Religious Education:
Subject Information Overview
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Curriculum
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InformationCurriculum
OverviewExam information for GCSE
qualifications in this Subject AreaKnowledge
Organisers
Curriculum Area Staff
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Michael Hainsworth Hannah Harrison |
Stephen Hawksworth Emma Butler |
Should you require more information about this subject area please contact:
Name: Mr Michael Hainsworth
Position: Curriculum Area Leader
Email: rb@selbyhigh.co.uk
Curriculum Information
We believe that Religious Education should not only prepare students for their future, but also enhance and enrich their lives now.
The Religious Education curriculum at Selby High aims to promote consideration for a spiritual dimension to life as well as to enable students to adopt an enquiring, critical and reflective approach to the study of religion.
As students explore religions and beliefs, we promote understanding of different cultures locally, nationally and in the wider world, and develop the fundamental values of tolerance and respect for others. The topics chosen encourage students to reflect upon and develop their own values, opinions and attitudes, enhance their spiritual and moral development, and contribute to the health and wellbeing of all students.
The RE curriculum is built around the North Yorkshire SACRE Locally-Agreed Syllabus. We explore the 'big' questions of humanity giving students the opportunity to consider varied ideas, beliefs and teachings from religions, non-religious organisations and thought-leaders, discuss with their peers, and formulate their own responses and ideas within a process of systematic enquiry. We recognise the historical, social, cultural, individual, local, national and international contexts surrounding religious belief, and non-religious worldviews, and consider our 'big' questions with these in mind so that students can try to make sense of the world around them, their own, and others' places within it.
In Year 7 students start by exploring the fundamental elements of religious belief and critically assessing what a religion is, has and needs. For example, this first unit of study looks at the concept of God and gods, holy texts, leaders and followers. As students move through Key Stage 3 RE, they will continue to learn about religion by exploring fundamental beliefs, teachings, and practices of major world religions such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism.
This learning about religion is complemented by learning from religion where, in each year of Key Stage 3, students have the opportunity to explore and formulate considered responses to theological, philosophical, and ethical questions using knowledge, understanding and skills such as ‘How radical is Jesus?’ and ‘Should we sell religious buildings to feed the starving?’ in Year 7; ‘Why is there suffering? Are there any good solutions’, ‘Does living biblically mean obeying the whole Bible?’, and ‘Is death the end? Does it matter?’ in Year 8; and ‘Do we need to prove the existence of God?’ and ‘Should happiness be the purpose of life?’ in Year 9.
Key concepts, knowledge and ideas are revisited, reused and built upon throughout the curriculum journey. For example, in Year 7 about Hinduism, students discuss the concept of holy buildings and discuss some similarities and differences in their features, significance and usage between the Hindu mandir and other holy buildings they may be familiar with. This idea is revisited during the unit of study focussed on ‘should religious buildings be sold to feed the starving?’ and added to through the exploration of the purpose of the mosque, church and gurdwara in community and religious life. Further knowledge and understanding of the gurdwara is gained during the unit on Sikhism.
During Year 8 holy buildings are considered again in the context of funerals and end-of-life rites in religious and non-religious worldviews. In Year 9, religious experience , including those outside of traditional holy buildings is discussed in the context of whether it is necessary to prove the existence of God, and secular ‘services’ are discussed when considering secular views of happiness - with students considering to what extent a non-religious ‘service’ differs from or is similar to church.
In Year 10, Religious Education continues with students having the option to study towards a GCSE in Religious Studies as well as with core lessons in Religious Education.
GCSE Religious Studies combines two components: The Study of Religions, and Thematic Studies. In component one, students will study the beliefs, teachings and practices of Christianity and Islam. These include the Holy Trinity, the nature of God, the problem of evil, creation, the afterlife, prophets and leadership, prayer, worship, festivals and moral conduct. In component two, students study a range of different ethical and philosophical themes from the perspective of the two religions, and non-religious believers. These themes tackle ‘big issues’ such as relationships and family life, abortion, euthanasia, environmental impact and the concept of stewardship, war, peace and conflict, development and use of weapons of mass destruction, treatment of criminals and capital punishment.
Students who do not opt to study towards a GCSE qualification in Religious Studies will continue RE, learning about and from majority and minority religious groups, the intersections of religion and gender, religion and sexuality, religion and colonisation.
CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
Below is a summary overview of the topics and their content that will be studied in each term by each year group. For more information about each topic, get your child to visit learning journeys and resources on the school online learning platform - Ready Steady Learn.
| Year Group | Curriculum Sequence | ||||
| 7 |
What does it mean to believe? |
What is so radical about Jesus? |
What does it mean to be Hindu? |
Should we sell religious buildings to feed the starving? |
What does it mean to be Sikh? |
| Knowledge |
Common elements of religions’ beliefs, teachings and practices including:
Holy texts, creation stories, symbols, leaders and followers, deities and gods, holy buildings and places, rules of conduct. |
What makes a person special.
Key aspects of Jesus’ life, times, teachings and actions including Jesus the Pacifist, Jesus the Faithful Follower (baptism), Jesus the Radical, Jesus the Feminist, Jesus the Messiah, Jesus the Rebel.
