Religious Studies
Religion Studies is an integral subject in developing students’ knowledge and understanding within the multi-cultural and diverse world in which we live.
Our vision is to allow students to develop key skills for learning and life beyond education. Students will gain a deeper understanding of religions and explore philosophy and ethics in the modern world. Our subject develops students’ skills such as critical thinking and reasoning; it encourages them to participate through in-depth debates. Studying Religion helps us to understand other people’s beliefs, what their beliefs and values are and why they do the things they do. It helps us to think about our own beliefs as well as looking at alternative belief systems we might want to find out about in the future. Religion helps us to think about big questions which people sometimes ask about life. We can look at some of the answers philosophers have come up with over the last five thousand Years. We have high expectations of our students and provide a variety of opportunities for them to engage with the subject through our teaching and learning methods. Students are able to enjoy and achieve in Religion, Philosophy and Ethics through activities such as group work, role play, research and debate. We also focus on developing the students to become independent students by encouraging them to have a growth mind-set and foster a love of learning for the subject. Some of the most important figures in history, and in the modern-world, have studied Religious Studies such as T.S.Elliot, Carol-Ann Duffy and Martin Luther King Jr. Our aim is to inspire our students to understand the importance of Religious Studies in today’s world whilst ensuring they gain the best possible results at all key stages.
KS3 Religious Studies
Our Curriculum
Students receive two hours per fortnight in Religious Studies. KS3 is mixed ability and GGSE is sets.
Course Description
- Student follows aspects of the Hertfordshire Agreed syllabus. The syllabus is intended to be a foundation providing a wider understanding for the Key Stage 4 GCSE and A-Level Religious Studies. Each topic lasts for half a term or a term and is assessed by an end of module assessment.
Examples of topics studied are:
- Year 7: Religious Studies in Year 7 will focus on the practicalities and basic teachings of the religions we see in the UK today. We aim to provide students with a range of foundation skills so that they can meaningfully contribute to their learning within Religious Studies. Students will explore philosophical questions concerning the ultimate nature of reality. They will ask questions such as: why are we here? Is there a purpose to life? What happens when we die? In addition, they will analyse arguments for the existence of God. A project looking at whether Christians should be greener than anyone else will be undertaken with a view to broaden their understanding of social issues in their local area. Students will study core Christian values found within the Gospels with focus on Agape love and the actions of Jesus with the aim of analysing what it means to be a Christian in modern Britain today.
- Year 8: Religious Studies in Year 8 will engage students in the study of Judaism and Islam to further build on what was taught in Year 7 and to create a foundation for GCSE study. Students will study the origin and development of Judaism and Islam as well as the moral implications of being a follower in today’s society. They will be able to compare and contrast teachings found in the Bible, Torah and Quran. Students will study the importance of Abraham and how he founded Jewish, Christian and Islamic beliefs. These topics will equip students with the skills to analyse religion through a thematic approach. The unit ‘Can People Ever Make a Change,’ will focus on inspirational role models such as Maya Angelou, Beyoncé, The Combahee River Collective, James Baldwin, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Students will be given an opportunity to recognise who has influenced them in their lives in a positive way.
- Year 9: Religious Studies in Year 9 begins by engaging students in the study Buddhism. Within this topic students explore key Buddhist beliefs, evaluate the ideas of Buddhism in relation to suffering and analyse the life of Siddhartha Gautama and the importance he holds today. In addition, students assess the role and importance of monks and modern day Buddhists. Students develop their knowledge of Buddhism and Christianity by applying previous foundational knowledge to the topic, ‘Evil and Suffering’. Within this topic students investigate how Buddhists and Christians respond to the idea of evil and suffering, in a practical and philosophical sense, and compare different religious beliefs about evil and suffering. This topic supports the thematic study at GCSE.
Homework/Extended Learning
Homework is set on a fortnightly basis, alternating between written tasks and literacy specific tasks to widen knowledge through reading and vocabulary extension
