CCRS stands for the Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies and is awarded by the Board of Religious Studies on behalf of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.
It is an important certificate for those wishing to teach in a Catholic school, and a key qualification for professional development.
The CCRS gives each person a theological literacy and enables them to understand and contribute to the ethos of a Catholic school and other schools with a religious character.
The course is taught online and lectures are recorded and all materials are uploaded onto Moodle (our online platform). Throughout the course you will study eight modules. Six will cover Theology and two will cover Specialist Education.
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Dates and times
2025/26
You will cover the Old Testament and New Testament modules online from 7.30-9pm on:
- Tuesday 30 September 2025 (OT)
- Tuesday 7 October 2025 (OT)
- Tuesday 14 October 2025 (OT)
- Tuesday 21 October 2025 (OT)
- Tuesday 4 November 2025 (NT)
- Tuesday 11 November 2025 (NT)
- Tuesday 18 November 2025 (NT)
- Tuesday 25 November 2025 (NT).
You will cover The Sacraments and The Church modules online from 7.30-9pm on:
- Tuesday 13 January 2026 (Sacraments)
- Tuesday 20 January 2026 (Sacraments)
- Tuesday 27 January 2026 (Sacraments)
- Tuesday 3 February 2026 (Sacraments)
- Tuesday 24 February 2026 (Church)
- Tuesday 3 March 2026 (Church)
- Tuesday 10 March 2026 (Church)
- Tuesday 17 March 2026 (Church).
You will cover the Christology and Christian Morality modules online from 7.30-9pm on:
- Tuesday 21 April 2026 (Christology)
- Tuesday 28 April 2026 (Christology)
- Tuesday 5 May 2026 (Christology)
- Tuesday 12 May 2026 (Christology)
- Tuesday 2 June 2026 (Christian Morality)
- Tuesday 9 June 2026 (Christian Morality)
- Tuesday 16 June 2026 (Christian Morality)
- Tuesday 23 June 2026 (Christian Morality).
There are also two specialist modules which are held on four Wednesdays from 6-7.30pm – The Catholic Life of the School (RE1) and Teaching RE in a Catholic School (RE2).
- Wednesday 12, 26 November, and 1 December 2025 (The Catholic Life of the School)
- Wednesday 21, 28 January, and 4 February 2025 (Teaching RE in a Catholic School)
For those working in a pastoral context, the specialist modules will be Catechesis and Working in a Pastoral Context. They will be held on:
- Wednesday 8, 15, 22 October 2025 – Pastoral Ministry
- Wednesday 10, 24 February and 3 March 2026 - Catechesis
Price
The full course cost is £400.
Content
Whilst enrolled upon this course you will develop a theological literacy enabling you to understand and contribute to the ethos of a Catholic school and other schools with a religious character.
To obtain your certificate all eight modules have to be completed (six theology and two specialist), each with up to ten hours lecture time and an assessment essay or presentation.
The course consists of six core modules and two specialist modules. The six core theology modules include:
- Old Testament
- New Testament
- Sacraments
- The Church
- Christian Morality
- Christology.
The two specialist modules include:
- RE1 - Teaching RE in a Catholic School
- RE2 - The Catholic Life and Mission of the Catholic School.
It is also hoped that other specialist modules will be also be offered (Catechesis, School Chaplaincy, Youth Ministry, Liturgy & Worship).
Assessment
The course will be assessed by:
- presentations
- an essay for RE2 (1,500 words).
To obtain your certificate all eight modules have to be completed.
Requirements
This course is designed for teachers in Catholic schools and is also suitable for catechists, school governors, adult members of the Church and those involved in liturgical work to enable them to continue to grow in understanding as they live their Catholic faith.
It is recommended that Learners should have achieved a level of education equivalent to five GCSEs at grades A*- C prior to commencing the course. Exemptions may be made for adult returners with relevant experience. St Mary’s students studying Secondary Education or Theology may be eligible for credit exemption and a reduced fee. Please contact us to discuss this further.
Award
Successful students will receive a full Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies awarded by the Board of Religious Studies on behalf of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.
Contact us
For more information about this course, please contact Karen North at karen.north@stmarys.ac.uk.
For general enquiries about short courses, you can also contact the Short Courses Team:
Apply
You will need to complete a different application form depending on whether or not you are studying another education course at St Marys.
If you are not enrolling onto a St Mary's education course
If you will not be studying any other programme at St Mary’s University this September please complete this simple online form.
Apply now (external students)
Enrolling onto BA Primary Education with QTS (October 2025)
If you are planning to enrol on the BA Primary Education with QTS programme in September 2024 and wish to study the CCRS programme alongside please complete this simple online form.
Apply now (BAITT students)
Enrolling onto PGCE Primary with QTS (October 2025)
If you are planning to enrol on the PGCE Primary with QTS programme in September 2024 and wish to study the CCRS programme alongside please complete this simple online form.
Apply now (PGCE Primary students)
Enrolling onto PGCE Secondary Religious Education with QTS (October 2025)
If you are planning to enrol on the PGCE Secondary Religious Education with QTS programme in September 2024 and wish to study the CCRS programme alongside please complete this simple online form.
Apply now (PGCE Secondary RE students)
Enrolling onto PGCE Secondary (all subjects apart from PGCE Secondary Religious Education) (October 2025)
If you are planning to enrol on the PGCE Secondary (all subjects apart from PGCE Secondary Religious Education) with QTS programme in September 2024 and wish to study the CCRS programme alongside please complete this simple online form.
Apply now (PGCE Secondary students)
Enrolling onto any work-based route programme (October 2025)
If you are planning to enrol on any of our work-based route programmes (FdA Primary Education, FdA Early Years Education, BA (Hons) Primary Education with QTS (Work-based Route) - Top-Up, or BA (Hons) Primary Education (Work-based Route) - Top-Up Year) in September 2024 and wish to study the CCRS programme alongside please complete this simple online form.
Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies (work-based route students)