Welcome to the Religious Studies Department!

We aim to make Religious Studies engaging, enjoyable, challenging and relevant to all pupils.  We wish all pupils to explore the relevance of the truth claims of all belief systems and evaluate the implications for their own lives and faith.  No belief system or moral stance will be presented as ‘The Truth’ – all shall be presented as viable options.

In Year 7, pupils begin to the ideas behind what makes a religion, looking in detail and Judaism and Christianity whilst focusing on such issues as whether a spiritual day of rest is needed in our modern world and what kind of qualities a spiritual person has. In Year 8, pupils develop these ideas through looking at Islam and Hinduism, focusing on which is more important, Faith or Practice and what religious stories tell us about God.

In Year 9, pupils follow an enrichment course where they look at Ethical Issues and the Philosophy of Religion. This course is designed to stretch the pupils within Y9 and focuses on theories such as Kantian Ethics and Utilitarianism.

For their GCSE, students follow the AQA Specification B which will examine such issues as War and Peace, Prejudice and Discrimination and Animal Rights through the eyes of Christianity and Buddhism.

At A-Level, Religious Studies is recognised as a formal academic A Level and will require the students to write essays, prepare seminars and generally prepare for and participate fully in classroom discussions.  It is a demanding course, but it provides all students with the opportunity to formulate and express their own opinions on a wide range of issues.  Pupils will have to be prepared to do wider reading and to stay up to date with current affairs.  The course follows on from work already covered in the GCSE RS Course and the units followed are in Philosophy of Religion and Religious Ethics.

We Expect:

- Pupils to come with open minds and ready to learn, investigate, challenge and formulate their own views.
- All pupils to produce their work by the deadlines set, to do their best and to observe the classroom rules.
- All pupils to respect the differing views of others in the classroom and to listen to one another.

Want to find out more?  Speak to Mr. Affleck, Mr. Brewer, Miss Cooke, Miss Quinn or Dr. Young.