Religious Education

SUBJECT INTRODUCTION

Religious education provokes challenging questions about the ultimate meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God, the self and the nature of reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human. It develops students’ knowledge and understanding of Christianity, other principal religions, other religious traditions and other world views that offer answers to questions such as these. It offers opportunities for personal reflection and spiritual development.

Religious Education is a core subject which all students pursue at GCSE level. Students can continue to study religious, philosophical and ethical issues and theories in the Religious Studies A Level.

RE is a subject that legally must be taught in all state schools to all pupils at every key stage, regardless of whether the school has a religious character, is an academy, is maintained or a Free School.

Legally parents have the right to withdraw their children from the teaching of RE. It is expected that, by applying to a church school, parents understand the school’s distinctive Christian character and recognise that RE is central to the life of the school, and will therefore not feel it necessary to withdraw their child from RE.

Should a parent wish to withdraw their child from RE, please email the Headteacher Mrs Dixon hdixon@christs.school and she will arrange a meeting with the parent to discuss the RE curriculum so that parents can make an informed decision. Please note that if a child is withdrawn from RE, the school has a duty to supervise them but is not obliged to provide additional teaching nor incur extra cost.

Aims of Religious Education

Religious Education is concerned with the deep meaning that individuals and groups make of their experiences and how this helps them give purpose to their lives.

The purpose of Religious Education is to help students to reflect upon the experiences and the mysteries of life and the contribution of religious and spiritual dimensions.

Religious Education should enable students to:

Acquire and develop knowledge and understanding of Christianity and the other principal religions
Develop an understanding of the influence of beliefs, values and traditions on individuals, communities, societies and cultures
Develop the ability to make reasoned and informed judgements about religious and moral issues, with reference to the teachings of the principal religions and thereby develop confidence in their own beliefs and values
Enhance their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development by:

developing awareness of the ultimate questions of life raised by human experiences, and of how religions can relate to them
responding to such questions with reference to the teachings and practices of religions and other belief systems, relating them to their own understanding and experience
reflecting positively on their own identity, beliefs, values and experiences in the light of their study

Develop positive attitudes:

of respect towards other people who hold views and beliefs different from their own
towards living in and contributing to an inclusive and caring community and a society of diverse religions

Religious Education is taught by Ms Holland, Mr Amarfio, Mr Williams and Ms Petrovics.

THE CURRICULUM

Key Stage 3

At KS3 students have three RE lessons per fortnight. To find out more about homework requirements, please visit the Homework section of this website. Students study the following topics:

Year 7

RE in Christ’s School
Old Testament
New Testament
Hindu-Dharma
Buddhist-Dharma
Sikh-Dharma

Year 8

Inspirational People
Christian Philosophy
Ethical theories
Ethical dilemmas in the UK
People Trafficking
Worldviews and Spirited Arts

Year 9

The Soul
Problem of Evil
African Religions
Judaism
Church History
Religion in the UK

Key Stage 4 - GCSE

Year 10 and Year 11 students receive four lessons per fortnight in RE. During KS4 students will be studying AQA Religious Studies A syllabus. The two religions that students will study are Christianity and Islam to reflect the demographic of students within Christ’s community. The GCSE is assessed by two 1 hour 45 minute exams at the end of Year 11. The course consists of theological and thematic studies from a Christian and Muslim perspective.

The themes that are covered (including religious responses):

Relationships and Family (family, marriage, divorce, gender, sexuality)
Religion and Life (environment, creation, use of animals, abortion, euthanasia, afterlife)
Religion, war and peace (reasons for war, pacifism, terrorism, weapons of mass destruction)
Religion, crime and punishment (aims of punishment, death penalty, treatment of criminals, forgiveness)

These themes reflect philosophical, ethical and religious issues from a religious and non religious viewpoint.

Students will also receive an in depth study of Christianity and Islam for the theological aspect of the GCSE course. Practices, beliefs and teachings are studied from both religions as students are taught to use sacred writing to support evaluative arguments in preparation for their GCSE exams.

Christianity

Islam

Nature of God and the Trinity

Creation

Afterlife and Resurrection

Life of Jesus

Sin and Original Sin

Salvation

Worship and Prayer

Sacraments

Pilgrimages; Lourdes and Iona

Festivals; Christmas and Easter

Local and Worldwide Communities

Mission and Evangelism

Charities

Sunni and Shi’a Muslims

Nature and Oneness of God

Angels

Predestination and Human Freedom

Akhirah (Afterlife)

Prophethood

Holy Books

Salah (Prayer)

Sawm (Fasting)

Zakah (Charity)

Hajj (Pilgrimage)

Mosques

Festivals (Eid and Ashura)

To find out more about KS4 homework requirements, please visit the Homework section of this website.

Key Stage 5 / Sixth Form - A Level

At KS5 students will study the OCR Religious Studies course. This course is split into three units, Philosophy of Religion, Religious Ethics and Developments in Christian Thought. It is examined by three, essay based, exams at the end of Year 13.

Students will study ancient philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle, as well as debating issues such as the problem of evil and the existence of God. In the Religious Ethics unit, students will apply ethical theories to situations in order to delve into human morality and motivations for making decisions in ethical dilemmas. The Developments in Christian Thought unit explores theological issues such as how we can know anything about a transcendent God and whether Jesus was the Son of God or merely a teacher of wisdom.

Students are set weekly homework and expected to complete regular essays in order to practice their ability to develop and criticise arguments.

Topics Covered

Year 12

Philosophy of Religion

Plato
Aristotle
Soul, body and mind
Ontological argument
Teleological argument
Cosmological argument
Religious Experiences
Problem of Evil

Religious Ethics

Natural Law
Situation Ethics
Kantian Ethics
Utilitarianism
Euthanasia
Business Ethics

Developments in Christian Thought

Augustine and Original Sin
Knowledge of God
Jesus Christ
The Afterlife
Christian Moral Principles
Christian Moral Action

Year 13

Philosophy of Religion

Nature and attributes of God
Religious Language

Religious Ethics

Meta-ethics
Conscience
Sexual ethics

Developments in Christian Thought

Religious Pluralism and Theology
Religious Pluralism and Society
Gender and Society
Gender and Theology
The Challenge of Secularism
Liberation Theology and Marx

ENRICHMENT & EXTRA-CURRICULAR

Students have the ability to develop their understanding of philosophical, religious and ethical issues through a number of enrichment activities. Students in Year 8 have the opportunity to reflect on their own beliefs and spirituality by participating in the national Spirited Arts competition that is carried out annually.

Year 9 participate in a trip to our local Synagogue during the month of Holocaust Memorial day. Here, they can explore the Synagogue to learn more about Jewish traditions and they then receive a talk from a relative of a Holocaust survivor.

Year 10 students who also study History have the opportunity to visit Westminster Abbey. While at the Abbey they receive a tour to understand the history and significance of this church, while also being able to witness Christianity being practised in the UK today.

Year 12 and 13 students attend lectures in held by the Southwark SDBE where they have the opportunity to widen their subject knowledge while meeting students from other schools within the diocese.

Careers

Religious Education provides students with a range of skills which are transferable to a number of different A Levels and degree subjects. The subject encourages students to think critically, analyse texts and develop arguments. These are essential skills within all humanities and social sciences subjects.

According to AGCAS (the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Service), Philosophy and Ethics will prepare students for the following careers: