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?

KS3 Philosophy, Religion and Ethics is important as part of a broad and balanced curriculum. Students will be encouraged in this subject to engage with a variety of religious and non-religious world views. Parents have the right to withdraw their children from PRE on the grounds that they wish to provide their own Religious Education. This provision will be the parents’ responsibility. Should you wish to withdraw your child and discuss this matter, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

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.