Discerning Disciples

Discerning disciples is as a curriculum designed to support us in our shared mission of forming Christ-centered pilgrims of hope with kind hearts, questioning minds, a thirst for knowledge, and a hunger for justice.

The new RE curriculum is called Discerning Disciples. The word discerning simply means being able to recognise what is true, good, and right and to judge wisely. It is helpful to think of wisdom in terms of having a helicopter view of life so that decisions can be made in the light of faith, often through scripture, reason, and lived experience.

They describe the kind of people the gospel calls us to become and the kind of formation our schools exist to offer.

At the heart of discerning disciples is the conviction that every pupil is created in God's image and invited into relationship with him.

Religious education, therefore, is not simply the transmission of information about faith. It is part of the church's mission to form disciples who know who they are in Christ, who can reflect deeply and wisely and who are ready to live out the gospel with courage and compassion.

Jesus entrusts his mission to the church to proclaim the good news to form missionary disciples and to send them out in joyful service. 

The curriculum forms Christ centered pilgrims of hope by placing Jesus at the center of all learning in religious education.

Pupils encounter him in scripture, come to recognise his presence in prayer and the sacraments and begin to understand how faith illuminates the whole of life.

This grounding in Christ nurtures hope. Hope rooted not in optimism but in trust in God's faithfulness. Discerning disciples also seeks to form kind hearts. Flowing from Catholic social teaching, pupils learn that the love of God is inseparable from love of neighbour. They are helped to recognise the dignity of every person and to see service, compassion, and charity as essential expressions of faith.

In this way, the curriculum supports our call within unfolding God's plan to build up the common good and to reach out to those most in need.

At the same time, it deliberately nurtures questioning minds and a thirst for knowledge. Faith is presented not as something fragile, but as something rich, coherent, and worthy of reflection. Pupils are encouraged to wonder, to ask deep questions, and to grow in understanding as their capacity develops. This is formation that respects both faith and reason, helping young people to grow confidently in knowledge and wisdom within the tradition of the church.

Finally, discerning disciples forms pupils with a hunger for justice. Rooted in the gospel, they begin to see that discipleship involves responsibility for one another, for creation, and for the world God loves.

.