Religious Studies

Curriculum Statement: Religious Studies

Lead Teacher: Mrs S. Campbell

Purpose of study

Religious literacy is the knowledge of, and ability to understand, religion, beliefs, practices, spiritual insights, and secular world views. It plays an important part in preparing young people for life in modern Britain. Its importance is increasing as globalisation has created greater links and migration between societies of different faiths and cultures. Religious studies contributes dynamically to young people’s education by provoking challenging questions about meaning and purpose in life, beliefs about God, ultimate reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human. In RS they learn about and from religions and worldviews in local, national, and global contexts, to discover, explore and consider different answers to these questions. They learn to weigh up the value of wisdom from different sources, to develop and express their insights in response, and to agree or disagree respectfully. A high-quality curriculum equips students with systematic knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and worldviews, enabling them to develop their ideas, values, and identities. It should develop in students an aptitude for dialogue so that they can participate positively in our society with its diverse religions and worldviews. Students should gain and deploy the skills needed to understand, interpret, and evaluate texts, sources of wisdom and authority and other evidence. They learn to articulate clearly and coherently their personal beliefs, ideas, values, and experiences while respecting the right of others to differ.

Aim

The overarching aim of our curriculum is to ensure that students can:

• Draw on a wide range of subject specific language confidently and flexibly, learning to use the concepts of religious study to describe the nature of religion.
• Understand how beliefs influence the values and lives of individuals and groups, and how religions and worldviews have an impact on wider current affairs.
• Explain and interpret ways that the history and culture of religions and worldviews influence individuals and communities, including a wide range of beliefs and practices, to appraise reasons why some people support and others question these influences.
• Explain and interpret a range of beliefs, teachings and sources of wisdom and authority including experience to understand religions and worldviews as coherent systems or ways of seeing the world
• Explain how and why individuals and communities express the meanings of their beliefs and values in many different forms and ways of living, enquiring into the variety, differences and relationships that exist within and between them.
• Explore and express insights into significant moral and ethical questions posed by being human.
• Evaluate issues about community relations and respect for all in the light of different perspectives from varied religions and worldviews.

When designing our curriculum, we have considered the individual needs of all our students. To ensure that students with SEND have the opportunity to develop the same knowledge and skills as their peers, we adopt a range of strategies within the classroom such as scaffolding and targeted questioning. This enables students to develop confidence as well as the knowledge and skills they need to progres