Religious Studies Philosophy, Ethics and Theology
Religious studies is a compulsory subject for all students in years 7-9 at LGGS, helping students develop a breadth of knowledge and appreciation of different worldviews. We teach from an independent, non-denominational perspective and encourage all students to share their faith perspectives and respect the views of others. Our lessons focus on encouraging unity and understanding through discussion and learning about, and from, religions. We are a popular options subject at GCSE where students can learn about Christianity and Islam in greater depth as well as considering philosophical arguments and current ethical issues.
Key Stage 3
Course Overview
RS has a valuable place in helping pupils understand themselves and the world they live in, by developing awareness of various personal and institutional frameworks for living and beginning to make sense of the enormous complexity they confront in relation to religion and worldviews. RS helps pupils to engage in the search for personal meaning in a pluralistic world. We encourage personal reflection and learning from others, that is why our KS3 curriculum aims to explore a variety of religious and non-religious world views. The pastoral nature of our subject and our staff seems to encourage some pupils to approach us for support when needed.
Our pupils come from diverse religious and non-religious backgrounds and their experience of RS should allow them to feel included in exploring their world from their own starting point. RS aims to cultivate humility, seriousness, hesitation, imagination and articulation. It is a safe space for discussing difficult and controversial issues, reflecting on personal attitudes and recognising how different worldviews have power and influence in societies and cultures.
Our KS3 curriculum invites pupils to engage in sensitive discussion, encouraging them to learn to articulate their ideas cogently, while respecting the rights of others to differ from their own approach. As well as this, pupils have opportunities to contribute in many ways in the curriculum and beyond through, especially at KS3 where students are invited to enter a national competition (NATRE Spirited Arts competition).
What can I do to support my child?
The academic nature of the subject demands attention to coherency and logical chains of argument as well as the development of the ability to present and maintain a written line of argument. Critical thinking is a complex skill and one way to support your child in fostering an opinion is to discuss relevant news articles at home and share opinions. Often examples in the media can be brought in as examples in the classroom.
Within RS all students are invited to a year group RS team. There they can find every lesson we study in class and sometimes extended reading opportunities. These lessons correlate to a ‘learning journey’ that they are given at the start of every topic. Students can use these to reflect on their learning and remind them of what they need to know. Although RS does not have a national curriculum, many of our topics can be found on BBC Bitesize, a useful tool to use.
How will students be assessed?
There are three assessments in each year at KS3 RS. Each assessment has been carefully designed to allow students to develop their skills in knowledge (explain questions) and their debating skills (evaluation questions). In addition to this, we invite students to take part in presentations, low stake quizzes and class debates to demonstrate their knowledge and independent thinking.
Key Stage 4 (GCSE)
Exam Board and details
Exam Board: Edexcel Religious Studies B: Beliefs in Action (1RBO)
Course Overview
At GCSE students are invited to have a more in-depth study of two worldwide religions, Christianity and Islam. Our course at KS3 gives students the foundations of belief, yet at KS4 the course challenges students further by applying belief to relevant ethical issues in the world today.
For example, religious belief at GCSE is applied to: international conflict resolution, peace and the maintenance of justice, good and evil, life and death, the existence of God, religious experience, human rights, prejudice and discrimination, living in community and expressions of cultural identity and spiritual awareness. These topics reflect our intent in supporting all students to cultivate their ability to understand and interpret other people’s religious traditions and beliefs in the hope of understanding the world we live in.
Opportunities are taken to extend students’ understanding. We invite students to take part in a case study at local churches in Lancaster and invite guest speakers at GCSE. We also use a range of media to further engage students, such as relevant news articles, documentaries and film.
How will students be assessed?
Students will take an end of topic assessment at the end of each topic; each paper is designed to mimic a GCSE paper. On top of this, there are year 10 and year 11 mocks. These papers will be longer and reflect a full GCSE paper (based on the topics the students have studied to date). As well as this, exam practice and low stakes quizzes are embedded in every lesson to develop students’ knowledge and allows them to develop their exam skills.
The GCSE is at the end of year 11. It consists of two papers: Religion, Peace and Conflict: Islam and Religion, Philosophy and Social Justice: Christianity. Both papers are 1 hour 45 minutes long and scheduled to different days during the year 11 exam season. Please see our GCSE options booklet or our RS curriculum overview for insight on the topics in each paper.
Key Stage 5 (A Level)
Exam Board and details
Exam Board: OCR Religious Studies (H573)
Specification:
Course Overview
The A level continues to develop students’ transferable skills, especially in critical thinking and extended writing. It gives students space to really harvest their opinions on some of life’s ultimate questions such as: Do we have an innate human nature? What happens when we die? Is this world reality or an illusion based on our senses? Without Religious Studies students may never get the time or opportunity to ask the questions that although they have no definite answer, enrich us as human beings.
The OCR A Level in Religious Studies will build on the knowledge, understanding and skills established at GCSE. Students will be introduced to a more advanced approach to Religious Studies, and will develop a deeper understanding of the beliefs, teachings and philosophy they study. All learners will study three components: Philosophy of religion (01), Religion and ethics (02) and Developments in religious thought (Christianity).
Philosophy of religion learners will study philosophical issues and questions raised by religion and belief. These include arguments regarding the existence or non-existence of God, the nature and influence of religious experience and the problems of evil and suffering. They will also explore philosophical language and thought, through significant concepts and the works of key thinkers, illustrated in issues or debates in the philosophy of religion.
Religion and ethics is characterised by the study of ethical language and thought, with exploration of key concepts and the works of influential thinkers. Ethical theory will also be applied to issues of importance; namely euthanasia, business ethics, and sexual ethics.
Developments in religious thought provides an opportunity for the systematic study of one religious tradition. This will include the exploration of religious beliefs, values, teachings and practices that shape religious identity, as well as sources of wisdom and authority. Also central are the ways in which religious traditions have developed over time, and religious responses to challenges and significant contemporary social issues.
Opportunities are taken to extend students’ understanding. We often have guest speakers in, such as from the University of Lancaster. We also encourage students to take part in university extended writing competitions and we use a range of media in lessons to further engage students, such as relevant news articles, documentaries and film. We have created an A level team that includes extended reading for every topic at A level and we encourage students to use online resources to further extend their knowledge such as The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast. Regularly we use our RS library to pull chapters from relevant scholarly texts to add even more depth to the course.
How will students be assessed?
Students will write an essay at the end of each topic; each question is designed to mimic one that could be asked in their A Level exam. On top of this, there are year 12 and year 13 mocks. These papers will be longer and reflect a full A Level paper (based on the topics the students have studied to date). As well as
this, exam practice and low stakes quizzes are embedded in every lesson to develop students’ knowledge and to continue to expose them to ‘A Level type’ questions.
The course is 100% exam based. All three exams are taken at the end of year 13 during the exam season. The exams are equally weighted at 33.3% and are on different days. Students must answer three out of four questions on each paper, these questions are based on the whole course for that paper (philosophy, ethics or development of Christian thought).