Religious Studies 

Subject Leader:  Miss Louise Jordan 

In Religious Studies, our intent is to provide a stimulating, varied and enriching learning experience to prepare students for life in a culturally diverse modern world.   We aim to encourage enthusiastic interest in the study of other people’s beliefs, while developing further their understanding of their own beliefs.   We promote mutual respect, tolerance and understanding across different cultures and communities.  To this end, pupils study the major world faiths as well as having the opportunity to explore alternative world views.   

Over the five years of studying Core RS, we aim for students to develop an understanding of belief, and the role both religious and non-religious worldviews play in modern British society.  Students will learn about the beliefs and practices of major world faiths, but will also look at non-religious worldviews, and consider the role of diversity and tolerance in our pluralistic society.  As students progress through the school they will have the opportunity to apply their understanding of different worldviews and ethical frameworks to increasingly complex eithical debates and topics. 

Students will engage with Religious Studies from multiple disciplinary perspectives.  Our students will learn from the 3 fundamental pillars of the subject: theology, philosophy, and social science.   

 

Theology. 

The pillar which is likely the most familiar aspect of RS.  Students will learn about fundamental beliefs of specific religious groups from a range of sources, including extracts of religious texts and the teachings of faith leaders.  They will be able to apply this knowledge to explain the role of faith and belief in daily life, and to explain how these ideas inform practices. 

Philosophy. 

This pillar of RS is best described as thinking about thinking.  Students will be encouraged to consider ethical dilemmas and try to understand the nature of the world and humanity’s place within it.  This discipline enables students to draw upon their knowledge of both religious and non-religious worldviews, while expanding their own understanding. 

Social Science. 

The final pillar of RS is about placing the role of belief into its practical context.  Worldviews intersect with all sorts of other elements of culture, politics, and identity.  Through studying the use of social science methods, such as interviews, surveys, observations and statistics, students will gain the skills needed to truly understand how faith and ideas affect the world around them and why they matter. 

For those who are studying the subject for GCSE, they will also have developed a detailed knowledge and understanding of the religious beliefs, teachings, practices, and sources of wisdom and authority in Christianity and Islam.  They will have become informed about common and divergent views within traditions and the way beliefs and teachings are understood and expressed.  They will have developed their understanding through an issues-based approach to the study of religious, philosophical and ethical studies in the modern world. 

Curriculum Content 

Religious Studies	Term 1	Term 2	Term 3	Term 4	Term 5	Term 6
Year 7	Introduction to RS: What is meant by Religion and Worldviews?	Introduction to RS: What is meant by Religion and Worldviews?	Christian Beliefs: What do Christians believe about Jesus?	Christian Beliefs: What do Christians believe about Jesus?	Islamic Beliefs: What do Muslims learn from their Prophets?	Islamic Beliefs: What do Muslims learn from their Prophets?
Year 8	Christian Practices: How might Christian teachings impact a Christian’s life?	Christian Practices: How might Christian teachings impact a Christian’s life?	Non-Religious Worldview: How might following Humanist beliefs affect a person’s way of living?	Non-Religious Worldview: How might following Humanist beliefs affect a person’s way of living?	Islamic Practices: How might Islamic teachings affect a Muslim’s life?	Islamic Practices: How might Islamic teachings affect a Muslim’s life?
Year 9 GCSE	Component 3: Islamic Beliefs	Component 3: Islamic Beliefs	Component 3: Islamic Practices	Component 3: Islamic Practices	Component 2: Christian Beliefs	Component 2: Christian Beliefs
Year 9 Core	Is there a God?	Is there a God?	Buddhism: Who was the Buddha and what did he teach?	Buddhism: How do the Buddha’s teachings impact life?	Buddhism: How do the Buddha’s teachings impact life?	Buddhism: How did Buddhism become a global religion?
Year 10 GCSE	Component 2: Christian Practices	Component 2: Christian Practices	Component 1: Issues of good and evil	Component 1: Issues of good and evil	Component 1: Issues of relationships	Component 1: Issues of relationships
Year 10 Core	Good, Evil and Suffering: Why is there suffering in the world, and how do we deal with it?	Good, Evil and Suffering: Why is there suffering in the world, and how do we deal with it?	Justice, Fairness and Discrimination: Is the world fair?	Justice, Fairness and Discrimination: Is the world fair?	The Natural Environment and Stewardship: How should we treat the world?	The Natural Environment and Stewardship: How should we treat the world?
Year 11 GCSE	Component 1: Issues of Life and Death	Component 1: Issues of Life and Death	Component 1: Issues of Human Rights	Component 1: Issues of Human Rights	Revision: Exam skills and critical writing	Revision: Exam skills and critical writing
Year 11	Life, Death and Medical Ethics: How do we make ultimate decisions?	Life, Death and Medical Ethics: How do we make ultimate decisions?	Relationships: How should we treat others and be treated?	Relationships: How should we treat others and be treated?	Free Revision	Free Revision

