Overview
In preparing for adult life, it is important for students to learn and respond well to a local, national and global landscape of religious diversity and belief. In the context of today’s world, we are advocating that Religious Studies helps personal development of young people to hold balanced and well-informed conversations about religion and belief and be religiously literate. It is also our intent for the Religious Studies curriculum to engage, inspire, challenge and motivate students.
Our curriculum is rooted in exploring the beliefs and practices of a variety of religions, where students will learn about the lives and values of religious founders and leaders and consider why these examples are applicable today. The curriculum is inclusive and celebrates diversity as it explores a variety of different worldviews, both religious and non-religious. Students will discuss and explore these different views and understand their responses to philosophical and ethical decisions by considering why people might hold different beliefs and answers to life’s big questions.
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Year 7 |
Content and skills |
How is it assessed? |
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Autumn term
How do we know? |
This topic focuses on a multi-disciplinary approach that looks at different views of the world such as social sciences, theological and philosophical. Students will start to engage with more philosophical questions and looking at the ‘big picture’ of life and what we believe. |
This topic will be assessed using short mark questions based on their substantive knowledge at the end of term 1 and end of year assessment. |
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Spring term
Judaism |
Students will learn both beliefs and practices of Judaism, where they will be able to identify similarities and differences with Christianity. This topic will allow students to engage in different beliefs that are held within the UK helping them to further understand diversity. |
This topic will be assessed using short mark questions based on their substantive knowledge in the end of year assessment. |
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Summer term
Islam |
This topic teaches students some of the practices and beliefs of Islam. Students will learn about the importance of prayer and pilgrimage for Muslims as well as understanding different festivals that are celebrated throughout the year. This topic is another opportunity for students to engage with different beliefs allowing them to further understand diversity in the UK. |
This topic will be assessed using short mark questions based on their substantive knowledge in the end of year assessment. |
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Year 8 |
Content and skills |
How is it assessed? |
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Autumn term
Philosophy |
Students will study the works of Plato and Aristotle to provide them with an alternative way to view the world. This topic will build on their knowledge from Year 7 where they will be able to advance their philosophical thinking. |
This topic will be assessed using short mark questions based on their substantive knowledge at the end of term 1 and end of year assessment. |
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Spring term Who was Jesus? |
In this topic we explore the early Church and the role of the earliest apostles in shaping what is now the world’s biggest religion. Students will be able to challenge the work of Jesus and look at whether his actions were criminal, modern or controversial. Students will learn and understand the significant role Jesus had in creating a religion but also the different ways in which his actions can be interpreted. |
This topic will be assessed using short mark questions based on their substantive knowledge in the end of year assessment |
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Summer term
How influential was St. Paul? |
Students will learn about the role of St. Paul after Jesus’ death. This topic shows students how St. Paul converted to Christianity and the different ways in which people could be converted to a religion through miracles and speaking in tongues. Students will also look at the opposing views of the role of women within Christianity, questioning whether the Church viewed them as equal. |
This topic will be assessed using short mark questions based on their substantive knowledge in the end of year assessment.
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Year 9 |
Content and skills |
How is it assessed? |
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Autumn term
Justice, Morality and Human Nature |
This topic focuses on the concept of crime and justice where students will consider how do we determine right from wrong. Students will learn about some elements of the criminal justice system and judge the benefits of different aims and types of punishment within society. Questions around laws, morals and faith will be challenged to determine are humans naturally good and how should we be judged. |
This topic will be assessed using short mark questions based on their substantive knowledge at the end of term 1 and end of year assessment. |
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Spring term
Where do morals come from?
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Students will look at considering the difference between faith and reason when it comes to acting morally. This topic allows students to bring together their previous knowledge of philosophy and different religions, and apply this to evaluating whether the concept of morality depends on God. |
This topic will be assessed using short mark questions based on their substantive knowledge in the end of year assessment.
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Summer term
Does God exist and does it matter? |
This topic focuses on the Buddhist religion that looks at the idea of whether there needs to be a God to act morally. Students will start to look at the differences between religions previously looked at such as Christianity and Judaism and consider a religion that focuses on human experience. |
This topic will be assessed using short mark questions based on their substantive knowledge in the end of year assessment. |
