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Welcome to Religious Studies, part of the Humanities Faculty at Blackfen School for Girls. All students participate in RS through Key Stage 3. At Key Stage 4 students may choose to study RS at GGCE, with a further option to study Philosophy, Ethics and Religion (Christianity) as an A Level subject at Key Stage 5.

Despite the secularisation of society, RS remains more important than ever in preparing students for adult life, employment and lifelong learning. It enables them to develop respect for and sensitivity to others, promoting good judgment and encouraging students to approach all areas of life with an open mind and without prejudice. Fundamentally, RS is learning about what people believe in and why, developing an understanding of how faith and belief are relevant to people’s lives. Studying RS is not about indoctrination of any religion nor about making students religious, instead the subject affords students the space to think about and question, for themselves, religious beliefs and ethical issues. Students are introduced to the historical aspects of religion, focussing on the religious and cultural heritage of Britain, identifying the role which religion, specifically Christianity, has played in shaping British society and its values, simultaneously learning about themselves as individuals and as part of society. Finally RS across all Key Stages is integral for giving students opportunities to grow and develop an open and critical mind, striving towards tolerance and understanding of the diverse world around them, being introduced to various belief systems - including those that believe in God, Humanism, Atheism, Science and other smaller religious traditions - so they are able to mature into responsible citizens living in a multi-ethnic and multi-faith society, free from ignorance which causes prejudice, hatred and violence.

What do we study?

Key stage 3: Years 7-9

Before starting in Year 7, students have a Transition Booklet to complete; the RS activities in this booklet form a ‘baseline’ for their learning in Year 7 RS. This work is used during the first lesson, allowing staff the opportunity to loosely measure students’ prior knowledge, understanding and skills learnt in RS prior to starting Key Stage 3.

Year 7 begins with a Philosophy Unit. In this unit, students are introduced to some of the big questions of life and are encouraged to start questioning and thinking in new, more advanced ways. The rest of Year 7 and Year 8 are focussed on developing basic knowledge of the six major world religions. This provides a sound foundation to the learning journey throughout Key Stage 3 and onto GCSE and A Level. Students continue developing their knowledge, understanding, analysis, evaluation and expression of these religions, whilst engaging with other belief systems, specifically Humanism, Atheism and Agnosticism, comparing and contrasting views in relation to the themes covered, whilst developing and reflecting on their own opinions, beliefs and values. The end of Year 7 is marked with a national Spirited Arts competition, where students are able to create a piece of artwork based on their own beliefs and ideas about the world around them. Year 8 ends with an opportunity to investigate religious themes woven into literature. Students’ learning in Year 9 takes a more ethics-based approach, focusing on three key themes for the year – the relationship between science and religion; crime, justice and punishment; evil and suffering and the Holocaust – exploring varying attitudes towards these themes.

In KS3 students are formally assessed once every half term through a variety of tasks - Q&A tasks, GCSE style questions, posters, group work and presentations, essay answers, etc. – each style of assessment developing key skills in RS which are transferrable to other subjects, as well as preparing them for GCSE RS and A Level Philosophy, Ethics and Religion (RS). Students also have a formal exam once a year in Key Stage 3. Throughout, students are encouraged to take increasing responsibility for their learning, with many elements of the KS3 curriculum designed to be more student-led as students progress, as well as becoming more enquiry based throughout Year 9 and on into GCSE.

