Religious Studies
Curriculum Intent
The Humanities Faculty comprises three core subjects, History, Geography and Religious Studies. Vocational Travel and Tourism is also offered at KS4. Collectively these subjects aim to create global citizens who have a secure understanding of the world around them and the relationship between our past, present and future.
Across all Humanities subjects, the curriculum aims to inspire pupil’s curiosity and fascination about the world, its people and its past. Pupils are encouraged to study the complexity of the Earth through the study of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and places, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time. As pupils progress, they should develop a sophisticated understanding of the relationship between the Earth’s key physical and human processes and explain how this has been shaped and changed over time. The curriculum is rich with SMSC opportunities which allows students to develop a greater level of tolerance, alongside understanding and empathy towards people, cultures and the environment.
The aims of the curriculum are to allow students to:
- Think, write, communicate and read as well as experts in their field.
- Study a range of religious topics which broaden and deepen their understanding of the world around them and the influences on human’s behaviours.
- Investigate the impact of religious beliefs and teachings on individuals, communities and societies, whilst being able to apply a wide range of religious and philosophical vocabulary and sources of evidence consistently and accurately.
- To reflect on their position as Citizens of the UK and the wider world in order to develop a sense of identity and belonging which underpins the core British values.
- Understand the key concepts of each discipline and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends and frame valid questions
- Grow cultural capital through a range of opportunities and experiences both within and outside of the classroom.
- Be prepared for adult life, employment and lifelong learning through the development of transferable skills, self-regulation and independent study.
Curriculum Overview
| HT1 | HT2 | HT3 | HT4 | HT5 | HT6 | |
| Y10 |
Muslim Beliefs |
Christian Beliefs |
Living the Muslim Life Students examine the key Muslims practices and investigate the Five Pillars and 10 Obligatorily acts. Students will then evaluate the origins, meaning and significance of jihad using sources of authority and wisdom throughout |
Living the Christian Life Students examine the key Christian practices by considering the nature and ways of Christian worship. They will investigate the Sacrament and evaluate the nature, history and purpose of pilgrimage using sources of authority and wisdom. |
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| Y11 |
Peace and Conflict Students carry out an in-depth enquiry into Muslim attitudes towards peace and Conflict. They will examine the nature and history of pacifism with ab opportunity to discuss and analyse divergent Muslim teachings about war.
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Matters of Life and Death Students have the opportunity to study an in-depth study of Christian teachings about the origins and value of the universe, examining Christian responses to the scientific and non-religious explanations during this unit students study the sanctity of life and issues such as abortion. |
Crime and Punishment |
Marriage and the Family Students carry out an in depth study into the importance and purpose of marriage for Christians. They will consider Christian teachings and attitudes towards divorce and remarriage. Students have the opportunity to discuss and analyse divergent Christian attitudes about the equality and role of men and women using sources of authority and wisdom throughout.
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Revision
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What your child will learn in:
SMSC Statement
Religious education plays a crucial role in the development of SMSC and British Values at Hathershaw College. The curriculum is designed to promote dynamic teaching and learning so that it encourages the pupils to draw on and bring their different experiences of religious education. Within the RE classroom all students sit alongside their peers from different religious, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. Students are regularly encouraged to work collaboratively with their classroom partners through activities such as Think-pair-share. All students know that a mutual respect and tolerance for those around them is essential to the classroom environment.
One of the key features of the RE syllabus is to promote the pupils respect for everyone. The RE curriculum contains many references to the role of RE in challenging stereotypical views and appreciating, positively, differences in others. Furthermore, the RE curriculum enables all of the pupils to consider the impact of people’s beliefs on their own actions and lifestyle. For example, in Year 7 RE students explore the Sikh Faith. The sequence of lessons means that students begin their learning with an understanding of the core principles of this faith, to then enable them to apply this to ways in which faith affects different behaviours.
RE enables spiritual development by giving pupils opportunities to explore how beliefs can have an impact on life, encouraging pupils to explore what it means to be human for themselves and in their relationships with others. RE asks big questions about the meaning and purpose of life, giving pupils space for their own thoughts, ideas and concerns. In Year 7 students explore the idea of life after death through both the Christian and Buddhist perspectives. At the end of this unit of work pupils are given the opportunity to reflect on their learning to decide, “is there evidence for life after death”. Students have a sound understanding of the predominant local beliefs with a comparative study of Christianity and Islam being continued through to KS4 Core RE and GCSE.
Furthermore, RE enables moral development by exploring and responding to issues of right and wrong, good and evil. For example, in Year 8 RE students explore the theme of religion, peace and conflict. During this unit of work pupils are encouraged to develop moral arguments such as on issues such as Terrorism, the media and Islamophobia. This enables pupils to make good judgements and decisions. Pupils can recognise that all humans have rights and responsibilities and explore how religious belief can impact on moral behaviour. Furthermore, students look at both modern day and previous examples of Human right violations and the role religion plays to contain this.
Pupils social development is promoted through RE when exploring the nature of religious communities. Pupils are able to explore values and virtues such as respect for all people, living things, the environment and property. For example, in Year 10 pupils are posed with meaningful questions about the nature of people and society and the role we play as stewards of the world. During the unit of work on the environment pupils consider who is responsible for the planet and they investigate the religious perspectives on this topic.
Finally, RE encourages cultural development. Throughout the curriculum there is a strong appreciation of the influences that have shaped the students’ own cultural heritage. For example, in Year 7 all students take part in a Faith Walk of their local area. Pupils visit three local places of worship to develop an insight into the religious makeup of their town, and an appreciation of its diversity. Furthermore, pupils are encouraged to develop well informed and open-minded attitudes to cultural diversity and an appreciation of the culture of others, for example through the study of Islamic art in Year 9 or through literature such as Sikh poetry from Rupi Kaur in Year 7.
