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The Religious Studies curriculum contributes to every student’s education by provoking challenging questions about meaning and purpose in life, beliefs about God, ultimate reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to humans. Pupils gain knowledge and understanding of Christianity, principle religions and world views enabling them to become religiously and theologically literate so they can engage in life in an increasingly diverse society. Our curriculum is structured so there is clear progression between years and key stages to ensure that all pupils develop knowledge and understanding of sources of wisdom and their impact whilst exploring personal and critical responses.
Mrs J Munoz - Head of Religious Studies
What is it like to study Religious Studies at Monk's Walk School?
Throughout the key stages, Religious Studies aims to challenge students with questions about belief, values, meanings, purpose and truth, enabling them to develop their own attitude towards religious issues.
Students will gain knowledge of how religion, philosophy and ethics form the basis of our culture. While developing analytical and critical thinking skills, the ability to work with abstract ideas and research skills.
How is Religious Studies assessed?
In KS3 students are assessed termly. Mid-unit tests are used in Year 7 and Year 8 and End of Unit tests in Year 9. Assessments are a range of multiple-choice, short answer questions and an essay-style piece of written work. Progress information given to students reflects the work completed in recent assessments alongside the written and verbal contributions in class.
The GCSE is 100% exam-based with no non-exam content. In Year 11 there will be two equally weighted components of one hour and 45 minutes. The assessment will use a mixture of questing styles such as multiple-choice, short answer, and extended response questions.
In KS5 on each topic covered pupils are assessed on an essay written at the end of each topic along with Mock Exams in Year 12 and Year 13.
The Key Stage 3 Curriculum
At KS3 students develop religious and theological knowledge through religions and world views.
All pupils develop knowledge and understanding of sources of wisdom and their impact on religious believers whilst exploring personal and critical responses to:
- Prayer, worship and reflection
- Human responsibility and values
- Justice and fairness
Subject Overviews
Key Concepts and Skills sheet
Key-concepts-and-skills-sheet-RE
The Key Stage 4 Curriculum
Students follow the AQA Religious Studies A Specification and learn key Christian and Islamic beliefs and practices. Including different religious beliefs about creation and their significance for understanding the nature of God; key Christian and Islamic practices, including prayer and pilgrimage: the role and importance of Christian and Islamic festivals and the role of the church in the local and worldwide community.
Students learn religious teachings, religious, philosophical, and ethical arguments applied to four thematic studies:
- Religion and life
- Religion, crime and punishment
- Religion, peace and conflict
- Religion, Human rights and social justice
The Key Stage 5 Curriculum
In KS5 students follow the OCR Religious Studies Specification which result in 3 exam papers all lasting 2 hours on Philosophy, Ethics and Development in Christian Thought.
In Philosophy they study various topics looking at philosophical influences, religious experiences, the problem of evil, the nature or attributes of God and looking at religious language and the symbolism behind it. Including how it looks from a modern-day perspective.
The Religious Ethics part of the course begins with an introduction to ethical theory, moves on to consider specific ethical theories and their practical applications and culminates with consideration of free will and determinism, conscience, religious ethics and practical ethics.
The key topics studied in Development in Christian Thought:
- Is the person of Jesus Christ
- Christna Moral Principles and Action
- Gender in Theology and within society
- Death and the afterlife
- The knowledge of God’s existence
- Marx and his influence on Liberation Theology
- Challenges of secularism to religion today.