Religious Education
Religious Education is taught in KS3 and as a core subject at GCSE. Pupils learn about the major world religions, learn how holy books are used to help people today and share and shape their opinions on key world issues.
Exam Boards:
GCSE Religious Education: Pearson Edexcel
STATEMENT OF INTENT
“RE is like an iceberg. As you unpack ideas, you come to understand deeper meaning”
Our aim is to create ambitious learners who think critically about the wider world with knowledge, understanding, tolerance and empathy. The FHS RE student will continually develop the skills required to engage with those who hold different perspectives without prejudice and enable their own sense of confidence and identity to grow and develop. Through the study of RE, students will consider their place in the world, their culture and religious influences and how these may impact social, moral, spiritual and cultural behaviours and practices as well as the conscious and unconscious biases they may hold.
We provide an ambitious curriculum which requires learners to gain and retain a wide range of knowledge about different religious and non-religious beliefs and perspectives. Students learn and apply new vocabulary in every lesson and are continually developing their skills in articulating their opinions, their comparative understandings, application of substantive knowledge through the application of subject specific terminology, key sources of wisdom and authority and criticisms in both spoken and written language. At KS3 we follow themes from the locally agreed syllabus developed by the SACRE which allows us to bridge the gap from KS2 by developing student’s religious literacy through the study of a range of religious and non-religious perspectives in developing student’s skills and exposing them to specific religious traditions, cross-cutting themes, ethical principles and moral issues not previously studied. The foundational building blocks of substantive knowledge and skills in KS3 is further developed and deepened at KS4 through the employing of subject disciplinary skills of critical thinking through analysis and evaluation. At KS4 we sequence our curriculum using spacing and interleaving of a deepened knowledge of content and skills, already built upon in KS3. This allows for the further development of a holistic yet comparative understanding of the Abrahamic religious traditions and world-views. Students develop critical engagement by applying their own beliefs and practices as well as those studied to contentious issues and dilemmas.
Cultural capital is intrinsic to the RE curriculum. We take advantage of all opportunities to build students understanding of the ways in which belief influences the culture of the world in which we live. We expose students to a range of enriching activities such as the local places of worship trips, visits from external speakers such as the Rabbis and the outreach workers from the local church’s in Southall. Further, our curriculum includes explicit reference to literature, politics, the news and other realms that have relevance and impacts learning. In its entirety, our curriculum at KS3 and KS4 promotes the fundamental British values of respect and tolerance, challenging misconceptions and stereotypes. More importantly, students are encouraged to critically consider the importance of education for all, the moral and amoral arguments of Religion and Worldviews and the appreciation and understanding of relationship between faith, free will and science in developing as conscientious global citizens.