The aim of the curriculum is to offer students an understanding of some of the major world faiths and world views whilst allowing students to reflect on their own beliefs and views. Students should understand the lens in which they view the world and where this sits in relation to others. Students are also undertaking a curriculum, that not only helps them to understand key religious and non-religious beliefs, but also to tackle some challenging philosophical and ethical questions which helps to embed challenge within the curriculum. It is important that students understand the impact of the religious and philosophical ideas throughout history, helping to comprehend how society has been shaped by such beliefs. Students are also asked to develop subject specific skills. Assessments are formatted so that students can practice the skill of evaluation which requires them to engage with both sides of an argument and form their own judgement. Other subject skills they will practice include:
- Explaining
- Summarising
- Comparing and contrasting
- Justifying
- Analysis of religious/ non-religious texts
The curriculum focuses on just some of the major world faiths and views to ensure that a suitable amount of depth can be gone into, avoiding superficial understandings of a broader range of worldviews. Themes have also been revisited across the three-year curriculum plan to ensure that depth can be built on across the time of study. Opportunities have been taken to also create cross curricular links with subjects like history, English literature, art and geography. The aim here is that students can understand how the worldviews and philosophical ideas they are studying have impacted and influenced society; illustrating the relevance of the subject.
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KS3 Philosophy, Religion and Ethics
Year 7
Term 1 & 2
- Exodus
- Who was Jesus?
Terms 3 & 4
- Exploring Sikhism
- What does it mean to be a Muslim in the modern world?
Terms 5 & 6
- Community
- Heroes and Leaders
Year 8
Terms 1 & 2
- What is Humanism?
- Denominations - How can we be the same but different?
Terms 3 & 4
- How can we be active members of society?
- Pilgrimages
Terms 5 & 6
- Do religions promote equality?
- Are science and religion compatible?
Year 9
Terms 1 & 2
- Peace and Conflict
- Is there a right way to live?
Terms 3 & 4
- Who owns life?
- Suffering and Evil
Terms 5 & 6
- What is philosophy?
GCSE Religious Studies
Year 10
Term 1 - Religion Crime and Punishment
Looks at religious views on crime and punishment including capital punishment, the causes of crime and the aims of punishment.
Term 2 - Islamic Beliefs
Looks at different beliefs within Islam. These include the nature of God, the Six Articles of Faith, day of judgement and Muslim beliefs about life after death.
Term 3 - Islamic Practices
Focuses on the different practices within Islam such as where Muslims worship, duties and festivals.
Term 4 - Religion and Life
Focuses on the origins of life, creation, abortion, euthanasia and fertility treatment.
Term 5 - Relationships and Families
Students will consider religious attitudes towards contraception, sex before and after marriage, divorce and the nature of families.
Term 6 - Religion Peace and Conflict
Looks at religious attitudes towards terrorism, use of violence during conflict and the ‘just war’ theory.
Year 11
Term 1 - Christian Beliefs
Looks at Christian views on the nature of God, the holy trinity, Jesus’ life and death and how Jesus’ teachings affect Christians today.
Term 2 - Christian Practices
Explores the practices of Christians, including worship and prayer, sacraments, festivals and church growth in the wider community
Term 3 & 4 - Revision
A Level Philosophy
Year 12
Term 1 - What is Knowledge?
Understanding and defining the nature of knowledge.
Term 2 - Perception as a Source of Knowledge / Limits of Knowledge
How we perceive material objects in the world including direct and indirect realism. Evaluating the limits of knowledge and dealing with scepticism and its objections.
Term 3 - Mid and end of term examination
Term 4 - Moral Philosophy
Evaluating theories such as utilitarianism, deontological ethics and applied Kantian ethics.
Term 5 - Aristotelian Virtue Ethics
Explore issues with Aristotle and his ideas on virtues, vices and moral responsibility.
Term 6 - Meta Ethics
Explore moral realism and moral anti-realism, including cognitivist theories such as Mackie’s error theory.
Year 13
Terms 1 & 2 - The Concept and Nature of God and the Arguments Relating to the Existence of God
Evaluating the different attributes of God and analysing the different arguments for God's existence such as Ontological arguments, teleological arguments and cosmological arguments.
Term 3 - Religious Language
This includes exploring cognitivist, empiricist and logical positivist views on religious language.
Term 4 - Metaphysics of Mind
Exploring a range of views about the theories of the mind including substance and property dualism.