Although we are a Catholic school, we believe it is very important that pupils learn to respect the faiths and beliefs which others hold. Therefore, children are given the opportunity to learn about other cultures and faiths throughout their time at St Bernadette’s.

The Church calls us to be committed to respecting people from other religions and to recognise that God is at work within them, our brothers and sisters. Pupils are encouraged not merely to learn facts about other religions but to also reflect upon them and gain insight from them. Children are taught to be respectful and understanding of people and traditions from other faith backgrounds.

Each term there is a multi-faith week when the children focus on different elements of the faith they are studying e.g. key beliefs, holy books, places of worship, holy days and festivals. The teaching about other religions is important because learning about other religions and cultures is one of the ways in which we fulfil our call to love our neighbour. As the Church says, “The love for all men and women is necessarily also a love for their culture. Catholic schools are, by their very vocation, intercultural.” (Congregation for Catholic Education p61).

During our learning about other religions, we invite guest speakers into school and to Zoom with the children, to give an even deeper insight into other faith backgrounds. KS1 have been lucky enough to be visited by Rabbi Gluck, who spoke to the children about Passover. Kirtida very kindly visited school and spoke to the children in LKS2 about her faith, Hinduism. Furthermore, UKS2 had a Zoom call with Joyce, who is a Buddhist. She gave the children a virtual tour of her home, and how she worships.