Religious Studies is a core subject within St Mary’s curriculum. It is the place where the world of religion, morality and spirituality is opened for our students. In Religious Studies, the courses at KS3, 4 and 5 cover the main tenets and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and some other world religions too. We have created schemes of learning which enable students to explore what it is to be a Catholic and how religious belief can influence the way we make decisions and life choices. Our lessons are designed to inspire knowledge, understanding and analysis so that our pupils are religiously literate in a contemporary society.
| There is no national curriculum for Religious Studies at KS3, however, Catholic Schools are expected to follow the Curriculum Directory (as set down by the Bishops of England and Wales). As such, our programmes of study are bespoke and have been created to give students a coherent understanding of Catholicism and other world faiths. | ||
| Year 7
· Beliefs about human beings · Beliefs about Jesus: what is His role and why is He important? · Sacraments · Lent and Forgiveness · Hinduism
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Year 8
· Beliefs about God · Moses and Passover · Beliefs about Jesus and the Kingdom of God · Mass – what is it and why is it important? · Islam
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Year 9
· Revelation · Vocation · The nature and role of the Church · Relationships and Sex Education · Judaism
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| At Key Stage 4 we follow the Eduqas Route B Religious Studies specification. This entails teaching 75% content on Catholic Christianity and 25% content on Judaism (as directed by Bishop Ralph). Students will not complete any coursework but will be examined at the end of Year 11 in the form of three separate examination papers. In Year 10 students will be taught beliefs and practices within Judaism, they will then complete two modules of foundational Catholic Christianity; Origins and Meaning followed by Good and Evil. In Year 11 students will be taught two modules of Applied Catholic theology where we study Life and Death, followed by Sin and Forgiveness
Exam Board: Eduqas |
| At Key Stage 5 we follow Eduqas Religious Studies A Level. Students are taught 3 different areas of study across the two year course; Philosophy of Religion, Religion and Ethics and Christian Theology. Students will cover a range of topics such as: Arguments for the existence of God (inductive and deductive), challenges to religious belief, religious experience, ethical thought, Natural Law, Situation Ethics and Utilitarianism applied. In Christianity students will cover topics such as the birth narratives, feast and festivals, beliefs about the Eucharist, Feminist and Liberation Theology.
At the end of Year 13 students will sit three examination papers where they will answer AO1 questions (knowledge and understanding) and AO2 questions (analysis and evaluation). Exam Board: Eduqas As a Catholic School providing students with full time education, we have a Core RS course for all students who do not study A Level Religious Studies. This course is designed by us and allows students to engage and consider a diverse range of issues such as Cloning, Dress Codes, Nano Technology, The Death Penalty, War and Sexism. |
| For further information about the Religious Studies curriculum please contact: Cait Thurlow
Head of Religious Studies Department |
Cait Thurlow Head of Religious Studies Department