Year 7

Term	Unit of Work	Summary
Autumn Term 1	Philosophy	Over the course of this unit, students are encouraged to start thinking in new ways and to question knowledge and understanding of the world around them. They are given space to explore three key questions – What is Truth? What is Belief? Where does knowledge come from? – to consider what knowledge actually is and where it comes from, identifying different sources of knowledge (religious and non-religious), discussing the reliability of different sources and how they may be verified. From this, students are encouraged to think about their own knowledge and learning and complete an assessment linked into ideas surrounding truth and belief. This leads into an exploration of the concept of God, including an introduction to the challenging topic of religious language, specifically how we talk about God and religion. Students begin to study two of the main arguments for the existence of God – the Teleological (Design) argument and the Cosmological argument – considering the strengths and weaknesses of both arguments and questioning the validity of both arguments in proving God’s existence. Time is also spent considering some of the main arguments against the existence of God. Students also begin to identify the impact and spread of religions across the world, and how these religions have shaped societies and the global community.
Autumn Term 2	Eastern Religions: Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism	For each of these religions, students will gain knowledge and understanding about The origins of each religion, and influences from or on other religious traditions The concept of God or higher powers The founder – who they were, importance (then and now) for believers, teachings, etc. Key religious teachings Sources of Authority in the religion – holy book, key figures, place of worship Important celebrations, commemorations and festivals Students will also have the opportunity to analyse and evaluate what it means to be part of the religion in the world/British society today, identifying the religious beliefs and teachings in practice.
Spring Term 1	Eastern Religions: Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism
Spring Term 2
Summer Term 1
Summer Term 2	Religious Expression in Art	In this unit, students will spend some time investigating how and why religious belief is expressed through art and take part in the national Spirited Arts competition (http://www.natre.org.uk/about-natre/projects/spirited-arts/spirited-arts-2020/) creating their own piece of artwork.

Year 8

Term	Unit of Work	Summary
Autumn Term 1		I
Autumn Term 2		I
Spring Term 1
Spring Term 2
Summer Term 1
Summer Term 2

Year 9

Term	Unit of Work	Summary
Autumn Term 1	Religion and Science Free Will	In this unit, students explore all six major world religions views and teachings, as well as non-religious views, in relation to the topics covered. Students start the year challenging the preconceived notion that science and religion are polar opposites of one another and are in constant conflict. They spend time investigating the origins of science and identifying areas of conflict, as well as where they support one another, considering why issues between the two may exist. Students investigate three contemporary controversial issues - Genetic Engineering, Infertility Treatments and Transplant Surgery - from both religious and scientific viewpoints, considering reasons for the controversy surrounding the issue of their choice. This is assessed through an essay based GCSE style question where students consider whether scientists assume the role of God and whether they are right to do so? Students next spend time researching, analysing and presenting their findings on the contribution and influence Islam has had on the modern world of science, before moving on to consider the role of conscience and free will in making these decisions about science and religion, whilst reflecting on their own views in relation to both and identifying different beliefs and the impact of these beliefs on our behaviour. The term concludes with a final assessment considering: ‘Can someone be a scientist and believe in God?’
Autumn Term 2	Religion and Science Free Will
Spring Term 1	Poverty and Suffering	In this unit, students explore all six major world religions views and teachings, as well as non-religious views, in relation to the topics covered. During the first half of this term students complete a Year 9 Assessment, which covers everything they have done so far, assessing their knowledge and understanding and giving them a guide as to what GCSE options they should choose. The RE exam is based on a GCSE paper, so students results reflect what they would get if they sat a GCSE exam paper in Year 9 without any practice; the grades are not a prediction of what they will get should they choose RE GCSE. Students consider what poverty actually means and how this equates to real life. They spend time identifying some of the main causes of poverty and potential solutions, including what they as individuals could do to help, as well as considering whether any of the solutions are viable. Students study various religious responses to poverty, including how these religions are working to reduce poverty through Aid Organisations. They also identify some non-religious responses & make links back to work done in Year 8 with regard to people who have worked to make a difference in the world, through philanthropic works. This is assessed with a GCSE style question considering the idea that if everyone was religious there would be no poverty. Following this, students move on to examine the wider issue of suffering in the world today, including animal testing, before examining some religious and non-religious responses to evil and suffering and evaluating their response to the statement, ‘if everyone was religious, there would be no unnecessary suffering’
Spring Term 2	Poverty and Suffering
Summer Term 1	Justice and the Holocaust	In this unit, students explore all six major world religions views and teachings, as well as non-religious views, in relation to the topics covered. The final unit of Key Stage 3 draws together all the learning that has taken place over the past three years and applies the skills and knowledge learnt to this student-led project based unit. Initially students spend the first few lessons developing an understanding of Justice – what it is, why it is necessary – and deliberating what happens without it. This is followed by in-depth study learning about genocide – what it is, how it happens, etc. but specifically about the Rwandan Genocide – what happened, why, how, etc. For the remainder of the term, students focus their attention to possibly the most famous genocide of modern history – The Holocaust. During this time, students are facilitated to work independently, supported throughout by their teachers, to complete a research based project that allows them the freedom to investigate the horrors and long-lasting effects of the Holocaust, to be presented in the medium of their choice. As well as their teacher, students are given an information booklet with numerous useful websites and books to direct their research and are encouraged to make cross-curricular links and utilise their learning from History about WW2 and Nazi Germany. The challenge day towards the end of June gives students the unique opportunity to further put their research into context, with their day based on other aspects of the Holocaust, such as The Nuremburg Trials, the role of women, the concept and treatment of ‘undesirables’, the use of about propaganda and about medical experimentation, as well as the role we all have to ensure the atrocities are never forgotten. Students also have the opportunity to meet and listen to the personal testimony of a Holocaust survivor. Alternatively, students have the opportunity to visit the Imperial War Museum or the Jewish Museum to further enhance their understanding of the events of The Holocaust. Students end Year 9 with a verbal or written debate, one which has existed and will continue to exist for many years to come: ‘How can we believe in a loving God if evil and suffering exist?’ NB: This is subject to a survivor being available to come into school. Whilst students have been fortunate enough to have listened to survivor testimonies for the past five academic years, I cannot guarantee this for future years.
Summer Term 2	Justice and the Holocaust

