Year 7
Students begin by considering the nature of faith and why people believe different things. Having completed an introduction to faith and belief, students then explore the oldest of the Abrahamic religions: Judaism. This allows students to deepen their understanding of Judaism as a religion in itself, but also as the foundation of Christianity which students will study once they have completed their exploration of Judaism.
Year 8
Students will begin by studying Islam from its origins to an analysis of what it means to be Muslim in today’s world.  They will cover key events within Islamic belief and history and analyse these events in depth.  Students will then study philosophy of religion, exploring themes such as Who is God?, theism, atheism and agnosticism, the Design and Cosmological Argument, as well as the problem of evil and religious experience.
Year 9
Students begin by looking at creation and the environment, asking philosophical and ethical questions such as; Where did the universe come from?  Do science and religion oppose or complement one another?  How should we treat the environment?  Here students delve into ethics and consider the treatment, use and abuse of the environment and animals. From ‘meat’ to ‘best mate’ students reflect on religious teachings about animals in our world and discuss their own views towards the status of the animal.  Students are then challenged through the philosophical unit of Evil and Suffering to grapple with the problem of evil: how can we reconcile the existence of evil with an omnipotent, omniscient and benevolent God? Students will then focus on beliefs and practices in Judaism before considering Jewish responses to the Shoah, which bridges the Evil and Suffering topic and their Judaism study.

Homework:
Homework will be set weekly. Homework is in the form of pre-learning and revising key content using the platforms Satchel One and Seneca.
 
Assessment:
Lessons include knowledge retrieval questions to assess prior learning. Lessons involve the active use of mini whiteboards to check for understanding and to provide real time feedback and to deal with misconceptions quickly. Students will complete written assessments during the academic year where they will be given teacher feedback on how to improve. Students will sit a mid-year test in January and an end-of-year test in the summer term.

Contact:
For further information/clarification about KS3 History please contact Miss L Shocklidge.

AQA A GCSE Religious Studies - Philosophy, Religion and Ethics

The study of two traditional world religions is fused with the exploration into philosophical, ethical and contemporary issues.  Students will be challenged to examine what they believe and do and compare and contrast this with the two faiths studied. They will be required to provide reasoning and evidence for beliefs and practices as well as the ethical and philosophical positions held by the religions studied.

Short Course

All year 10 and 11 students complete a GCSE Short-Course.

What do we study?
Component 1: The study of religious beliefs and teachings.
Beliefs, teachings and practices of Christianity and Buddhism

Component 2: Thematic Studies
Religious, philosophical and ethical themes below:

    Theme A: Relationships and families.
    Theme D: Religion, peace and conflict.

How is the course assessed?
Exam paper – 1 hour 45 minutes written examination

Full Course

Students can opt to study a Full-Course GCSE.

What do we study?

Component 1: The study of religious beliefs, teachings and practices.

Beliefs, teachings and practices of Christianity and Buddhism

Component 2: Thematic Studies

Religious, philosophical and ethical themes from the choice below (students are examined on FOUR of these):

§ Theme A: Relationships and families.

§ Theme B: Religion and life.

§ Theme C: The existence of God and revelation.

§ Theme D: Religion, peace and conflict.

§ Theme E: Religion, crime and punishment.

§ Theme F: Religion, Human Rights and Social Justice.

How is the course assessed?

Paper 1 – Religious Beliefs and Practices: 1 hour 45 minutes written examination

Paper 2 – Religious Themes: 1 hour 45 minutes written examination

Homework:
Homework will be set weekly. Homework is in the form of pre-learning and revising key content using the platforms Satchel One and Seneca.
 
Assessment:
Lessons include knowledge retrieval questions to assess prior learning. Lessons involve the active use of mini whiteboards to check for understanding and to provide real time feedback and to deal with misconceptions quickly. Students will complete regular written exam-style questions during the academic year where they will be given teacher feedback on how to improve. Year 10 students will sit a mid-year mock in January and end of year mock exams in the summer term.  Year 11 students will sit mock exams in November and in March.

Contact:
For further information/clarification about KS3 History please contact Mr S Atkinson.

PRE Whole Academy Curriculum Plan

KS3 Useful resources

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/education/subjects/zh3rkqt

http://www.rsrevision.com/contents/index.htm

https://www.educationquizzes.com/ks3/religious-education/

KS4 Useful Resources

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion

http://www.rsrevision.com/contents/index.htm

https://www.clear-vision.org/Schools/Ask-a-Buddhist.aspx

http://www.rsrevision.com/contents/newgcse_aqa.html

http://www.rsrevision.com/GCSE/index.htm

https://clearvision.education/students/

BBC Bitesize AQA GCSE Religious Studies – Buddhism https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zfxchbk

BBC Bitesize AQA GCSE Religious Studies – Christianity https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zbndy9q

Parry, Hayes & Butler, AQA GCSE (9-1) Religious Studies Specification A, Hodder Education, 2016, ISBN: 1471866858
Fleming, GCSE Religious Studies for AQA A: Christianity, OUP, 2016, ISBN: 0198370334
James, GCSE Religious Studies for AQA A: Buddhism, OUP, 2016, ISBN: 0198370326