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The department teaches in five dedicated RE rooms, all equipped with Interactive White Boards. The department has a strong commitment to develop the students’ ability to reflect on the world as they see it and to try and make sense of it within the context of their faith. There is a strong emphasis on the teaching of the Catholic Church which is reflected in the Catholic ethos that pervades the whole school.

The department’s commitment to teaching the whole person is reflected in the use of outside specialist speakers to emphasise the need to reflect on the gift of free will and the responsibilities it carries with it so that each person develops his / her full potential to live life to the full.

tententheatre have collaborated with Trinity for a number of years to provide input on sex and relationships education. tenten refers to John 10:10 which states "I have come so that they may life and have it to the full."

The department has embraced the new KS3 National Curriculum with enthusiasm and has re-written the schemes of work to reflect the emphasis on Personal Learning and Teaching Skills and SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) initiatives. It was felt most appropriate that Religious Education should be foremost at looking at the development of the whole person while at the same time striving for academic excellence.

Many of the innovations in Y7 are being applied to the Y8 and Y9 curriculum and students are being encouraged to reflect on the process of learning.

At KS4 GCSE results show a sustained and marked improvement over several years. In pupil questionnaires, the feedback has been that students value the extra support available to them in the form of after-school Darius lessons. They also say that they enjoy participating and listening in class discussions, and that this gives them the opportunity to understand other pupils’ point of view and to build on their skills of evaluation. They also valued the use of ICT (in the form of videos and Powerpoints) to support their learning.

At KS5 the subject continues to be a popular option and there are now two Philosophy and Ethics groups in Y12. This means we now have 32 students studying RE in Y12 as opposed to 21 in Y13. Overall A level passes with A or B grades have gone up from 72% in 2006, 86% in 2008 to 95% in 2009. Student questionnaires list a number of features of the Philosophy and Ethics lesson at KS5 that help them learn and develop skills. They quote in particular ‘termly lesson and assessment overviews’, ‘regular encouragement to read widely and in depth’, ‘Additional resources available from the department library’ and ‘a lesson structure that enables students to be clear about the requirements for study.’

The teaching of the general NOCN RE course has been structured in such as a way so as to support non-specialist staff delivering the course. Modules have been written and resources provided by RE specialists. Inset and assemblies are provided to familiarize students and staff with the material provided. A programme of internal verification ensures that moderation is taking place across the groups within the school and schools within the Diocese.

Interactive white boards have now been installed in the five RE teaching rooms. INSET is provided in order that the staff becomes more confident users of ICT within the classroom. The effectiveness of the use of ICT within the classroom is being monitored by surveying students at different stages throughout the academic year.