KS4 Year 10

For RE at GCSE (starting in Year 10 September 2016) students follow the Edexcel GSCE (9-1) Religious Studies 2016: Beliefs in Action (Full Course Specification B) (www.edexcel.com), completing Area 1: Religion & Ethics (based on Christianity) and Area 2: Religion, Peace & Conflict (Based on Islam). Both areas consist of four sections:

Area 1 consists of Section 1: Christian Beliefs, Section 2: Marriage & the Family, Section 3: Living the Christian Life, Section 4: Matters of Life & Death
Area 2 consists of Section 1: Muslim Beliefs, Section 2: Crime & Punishment, Section 3: Living the Muslim Life, Section 4: Peace & Conflict

RE at GCSE is a positive qualification for your CV; many Further Education and Sixth Form Colleges and Universities look favourably on students who are interested in the world around them and are capable of considering different points of view, whilst being able to think and communicate effectively – skills learnt and honed throughout the RE GCSE course. The course also provides students with opportunities to do many things, including:

Enhance their own spiritual and moral development
Develop understanding and tolerance for society
Consider religious, non-religious and personal responses to moral and ethical issues
Investigate and respond to fundamental questions, raised by religion and society
Explore positive aspects of living in a diverse, multi-faith and multi-cultural society, learning how they can make a difference to the society in which we live
Make cross curricular links to other subjects studied at GCSE and develop a solid foundation for many BTEC and A-Level subjects, university degrees and jobs students may work towards for the future
Most importantly, you do not have to be religious to study GCSE RE; just open-minded and willing to give your opinion! RE is becoming more important as the Government are keen that all students should develop a sense of ‘community cohesion’ (a common vision and shared sense of belonging for all groups in society), whilst students are finding that RE is becoming more applicable to their lives, because it is no longer just about religion – much more time is spent looking at moral, social and ethical issues and what students think about these issues and how they do apply to the world in which they live.

Term	Unit of Work	Summary
Autumn Term 1	Section 1: Christian Beliefs	Section 1 - Topics Covered: The Trinity The Creation of the Universe and of Humanity The Incarnation (of Jesus) The Last Days of Jesus’ Life The Nature of Salvation Christian Eschatology (beliefs about end times) The Problem of Evil and Suffering Solutions to the Problem of Evil and Suffering Section 2 – Topics Covered: Marriage Sexual Relationships Families Support for the Family in the Local Parish Family Planning Divorce and Remarriage Equality of Men and Women in the Family Gender Prejudice and Discrimination Section 3 – Topics Covered: Worship The Role of the Sacraments in Christian Life The Nature and Purpose of Prayer Pilgrimage Christian Religious Celebrations The Future of the Church The Importance of the Local Church The Worldwide Church Section 4 – Topics Covered: Origins and Value of the Universe Sanctity of Life The Origins and Value of Human Life The Issue of Abortion Death and the Afterlife Non-religious Arguments Against Life After Death Euthanasia The Natural World
Autumn Term 2	Continue Section 1 Section 2: Marriage and the Family
Spring Term 1	Continue Section 2 Section 3: Living the Christian Life
Spring Term 2	Continue Section 3 Section 4: Matters of Life & Death
Summer Term 1	Continue Section 4 Revision – Area 1
Summer Term 2	Students complete a PPE (Pre-Public Exam) for all work completed in Area 1. In this exam students complete a mock exam paper, sitting in the hall, as a practise for their proper exams at the end of Year 11 Start Area 2: Religion, Peace & Conflict

