Philosophy and Ethics
Ms Jane Judge – Subject Leader
Mr Dixon
The purpose of Philosophy and Ethics at Ifield Community College is to ensure that students are exposed to lots of different ideas and world views so that they are informed and valuable members of our community. In order to do this, we investigate lots of different religious and non-religious viewpoints about a range of ideas including; how different religions began, how we should treat other people, whether life is important and beliefs about God. If you have any questions about the subject content or would like to learn more than please contact Ms Jane Judge, jju@ifieldcc.co.uk
Curriculum Intent
Our intent within Philosophy and Ethics at Ifield Community College is to engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the skills and knowledge needed to act as global citizens. Philosophy and Ethics contributes significantly to our key values of exclusivity, loyalty and belonging. Within Philosophy and Ethics students are enabled to explore big questions about life, death, belonging and humanity.
The overarching concepts within Philosophy and Ethics are:
Knowledge – Developing knowledge of our self and others, including the society in which we live.
Understanding – Developing understanding of our own views and those different to our own.
Personal Growth – Developing compassion and empathy.
Respect – Showing tolerance of different beliefs, ideas and cultures.
Morality – Understanding right from wrong, developing rules and boundaries and understanding the necessity of these within society.
Asking the Big Questions – Understanding big issues within religion and society and being able to communicate effectively and listen to others.
Implementation
Philosophy and Ethics is taught once per week in Years 7-8. All students study GCSE RS (short course) in Year 9. Students can opt to study this subject for the whole of Key Stage 4. At Key Stage 5 students can opt to study the Philosophy (RS) A-level.
Learning is embedded and skills are taught over time within a series of lessons within a unit.
Impact
By the end of Key Stage 3 (Years 7-8) pupils will be familiar with the main religious traditions, including the origins and history of Christianity. They will be able to understand the concept of belief and the impact that it has in the world around them. Pupils will be able to describe a range of religious concepts, including worship, pilgrimage and the afterlife. Pupils will be able to evaluate the impact of religion, philosophy and ethics on believers, non-believers and society as a whole. Pupils will develop confidence in their own judgements, demonstrating respect and an understanding and compassion for others as well as the ability to grapple with the big questions that span our lives.
By the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 9-11) pupils will develop a deeper understanding of the key beliefs within Christianity, Islam and Humanism (along with other non-religious approaches). Pupils will be able to identify and explain key incidents within religious history. They will be able to understand the impact belief or non-belief has on people when grappling with issues such as abortion, assisted suicide, divorce and equal rights.
If students opt for the full GCSE they will also be able to explain key religious practices and to demonstrate how these differ based on denomination. In addition, they will investigate issues such as the Death Penalty, wealth, poverty and Human Rights.
Pupils will be able to confidently articulate their own opinions on a range of religious and ethical issues. They will also be able to demonstrate awareness and understanding of viewpoints different to their own and to demonstrate evaluation of these. In order to do this they will be able to analyse and evaluate religious and non-religious texts to support ideas around contemporary world issues such as abortion, euthanasia, crime and poverty.
By the end of Key Stage 5 (Years 12-14) pupils will develop a deep understanding of a range of philosophical, ethical and Christian concepts, understanding the development of ideas and arguments over a large period of time. They will be able to explain and evaluate how these ideas have impacted on modern-day thinkers and on modern-day society and will be able to use this to build coherent arguments around a range of philosophical and ethical topics. Pupils will be able to make judgements in a range of areas including creation, religious experience and sexual ethics. The will develop the skills to enable them to argue effectively whilst demonstrating an awareness and understanding of different scholars and viewpoints.