Religious Education

 
Key Stage 3

Year 7 – Community

  • CONTENT FOCUS: THE CHURCH – The community of believers from all races and nationalities.

AIM: Throughout this unit pupils will examine how the Christian community comes together to welcome members into the group as the Body of Christ and how this enables people to complete the work which Jesus left for the disciples following The Ascension.

  •  CONTENT FOCUS: GOD – Christians believe in a creator God who is active in the world redeeming and sustaining it.

AIM: Throughout this unit pupils will examine how the Christian community comes together in its belief that God has made them responsible for the world and that within this various groups act to follow the command given by God to Adam.

  • CONTENT FOCUS: JESUS – Christians believe that Jesus is the perfect expression of God, he is “The Christ”; Son of God, the Saviour.

AIM: Throughout this unit pupils will examine how modern day Christian communities follow the actions and teachings of Jesus in the way in which they operate and consider how the pupil is seen as a role model.

  •  CONTENT FOCUS: ISLAM – Ibadah, Akhlaq, and Tawhid

AIM: Throughout this unit pupils will examine how the Islamic community expresses its belief in one God and how worship affects what the community does to exemplify submission to the will of Allah through an exploration of The Five Pillars and the beliefs within these.

  • CONTENT FOCUS: Hindu Dharma

AIM: Throughout this unit pupils will examine how the Hindu community basis the way in which it lives on the concept of Samsara as exemplified by the Trimurti.

  • CONTENT FOCUS: Sikh Dharam – Beliefs and Values, The Guru, The Community and Practices.

AIM: Throughout this unit pupils will examine how the Sikh community exemplifies the concepts of equality through the joining of the Khalsa Panth.  This is linked to the life of Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh, and how Sikhs follow their examples as disciples of the Guru


Year 8 – Sacred Books and revered literature

  • CONTENT FOCUS: GOD - Christians believe in a creator God who is active in the world  redeeming it.

AIM: Throughout this unit pupils will examine how God is presented to Christianity through a variety of Sacred Books and Revered Literature which enables people to better understand the nature of God.

  • CONTENT FOCUS: THE CHURCH – Church as a community of believers from all races and nationalities.

AIM: Throughout this unit pupils will examine how the Christian community uses the example of Jesus’ baptism to become a member of the worldwide church through the act of Baptism. This focuses on baptism as shown in the Baptist tradition where a conscious decision has been made to join the fellowship of Christianity.

  • CONTENT FOCUS: JESUS – Christians believe that Jesus is the perfect expression of God, He is the “The Christ”; Son of God, Saviour.

AIM: Throughout this unit pupils will examine the belief that is central to Christianity, that God became fully human in order to save humankind. Pupils will undertake an analysis of the events of the life of Jesus, which show this core belief.

  • CONTENT FOCUS: Islam – Iman, Akhlaq and Tawhid

AIM: Throughout this unit pupils will examine how the Islamic community expresses its belief that the Qur’an is the final revelation of Allah to humankind and the place, which this affords the Qur’an in its use.

  • CONTENT FOCUS: Hindu dharma

AIM: Throughout this unit pupils will examine how the Hindu community use stories to show the way to escape samsara and attain moksha. This will investigate how the nature of Brahman is translated through different texts to make it comprehensible for the reader and how examples of living illustrated within stories provide a guide to attaining moksha – a concept known as Jnana Yoga.

  • CONTENT FOCUS: BUDDHISM, Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha

AIM: Throughout this unit pupils will examine the role of the sacred texts and revered literature as providing an example of the Eightfold Noble Pathway to which Buddhists may turn to live their life according to what Buddha taught, and to examine the place of The Buddha in Buddhism.


Year 9 -  Worship

  • CONTENT FOCUS: The Church

AIM: Guidance by the Holy Spirit through Baptism and membership

  • CONTENT FOCUS: Jesus

AIM: Christian values based on what has been experienced in Jesus:
                        Forgiveness
                        Love
                        Response to the teaching of Jesus

  • CONTENT FOCUS: God

AIM: Examine how Christians worship God through a knowledge and understanding of the Church Festivals

  • CONTENT FOCUS: Islam

AIM: To study how God is worshipped through salat and du’ah

  • CONTENT FOCUS: Hindu Worship

AIM: To know and understand who Hindu’s worship, the role of divine images and worship in the home.

  • CONTENT FOCUS: Judaism
AIM: To know and understand the life rituals and the home of a Jew through the key concepts of Brit Milah (circumcision),Bar and bat Mitzvah, mezuzah and the laws of kashrut.

 

Key Stage 4

At KS4 pupils have one hour a week of PSHE and RE combined. The RE content of the course is as follows:
War and Peace
Stewardship
Suffering
Love, marriage and family life
Crime and Punishment
Wealth and Poverty 

 

GCSE 

At GCSE we follow the AQA Syllabus A with an exam at the end of each year, each worth 50% of the final grade. 

 

In year 10 we complete a detailed study of Christianity which includes:

Beliefs and sources of authority
Commitment and membership
Holy Communion
Worship
Places of worship
Festivals

50% exam

In year 11 we complete a detailed study of ethics in Islam which includes:

Life and death
Fertility treatments
Gene therapy
Wealth and poverty
Conflict and suffering
Environment
Relationships and lifestyles
Crime and punishment

50% exam