Curriculum Intent

Our intent within Religious Studies and Worldviews at Ifield Community College is to engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the skills and knowledge needed to act as global citizens. Religious Studies and Worldviews contributes significantly to our key values of exclusivity, loyalty and belonging. Within Religious Studies and Worldviews students are enabled to explore big questions about life, death, belonging and humanity.

The overarching concepts within Religious Studies and Worldviews 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

Religious Studies and Worldviews is taught twice per fortnight in Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9). Students can select to study this subject at GCSE level for the whole of Key Stage 4 (Year 10-11). All students within Key Stage 4 will be taught compulsory non-examined Religious Studies and Worldviews once a fortnight. At Key Stage 5 (year 12-13) students can select to study the Religious Studies A-level. All students within Key Stage 5 will be taught Religious Studies and Worldviews through tutor time activities across the term.

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 7-9) students will be familiar with the main religious traditions, including the origins and history of the principle worldwide religions, including Christianity, and Humanism (a non-religious belief system). They will be able to understand the concept of belief and the impact that it has in the world around them. Students will be able to describe a range of religious concepts, including worship, pilgrimage and the afterlife. Students will be able to evaluate the impact of religion, philosophy and ethics on believers, non-believers and society as a whole. Students 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.

If students select the full GCSE at Key Stage 4 (year 10-11) they will develop a deeper understanding of the key beliefs and practices within Christianity, Islam and Humanism. Students will be able to explain key religious beliefs and practices and demonstrate how these differ based on denomination or group. They will be able to identify and explain key events within religious history and 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. They will be able to confidently articulate their own opinions on a range of religious and ethical issues, by analysing and evaluating religious and non-religious texts to support ideas around contemporary world issues, including crime and punishment, wealth and poverty, and Human Rights.

By the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 10-11) students studying the non-examined compulsory element of Religious Studies and Worldviews will develop a deeper understanding of the key beliefs, practices, and history of the principal religions, including Christianity and Buddhism. They will be able to demonstrate awareness and understanding of viewpoints different to their own and will analyse and evaluate key ethical and philosophical theories in relation to defining religion and will have the opportunity to confidently articulate their own opinions, including debating contemporary issues relating to Human Rights, specifically Freedom of Expression.

By the end of A Level Key Stage 5 (Years 12-13) Students will develop a deep understanding of a range of philosophical, ethical and Christian concepts, understanding the development of ideas and arguments across history. 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. Students will be able to make judgements in a range of areas including creation, religious experience and sexual ethics. They will develop the skills to enable them to argue effectively whilst demonstrating an awareness and understanding of different scholars and viewpoints.

By the end of Key Stage 5 (Year 12-13) all students studying the non-examined compulsory element of Religious Studies and Worldviews will develop a deeper understanding of the key beliefs and across the principal religions, including Christianity. They will consider and debate a range of contemporary and sometimes controversial issues, including, Freedom of Expression, Veganism, Social Welfare, Charity, and Genetic engineering.  Students will demonstrate skills of analysis and evaluation in relation to key ethical and philosophical theories and will have the opportunity to confidently articulate their own opinions.