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

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Year 7 Religious Studies

• Islam: The Final Revelation? – Examining the foundational beliefs and practice of modern Islam.

• Introduction to RS and Key RS Skills – Understanding key skills needed to examine religious beliefs.

• Judaism: The Chosen People? – Understanding the history, beliefs and modern practice of Judaism.

 

Year 7 Biblical Studies

The Year 7 Biblical Studies material is delivered through Pastoral Studies where pupils new to Tenison’s learn about Biblical perspectives on how to live in community

 

Year 8 Religious Studies

• Hinduism: Belief in Many Deities – An investigation of the history, beliefs and practices of the Hindu faith

• Buddhism: Seeking Enlightenment – An investigation of the history, beliefs and practices of the Buddhist faith

• Sikhism: Pray, Work, Give – An investigation of the history, beliefs and practices of the Sikh faith

 

Year 8 Theology – Investigating the Stories and Theology of the Old Testament

• Being Human – Considering what it means to be made in the Image of God

• Listening – Understanding different about what it means to live by the Word of God

• Leadership – There are many rulers and authorities in the Old Testament.  We ask the question, ‘In Whose King Can We Trust?’

• When things go wrong? – What do we learn from the Old Testament about whose Saviour actually Saves?

• Whose Promise is Kept? – What does it mean to live according to the Covenant?

 

 Year 9 Religious Studies

• Philosophy: Does God Exist? – Discussing and examining philosophical arguments to support or deny the God of Classical Theism

• Ethics: What is Morality? – Considering religious ideas about the Sanctity of Life, Environmental Ethics and Animal Rights

• Ethics: Matters of Life and Death – Investigating Medical Ethics, Equality and Attitudes to Poverty

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

 

Year 9 Theology – Investigating the Stories and Theology of the New Testament

• Who is this Jesus? – Exploring what biblical and non-biblical sources tell us about the person of Jesus Christ

• Why did Jesus Come? Why did Jesus have to die? – What does the New Testament teach about the necessity of Jesus mission and death?

• Why did Jesus have to Rise Again?  Why will Jesus have to Return? – Christian theology about the promise of New Life with God

 

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