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Stained Glass

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Religious Studies Curriculum, Intent, Implementation, Impact

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Intent

The vision of the Religious Studies department is to challenge pupils to be religiously literate young people, with a clear understanding of the Christian faith and how the beliefs of the Christian faith compare and contrast with those of other major world faiths. We will help pupils and students to engage with religious issues in the wider world and to be able to understand and express their own views on ultimate questions of spirituality and meaning. The Key Stage 3 Religious Studies Curriculum is designed to develop learners’ religious literacy by exploring the world’s major religions. In RS, they are firstly introduced to the concept of religion and the concept of God.

 

Learners explore Western Religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) and Eastern Religions (Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism). Alongside this runs the systematic study of the Bible and of Christian theology. Pupils study key people from the Old and New Testaments and key theological concepts that lie at the heart of the Christian faith – The Nature of God, Eschatology, Salvation, Grace and Baptism. At Key Stage 4, learners develop their understanding of Christianity and Islam by exploring in detail their beliefs and practices comparatively, which enables them to think critically about the similarities and differences between these major world faiths. The curriculum is designed to develop ideas that they study at KS3, especially the concept of God, sacred texts, life after death and religious practices. It also develops their discipline in Biblical Studies and Christian Theology as learners are able to delve into a textual study of Mark’s Gospel. A thematic study of the gospel (the identity of Jesus and discipleship) helps learners practice the discipline of theology and understand how ideas about God are developed from sacred texts. At Key Stage 5, students continue to develop their understanding of God, sacred texts, life after death and religious practices as learners explore religious figures, concepts and life. Learners will find that their study of Christian theology aids them in the use of theological, philosophical, ethical and sociological scholarly viewpoints, which is developed at the Advanced Level.

 

Implementation

The three full time and one part time RS teachers plan and co-ordinate the curriculum very closely to ask pupils to questions their own faith and beliefs, as well as the faith and beliefs of others. At all times our aim is for pupils to learn to discuss and ‘disagree well’ with all aspects of faith and belief. The RS curriculum is designed for those of all faith and of none and to interest and engage pupils wherever they are on their faith journey. The results at GCSE and A level indicate that we are producing confident and perceptive learners who are able to consider religious issues in detail, but also relate religious issues to their own lives.

 

As a department team we reflect the aims of the Church of England vision for education which encourages teaching to reflect the key themes of Wisdom and Knowledge, Hope and Aspiration, Community, and Dignity and Respect. We are always seeking new ways to help our pupils and explore these key themes in their learning. At Tenison’s Religious Studies is a highly achieving academic subject, but in a Church school we also aim to complement school assemblies and other activities in school that help pupils on their own journey of faith, wherever that journey may end up.

 

Impact

By the end of GCSE pupils will have an understanding of the beliefs and practices of six major world faith with a particular emphasis on Christianity and Islam. Also, the curriculum challenges learners to explore the existential and moral questions addressed by philosophy, theology and ethics, which enables learners to critically engage with their own beliefs. Through the discipline of Theology, Biblical Studies and the study of Christian Doctrines we aim to produce knowledgeable and thoughtful pupils and students who are ready to live their beliefs in the wider world.

 

Religious Studies

Keystage 3

 

Year 7 Religious Studies

  • Introduction to RS and Key RS Skills – Examining key religious beliefs shared by different faiths

  • The life of Abraham and Moses – Investigation of the lives of two key figures in the Jewish faith

  • Judaism – Understanding the history, beliefs and modern practice of Judaism

  • Holocaust and Religious Persecution – Examining how people of faith and others are persecuted for their beliefs

 

Year 7 Biblical Studies

  • Bible Introduction – Thinking about the shape, structure and history of the Bible

  • Bible Interpretation – Considering the different ways the Bible can be read and understood

  • Old Testament Heroes and Heroines – The lives of important Old Testament people who did special things for God

  • New Testament Heroes – The Life of Paul – Examining the life and work of St Paul in the Early church

 

 

Year 8 Religious Studies

  • The Life of Jesus – Thinking about the birth, life, teaching and death of the founder of the Christian faith

  • The Church – Understanding how the church came into being and how Christians practice their faith now

  • Christian beliefs – How the practice of the Christian faith links with the core beliefs of the Christian faith

  • Islam – A detailed investigation of the key history, beliefs and practices of the Islamic faith

 

Year 8 Theology

  • The Nature of God – To know key ideas about how to understand the nature and character of God

  • Christology – Investigating Christian understandings of Jesus as ‘The Messiah’ or ‘Christ’

  • Pneumatology – Thinking about the person and work of the Holy Spirit as part of the Trinity

  • Eschatology – Understanding different Christian ideas about what may happen at the end of the world

 

 

Year 9 Religious Studies

  • Hinduism – A detailed investigation of the key history, beliefs and practices of the Hindu faith

  • Buddhism – A detailed investigation of the key history, beliefs and practices of the Buddhist faith

  • Sikhism – A detailed investigation of the key history, beliefs and practices of the Sikh faith

  • Introduction to Islam at GCSE – Introducing the key beliefs of Islam to be studied at GCSE

 

Year 9 Theology

  • Salvation – Understanding ideas from different faiths about salvation and eternal life

  • Grace – Looking at Old and New testament ideas of how God demonstrates his grace to human beings

  • Baptism – Considering the origin, purpose and different traditions of Christian baptism

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Edexcel Religious Studies GCSE – Full Course

 

  • There are 3 exam papers – one for Christianity, one for Islam and one for Mark’s Gospel

 

Year 10

  • Islam – Beliefs and Teachings

  • Islam- Practices

  • Christianity – Beliefs and Teachings

  • Christianity – Practices

  • Mark’s Gospel – Who is Jesus?

 

Year 11

  • Mark’s Gospel – The Nature of Discipleship

  • Christianity – Sources of Wisdom and Authority

  • Christianity – Forms of Expression and Ways of Life

 

The GCSE syllabus can be accessed here - https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/religious-studies-a-2016.html

 

 

Eduqas Religious Studies A Level

 

The course covers:

 

Christianity topics including

  • Religious figures and sacred texts

  • Religious concepts

  • Religious life

  • Religious practices

  • Feminist theology and the ordination of women

  • Kerygmata

  • Key beliefs e.g. The Trinity

 

Philosophy topics including

  • Inductive arguments for the existence of God

  • Deductive arguments for the existence of God

  • The problem of evil and suffering

  • Religious experience and miracles

  • Religious language

 

Ethics topics including

  • Situation ethics

  • Utilitarianism

  • Aquinas’ Natural Law and developments

  • Metaethics

  • Divine Command Theory

  • Virtue theory

  • Determinism and freewill

 

The A Level syllabus can be accessed here - https://www.eduqas.co.uk/qualifications/religious-studies-as-a-level/#tab_overview

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