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Religious Education, Philosophy & Ethics

Religious Education aims to support students’ personal search for meaning by engaging enquiry into the question ‘What is it to be human?’ Studying RE helps develop a knowledge and understanding of the beliefs and values which have shaped and continue to have an important influence on the world that we live in.

It 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. RE aims to develop curiosity, investigative and questioning skills and an enquiring mind. By exploring issues within and across faiths, students learn to understand different religions, beliefs, values and traditions, and their influence on individuals, communities and cultures.  Our aim is to encourage students to think for themselves and make informed decisions about their own beliefs, values and ideals.

Our curriculum aims to ensure that all students develop the knowledge, conceptual understanding, skills and learner attributes through the exploration of variety of worldviews, ethical dilemmas and ultimate questions.  The curriculum is a progression model, through which the ‘big ideas’ are developed and built upon, as students develop their own schema for understanding faith, belief and these ultimate questions.  Our big ideas or Core Concepts, through which all aspects of RE can be linked to or explained by are:

The Core Concepts

  • Key Beliefs – how does each religion revolve around a central set of tenants or beliefs?
  • Perspective – understanding the diverse nature of belief and where these come from
  • Authority – who are the key figures, what are the key texts and what are the main drivers influencing why we think the way we do?
  • Influence – how do beliefs influence the way we act?
  • Symbolism – how might complex ideas be communicated through symbol or mythology?
  • Meaning – how do world views wrestle with the questions of meaning and purpose?

key stage 3

Year 7

The Abrahamic Faiths

Was Jesus the Son of God?

  • Exploring the key events in the life of Jesus, our first unit looks to analyse and assess different worldviews and their perspectives on who Jesus was, and whether you can separate the historical Jesus and the central figure of Christianity.

How are Jewish people influenced by their religion in different ways?

  • Our second unit focuses on key events and beliefs in Judaism and understanding the diverse range of ways that those beliefs can be expressed meaningfully.

Who is Muhammad and how does he influence the lives of Muslims today?

  • Our third unit explores the historical context of the world of Muhammad, key events in his life, and how those events shape the practices of modern-day Muslims.

Is religion a good thing?

  • Our final unit builds upon the knowledge and understanding of the Abrahamic faiths to explore the impact that these religions have had on the world. It requires students to reflect and enquire about the extent to which religious figures, individuals and belief systems on the whole have shaped our world for the better or if they may have been a cause of conflict.

Year 8

Ultimate Questions

Can you believe in both religion and science?

  • To what extent is a belief in a god compatible with scientific explanations of the universe? Is there greater evidence for one than for the other? Can the Christian creation story be interpreted in a way which allows a belief in the Big Bang Theory?

Are the Buddha's teachings on suffering convincing?

  • Our second unit looks at Buddhism as the only atheistic of the six major world faiths, as well as looking at the problem of evil and suffering, and asks whether these teachings can adequately explain we face suffering.

How might religion inspire people to fight for change?

  • Students explore a range of figures from different faiths who have fought for social justice issues, explain how they may have been influenced by the central beliefs of their religion, but also evaluate whether those beliefs really are responsible for their actions.

Is death the end?

  • Our final unit asks one of the biggest questions which frames the human existence, as we explore why death is such a problem for us and look at a variety of answers to the question ‘is death the end’?

Year 9

How can we know anything?

We start the year exploring different approaches to knowledge to find out if we can know anything for sure. What are the limits of the scientific approach to knowledge? Do we need a different kind of knowledge to prove or disprove God?

Do religious teachings stop or cause conflict?

  • Our second unit analyses different conflicts around the world and explores the extent to which religion has been a cause or if it is really a screen for other motivators. We ask questions like ‘should protest ever be violent?’, ‘are Christian teachings on forgiveness too radical?’ and ‘should all we allow the use of nuclear weapons?’ to unpack the extent to which religion influences these areas of conflict.

Does religion promote equality?

  • Here we explore the text of the Bible and its different interpretations, asking questions like ‘is the Bible sexist?’, ‘what does the Bible say about race?’, ‘can you be Christian and be gay?’, ‘can the Bible lead to antisemitism?’ and ‘does Christianity promote exclusivism?’. Here students are required to think critically as well as understand and respect the plurality of perspectives.

Is religion a good thing?

  • Our final unit builds upon the knowledge and understanding of the Abrahamic faiths to explore the impact that these religions have had on the world. It requires students to reflect and enquire about the extent to which religious figures, individuals and belief systems on the whole have shaped our world for the better or if they may have been a cause of conflict.

key stage 4

From Year 10, we cover the AQA Religious Studies GCSE course with all students being entered for an exam at the end of Year 11. This course specifies the study of two religions: Christianity and Islam.

Year 10

Paper 1

  • Christian Beliefs
  • Christian Practices

Paper 2

  • Theme A: Relationships and Families
  • Theme B: Religion and Life

Year 11

Paper 1

  • Muslim Beliefs
  • Muslim Practices

Paper 2

  • Theme C: Existence of God and Revelation
  • Theme F: Human Rights and Social Justice

key stage 5

We offer the OCR Religious Studies course which is split into three strands: Philosophy, Religion and Ethics. 

Year 12 OCR Religious Studies A Level

Philosophy topics include:

  • How have Plato and Aristotle shaped philosophy?
  • Is there a soul?
  • Can we prove the existence of God?
  • Does evil disprove God?

Ethics topics include:

  • What is Natural Law and is it an effective approach to ethics?
  • Does Utilitarianism help to make decisions?
  • Should good or bad just be based on agape love?
  • Is Kantian ethics too rigid to be of use when deciding what is right or wrong?
  • Is the role of business purely to make money?

Development in Christian Thought topics include:

  • Was Jesus actually a political figure?
  • Are people predestined for Heaven or Hell?
  • Is there such a thing as ‘Christian ethics’?
  • Can you know God through reason alone?
  • Is Augustine’s view of human nature too pessimistic?

Year 13

Philosophy topics include:

  • Is the nature of God a logical contradiction?
  • Is theological language meaningful?
  • Is religious language just all just part of a language game?

Ethics topics include:

  • When we say something is good what does that mean?
  • What is conscience?
  • What is the best approach to sexual ethics?

Development in Christian Thought topics include:

  • Can you be a Christian and a feminist?
  • Is Christianity compatible with Marxism?
  • Does Christianity have to resist or adapt to secularism?