KS4 – Year 11

For RE at GCSE (Year 11) students follow the Edexcel RE GSCE Full Course (www.edexcel.com), completing Unit 2 –Religion and Life based on Christianity (5RS02) and Unit 8 – Religion and Society (5RS08), focussing predominantly on Christianity, with some Islam in Unit 8. Both units consist of four sections:

Unit 2 consists of Section 1: Believing in God, Section 2: Matters of Life and Death, Section 3: Marriage and the Family and Section 4: Religion and Community Cohesion
Unit 8 consists of Section 1: Rights and Responsibilities, Section 2: Environmental and Medical Issues, Section 3: Peace and Conflict and Section 4: Crime and Punishment
This is the last year group to complete this GCSE course; as from September 2016 the syllabus has changed to the new 9-1 RE GCSE

Unit 2: Religion and Life based on Christianity (NB: Year 11 Students completed this in Year 10, but will sit the exam at the end of Year 11)

Term	Unit of Work	Summary
Autumn Term 1	Section 3: Marriage & the Family	In Section 3, students Consider some of the major changes to society and the way in which family life is structures Identify some of the reasons for changes to marriage and the family since the 1960’s Investigate a range of issues and different Christian attitudes towards them, including sex before marriage, divorce, homosexuality, methods of contraception, whilst developing their own opinions for each of the topics studied Understand the purposes of marriage within Christianity, why family life is important to Christians and how Christian churches help with the upbringing of families Analyse the way in which an issue from this section is shown in the Media – the notion of in the TV show ‘Modern Family’ - and evaluate whether the portrayal is fair In Section 4, students Consider how attitudes to the roles of men and women have changed over the last 150 years within society, as well as in Christianity, investigating the different Christian attitudes to women Look at the UK as a multi-ethnic society and identify the key events in history which have lead to the UK becoming multi-ethnic, whilst research the Government’s action to promote community cohesion in the UK and whether this action is working and beneficial Explore reasons why Christians should help promote racial harmony and investigate the work of a Christian Churches to help asylum seekers and /or immigrant workers in the UK Look at the UK as a multi-faith society and identify benefits and issues raised from living in a multi-faith society, including differences among Christians in their attitudes to other religions and highlighting ways in which religions work to promote community cohesion in the UK Explore how an issue from religion and community cohesion has been presented in one form of the media – the issue of racism in the film ‘A Time to Kill’ - and evaluate whether the portrayal is fair In Section 2, students Learn Christian beliefs about Life After Death and how these beliefs affect believers lives Identify some of the non-religious reasons for believing in Life After Death and also reason why people do not believe in Life After Death at all, whilst considering their own views about Life After Death Explore the nature of abortion – what is abortion, when does life start, etc. and understand the laws in relation to the issue of abortion and the changes in history that have resulted in the laws we have today Investigate different Christian attitudes to abortion Explore the nature of euthanasia – what euthanasia is, different types of euthanasia and understand the law in relation to the issue of euthanasia Investigate different Christian attitudes to euthanasia and how these may influence their lives Explore how an issue from Matters of Life After Death have been portrayed in the media and consider whether this was a fair portrayal – should the media be free to criticise what religions say about matters of life and death Research some of the causes of world poverty and the impact they have on people’s lives and how we can make a difference Identify ways in which Christian Aid are trying to remove the causes of world poverty and the reasoning behind it
Autumn Term 2	Continue Section 3 Section 4: Religion & Community Cohesion
Spring Term 1	Continue Section 4 Section 2: Matters of Life & Death
Spring Term 2	Continue Section 2 Section 1: Believing in God
Summer Term 1	Continue Section 1 Revision – Unit 2	In Section 1, students Identify the features of a religious upbringing and consider how they may lead to belief in God Examine the idea of ‘Religious Experience’ and evaluate whether they can prove God exists Learn about two main arguments for the existence of God – the Argument from Design and the Argument from Causation - and evaluate how they lead to belief in God Study the scientific explanations of the world and reflect on how these may lead to people not believing in God and identify ways in which Christianity might responds Consider how unanswered prayers may lead people to not believe in God and identify ways in which Christianity responds Investigate the issue of evil and suffering and identify ways in which Christianity responds
Summer Term 2		Students complete a mock exam for all work completed in Unit 2. In this exam students complete a past exam paper, sitting in the hall, as a practise for their proper exams at the end of Year 11 Start Year 11 Course: Unit 8 – Religion and Society, Section 1

