Religious Education

RE is part of the Religious Education & Humanities Faculty

• Mrs H Cullum - Head of Faculty
• Ms A Hodgson -  2nd in Religious Education
• Mr M Britton - Teacher of Religious Education/Deputy Head
• Mr N Appel - Teacher of Religious Education
• Mr A Patel - Teacher of Religious Education
• Mr R Ubbi - Teacher of Religious Education
• Mrs D Williams - Teacher of Religious Education/Head of PSHE, Careers & Citizenship

Click here to view the Religious Education Learning Journey

Please click below for detailed Programmes of Study for each year group:

 

Religious Education (RE) is seen by Governors and Leadership as part of the core curriculum of the school as well as a key aspect of the schools Christian identity. All students study RE through to GCSE and many choose to continue that study through our A level Courses.

What we teach

Religious Education is studied from a position of positive yet critical enquiry about the diverse religious views and practices found both in the UK and around the world. The syllabus allows students to develop their higher level thinking skills and develop their own sense of identity through open and honest discussion about the nature of humanity, concepts of God and the relationship between the two.

Year 7

Year 7 students explore RE through an Integrated Thematic Curriculum. Students study the topic of 'Beginnings' and ‘Christian Philosophy’ in the Autumn term. In the Spring term, they study a unit on Bible Figures, and then explore Christian virtues through the film ‘The Lion King’. They then go onto study Judaism and Hinduism as world religions in the Summer Term.

Year 8

In Year 8, students continue their thematic study of Christianity, studying Christian worship and Christian festivals in the Autumn term, then Christian Philosophy and Ethics in the first half of the Spring term. They then study two more world religions, Sikhism and Buddhism, before a topic on Religion in the UK in the second half of the Summer term.

GCSE

The years 9 – 11 follow the GCSE course where students study the AQA syllabus with Christianity and Islam.

In Paper 1 Students at GCSE will study the key beliefs, practices and teachings of Christianity and Islam. They will explore the diverse religious traditions and beliefs in Great Britain today with a focus on the main religious tradition in Great Britain today being Christianity. They will learn about the sources of wisdom and authority and be able to refer to the Bible, Qur’an or Sunnah using specific quotes or examples. The students will look at the influence of these teachings on believers, communities and the wider society.

They will also explore the common and divergent views within the religions and the way that different belief may be understood in different traditions.

In Paper 2 students will explore four religious, philosophical and ethical themes. They will learn about the different religious perspectives on the issues studied and the different perspectives from religious perspectives and non-religious beliefs such as atheism and humanism.

Students must also study the impact and influence that the religious, philosophical and ethical themes have on the modern world.

The themes that are studied are:

• Relationships and families
• Religion and Life
• Religion, Peace and Conflict
• Religion Crime and Punishment

A Level

Our A level course follows the OCR Religious Studies syllabus that that incorporates the following elements:

Philosophy of Religion

Learners will study:

• ancient philosophical influences
• the nature of the soul, mind and body
• arguments about the existence or non-existence of God
• the nature and impact of religious experience
• the challenge for religious belief of the problem of evil
• ideas about the nature of God
• issues in religious language.

 

Religion and Ethics

Learners will study:

• normative ethical theories
• the application of ethical theory to two contemporary issues of importance
• ethical language and thought
• debates surrounding the significant idea of conscience
• sexual ethics and the influence on ethical thought of developments in religious beliefs.

 

Developments in Christian Thought

Learners will study:

• religious beliefs, values and teachings, their interconnections and how they vary historically and in the contemporary world
• sources of religious wisdom and authority
• practices which shape and express religious identity, and how these vary within a tradition
• significant social and historical developments in theology and religious thought
• key themes related to the relationship between religion and society

This is a linear course and students are examined at the end of year 13. Click here for a more detailed Year 12 plan and further reading Click here for a more detailed Year 13 plan and further reading