diocesan guidance and The Curriculum Directory. We are committed to providing the children with the rich and varied learning opportunities that will help them to be able to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith.
Come and See is developed through three themes based upon which are gradually explored each time at greater depth. They are:
Community of Faith – Church
Celebration of Ritual – Sacraments
Way of Life – Christian Living
In our school, RE is taught discretely and developmentally. It includes the deepening of knowledge and understanding of key theological ideas and their applications to life. Children are encouraged to engage with the difficult questions of meaning and purpose which everyone has to face will enable them to think critically about their own questions of meaning and purpose. Religious education also offers the children a sense of self-worth through their experience of belonging to a caring community and an awareness of the demands of religious commitment in everyday life.
At St Charles Borromeo we believe in providing the children with rich and varied learning opportunities. Teachers are encouraged to be as creative as possible in their lesson planning and to employ a range of teaching styles including:
PRAYER AND WORSHIP
In keeping with our Mission Statement, we believe that Christian worship in a Catholic school is concerned with giving glory, honour, praise and thanks to God. It is our loving response, in word and action, to God’s invitation to enter into relationship, made possible through the work of Jesus Christ and the witness of the Holy Spirit.
There are daily acts of worship during the school week in the form of Key Stage assemblies, Hymn Practice and a whole school assembly led by Mr Holt, our Headteacher.
Prayer is an integral aspect of our school life. Through prayer, we seek to deepen the children’s relationship with God in a way that is relevant and meaningful to them. Prayer forms an 
essential part of all acts of collective worship and liturgical celebrations.
Each class has their own prayer table which is a focus for the children’s prayer. More formal prayers are shared too, such as morning and evening prayers, grace before and after meals. Children are also encouraged to compose their own prayers.
MULTIFAITH PROGRAMME
As part of the "Come and See" programme, two weeks are set aside for the study 
of other faiths, one in the Autumn term and one in the Summer term.
Judaism, the root of our faith, is studied every year along with one other world faith. The other faiths studied are: Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism.
USEFUL LINKS
The schools in Xavier Catholic Education Trust are part of the family of schools in the Doicese of Arundel and Brighton