Unit 8: Religion & Society based on Christianity & one other religion (Islam)

Term	Unit of Work	Summary
Autumn Term 1	Section 1: Rights & Responsibilities	In Section 1, students Determine different ways Christians make moral decisions (Bible, Church, Conscience and Situation Ethics) and consider the value of using just one, some or all to make moral decisions Identify what human rights are and why we have them and evaluate why they are important for Christians and whether they conflict with religious traditions Analyse reasons why it is important to take part in voting processes Study three main Christian teachings on moral duties and responsibilities and identify ways in which these teachings influence the way Christian behave Investigate the nature of genetic engineering – what is it, why it is important in medicine/science, non-religious arguments for and against it and identify different Christian attitudes towards it and why they have these views
Autumn Term 2	Section 2: Environmental and Medical Issues	In Section 2, students Understand the environmental issues of global warming, pollution and the scarcity of natural resources, what they actually mean for the earth/world we live in and any possible solutions Examine Christian and Muslim teachings about stewardship and how these teachings influence the way they treat the earth Investigate the nature (what it is, different methods, etc.) and importance of infertility treatments, including non-religious arguments for and against and consider the Christian and Muslim attitudes to the different methods and reasons why they may agree or disagree Investigate the nature (what it is, different methods, etc.) and importance of transplant surgery, including non-religious arguments for and against and consider the Christian and Muslim attitudes to it and reasons why they may agree or disagree At the end of Autumn Term 2 (last two weeks before Christmas) Year 11 students sit PPEs (Pre-Public Exams) – for RE this means they will complete a full exam paper for Unit 2 (Year 10 work) & half a paper for Unit 8 (Year 11 work so far)
Spring Term 1	Section 3: Peace & Conflict	In Section 3, students Explore the issue of bullying, using real case studies and examples, identifying the laws surrounding bullying and the reasons that it occurs. Additionally, students evaluate the effects of bullying and consider the Christian and Muslim attitudes towards bullying Explore the issue of conflict, both within family and on a wider scale. Students consider the Christian and Muslim ideas of forgiveness and reconciliation and develop their own opinions to these issues Research the causes of war and identify the role of the UN in a war zone to work for/keep peace, including a case study (Serbian/Kosovo conflict) Learn the Christian and Muslim attitudes to war, including the idea of pacifism in Christianity and the ‘Just War Theory’ Research the work of one religious organisation, e.g. Pax Christi, in working for peace
Spring Term 2	Section 4: Crime & Punishment	In Section 4, students Explore the need for law and justice in society and evaluate the effectiveness of different theories of punishment (retribution, deterrence, reform, protection) and consider why justice is important for Christians and Muslims Investigate the nature of capital punishment (what is it) and the laws surrounding it, as well as considering the non-religious arguments and the Christian and Muslim attitudes towards capital punishment and developing their own opinion Explore and understand the laws on drugs and alcohol in the UK, and consider some of the social and health problems caused by drugs and alcohol, as well as considering the Christian and Muslims attitudes to drugs and alcohol and developing their own opinion
Summer Term 1 REVISION FOR EXAMS AND EXAMS (mid-May)