Core Assessment  

All students are informally assessed as part of routine classroom activities, by being asked to formulate both written and verbal responses.  Students in years 7-9 are assessed three times a year, with the skills of knowledge, understanding and evaluation being covered.   
 

Homework  

Students in years 7-9 are set one homework task per half term.  These tasks are intended to broaden the students’ exposure to ideas and experiences by building on the topic they are studying in class, and often using their homework as part of in-class projects and house events.   
 

How Parents and Carers Can Support  

Encourage your daughter to explore her own beliefs and ideas, a nd reflect on how she came to hold them. 

Discussing the reasons behind family traditions can be greatly beneficial in helping your daughter connect beliefs to action.  Additionally, talking about why other people may do things differently from her, or why things are happening in the news, will help support understanding of the impact and diversity of worldviews. 
 

Additional Support Available/Useful Links  

Reading is famous for its Abbey, now in ruins, but worth a visit and free of charge in the town center.  There are many places of worship throughout the area, some of which are open regularly.   
Otherwise, the following video tours of religious buildings are useful: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N0SBW47dlk   Regents Park Mosque 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9R98e03In6c   A Gurdwara 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DihpBOTLK9Y   Neasden Hindu Temple 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW52sJ_5DMA  An Orthodox Jewish synagogue 
https://request.org.uk/resource/life/church/church-tours/  Tours of Anglican, Roman Catholic and Independent churches 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMPmv_aPQsI  A Buddhist temple  

Reading List  
The Holy books of the different world religions 
Fiction such as ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ by C.S. Lewis 
Biographies of people influenced by their faith 

Year 9, 10 and 11 GCSE 

Exam board and syllabus code: Eduqas Religious Studies Route A 

Content  

There are three papers which are taught over the three years of the course.  We begin in year 9 with our world faith study, which we focus on the beliefs, teachings, and practices of Islam.  We then move on to the beliefs, teachings and practices of Christianity.  The final component (which is 50% of the qualification) is on religious, philosophical and ethical studies in the Modern World, looking at Issues of Relationships, Life and Death, Good and Evil and Human Rights.  While this does mean studying the exam components in reverse order, we feel that this is the best way to support our students’ growing understanding, and provides the greatest opportunities for success in their final exams. 

Assessment  
The skills of knowledge, understanding and evaluation are tested regularly, with three papers in the final examination 
Component 1:  Religious, Philosophical and Ethical Studies in the Modern World (2 hours, worth 50% of the GCSE) 
Component 2:  Study of Christianity (1 hour, worth 25% of the GCSE) 
Component 3:  Study of a World Faith (in our case, Islam) (1 hour, worth 25% of the GCSE) 

Homework  
Homework is set every fortnight, giving students the opportunity to consolidate lesson work, research topics, or develop skills of answering questions. 

How Parents and Carers Can Support  
As in core, encourage your daughter to engage in meaningful conversations about how people live their lives and why they make the decisions they do. 

Encourage your daughter to complete all homework tasks thoroughly and revisit the syllabus content regularly, creating meaningful revision materials for herself.  

 

Additional Support Available/Useful Links  

• The examination board, Eduqas, has a website with many resources, including knowledge organisers, blended learning, and skills intervention tasks. 

• GCSE Pod is an excellent revision resource with videos and quizzes.  Homework is often set using this website, which students are provided an account for through the school. 

• BBC Bitesize 

• Textbooks and Revision guides (specifically for the Eduqas route A full course syllabus)