Religious Education and Spiritual Development

BGN is a Roman Catholic School which aims to be an extension of the Christian home to help parents bring up their children in the Christian tradition.

We believe that the religious ethos will be found across the whole school curriculum.

Religious Education, as a subject, is taught through the school and all pupils are entered for public examinations (either GCSE or Certificate of Educational Achievement) at Key Stage 4. In addition, the school has a good record of achievement at AS and A2 Level Religious Studies where it is studied as "Theology and Philosophy". At Post 16 we follow the Diocesan Certificate course in Catholic Social Teaching and the Diploma Course in Bioethics, both of which are validated by the Oxford Delegacy.

Religious Education is based on Scripture, Doctrine, Liturgy and Life Experience as the means whereby we discover how best to "love God and love our neighbour". The aim is to help each person to deepen his/her awareness of Christ and His Church, thereby developing an ever maturing realisation of his/her vocation. Parents are encouraged to discuss the religious educational progress of their children with the Head of RE Miss Rachel Smith, or with the individual RE teacher concerned. Spiritual development of students does not begin and end in RE lessons, but is integral to the whole school and so we offer a range of religious experiences outside the Curriculum.

There are residential retreats to Alton Castle in Staffordshire and Soli House in Stratford-on-Avon, and the yearly Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes. There are also day retreats in school and visits to places of historical and religious interest, for example Harvington Hall.

We celebrate mass as a school community at the beginning of the year and on the Church’s named Holy Days. The School Carol Service takes place at St. John’s Church, Banbury. As a School Community we attempt to reach out not only to the parish but also to the local community, holding a party for Senior Citizens ever Christmas and supporting local and national charities e.g. Father Hudson’s Homes, CAFOD, Shelter.

The Pope has said that parents are the first and best educators of their children and this is particularly so in the field of Sex Education. In school, we endeavour to support the work of the home and ensure that sex education is firmly situated within the reaching of the Catholic Church.