Catholic Preschool and Primary Religious Education

The Catholic Preschool and Primary Religious Education Curriculum for Ireland (2015) was approved by the Irish Episcopal Conference and granted the Decree of Recognitio by the Holy See in 2015. It is the curriculum from which Grow in Love, the new Religious Education series for Catholic primary schools, is written.

The aim of the Catholic Preschool and Primary Religious Education Curriculum is: ‘To help children mature in relation to their spiritual, moral and religious lives, through their encounter with, exploration and celebration of the Catholic faith’.

The content of this curriculum is divided into four interrelated strands: Christian Faith; Word of God; Liturgy and Prayer; and Christian Morality. Together, these four strands outline the knowledge and understanding, skills and processes that make up the learning to be achieved at each level of the curriculum. The curriculum also outlines skills of religious literacy which should be developed in students from preschool right up to Sixth class/P7. These are divided into five categories: understanding, communicating, participating, developing spiritual literacy and developing inter-religious literacy.

Conscious of the needs of teachers working with children with moderate, severe and profound general learning disabilities, the Catholic Preschool and Primary Religious Education Curriculum also includes Guidelines for teachers in Special Schools. The Catholic Preschool and Primary Religious Education Curriculum for Ireland is an important document for every primary school teacher.