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The origins of Hinduism, beliefs about God (Brahman) and the Trimurti, 3 different forms of holy text in Hinduism: the Vedas, Smritis and the Ramayana, how Hindu society used to be structured, what it may be like to be British and Hindu, the act of worship in Hinduism (puja) and its significance, beliefs about the afterlife: karma, dharma, and reincarnation. |
Reasons why people, religious or not, may or may not be religious, the roles that churches, mosques and gurdwaras play in community and charity life for members of the religious communities they serve, and beyond. |
The Sikh Five Ks, the timeline of the leadership of Sikhism through the 11 Gurus, elements of the gurdwara, their function and significance, symbols in Sikhism, issues Sikhs may face in contemporary British society, the Khalsa and the amrit sanskar ceremony. |
| Skills |
Key Skills developed, embedded, practised and consolidated in Religious Education include: Comparison, interpretation and analysis of primary and secondary texts, written evaluation, development of a line of argument, speaking and listening, empathy and understanding of the personal perspectives of others. |
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| Assessment details |
Online assessment of key knowledge and understanding. |
Written evaluative consideration of the learning question. |
Online assessment of key knowledge and understanding. |
Written evaluative consideration of the learning question. |
Online assessment of key knowledge and understanding. |
| 8 |
What does it mean to be Buddhist? |
Why is there suffering? Are there any good solutions? |
Does living biblically mean obeying the whole Bible? |
Is death the end? Does it matter? |
What does it mean to be a Muslim? |
| Knowledge |
The early life of the Buddha (Siddartha Gautama), the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Noble Path, the Five Moral Precepts, Life as a Bhikkhu, Buddhist Festivals including Wesak, Mandalas and their significance. |
Christian beliefs about the nature of God: omnipotence, omniscience, omnibenevolence, justice, transcendence, and immanence, the Inconsistent Triad and the problem of evil.
Key Christian theodicies including punishment for the Fall, the test of Job’s faith, development of character from suffering, suffering offering a balance in the world.
Humanist, other non-religious and Buddhist responses to the problem of evil. |
The purpose of moral codes in religious and non-religious life, including the Ten Commandments, Jesus’s two commandments in Matthew, different types of text included in the Bible and their perceived authority, how people use and misuse the Bible including the concepts of cherry-picking, presenting without context and contradictions in the Bible, the Beatitudes expounded in the Sermon on the Mount and their incentivising nature, Situation Ethics and the concept of agape love. |
Different interpretations of what the meaning of life might be from a religious (Christian and Islam), and non-religious (Humanist and hedonistic) perspective. Different beliefs about the afterlife from a range of positions and traditions, reasons for and elements of Christian and Humanist funeral services, Buddhist beliefs about life after death. |
The nature of Allah: omnipotence, omniscience, omnibenevolence, justice, transcendence, and immanence, the significance of and elements of the life of the Prophet Muhammad*, the creation of the Holy Qur’an, the Five Pillars of Islam and their significance for believers, festivals in Islam: Eid-ul-Fitr & Eid-ul-Adha. |
| Skills | Key Skills developed, embedded, practised and consolidated in Religious Education include: Comparison, interpretation and analysis of primary and secondary texts, written evaluation, development of a line of argument, speaking and listening, empathy and understanding of the personal perspectives of others. | ||||
| Assessment details |
Online assessment of key knowledge and understanding |
Written evaluative consideration of the learning question |
Online assessment of key knowledge and understanding |
Written evaluative consideration of the learning question |
Online assessment of key knowledge and understanding |
| 9 |
Do we need to prove God’s existence?
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Should happiness be the purpose of life? |
Is religion a power for peace or a cause of conflict in the world today? |
What difference does it make to believe? |
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| Knowledge |
The Kalam Argument for the existence of God, the Buddha’s response to questions about the existence of God - Parable of the Poison Arrow, Thomas Aquinas’ Five Ways, different views on the place of religious experience in proving the existence of God, non-religious arguments. |
Different views and perspectives on happiness, Jeremy Behtham’s Act Utilitarianism, Christian, Buddhist and Secular views of happiness.
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Different forms of conflict, including the concept of holy war, Sikh, Musim and Christian teachings on the concepts of peace and conflict, elements of the lives of the Gurus, Muhammad*, and Jesus related to peace and conflict. |
Similarities and differences between the values of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Buddhism, what it means to be ‘chosen’ including the Abrahamic covenant, Buddhist values, Christian values and why they have stood the test of time, sewa in Sikhism, religious obligation and duty in Islam. |
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| Skills | Key Skills developed, embedded, practised and consolidated in Religious Education include: Comparison, interpretation and analysis of primary and secondary texts, written evaluation, development of a line of argument, speaking and listening, empathy and understanding of the personal perspectives of others. | ||||
| Assessment details |
GCSE AQA: End of Topic Assessments |
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| 10 |
Christianity Beliefs and Teachings. Paper 1: Topic 1.1
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Christianity Practices Paper 1: Topic 1.2 |
Islam: Beliefs and Teachings Paper 1: Topic 2.1 |
Islam Practices Paper 1: Topic 2.2 |
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| Knowledge | The Nature of God, the Problem of Evil, the Holy Trinity, creation in Genesis and John, heaven and hell, resurrection & judgement, incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection, sin and salvation. |
Different forms of worship and prayer, the sacraments: baptism and different forms, eucharist, pilgrimage, celebrations, church and the community. |
Sunni/Shi’a split, the Six Articles of Faith, the Five Roots of Usul-ad-Din, Tawhid and the Nature of Allah, Risalah - Adam, Ibrahim and Muhammad*, the Imamate, sources of authority: Qur’an, Hadith, Sunnah + other Kutub, Malaikah, Akhirah, Al-Qadr. |
The Five Pillars: Shahadah, Salat, Sawm, Zakat, Hajj, the mosque, 10 Obligatory Acts, Lesser and Greater Jihad, Maroof and Munkar, Tawalla and Tabarra, Festivals and Celebrations including Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Adha, Ashura. |
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| Skills | Key Skills developed, embedded, practised and consolidated in Religious Education include: Comparison, interpretation and analysis of primary and secondary texts, written evaluation, development of a line of argument, speaking and listening, empathy and understanding of the personal perspectives of others. | ||||
| Assessment details |
GCSE AQA: End of Topic Assessments |
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| 11 |
Theme A: Family and Relationships |
Theme B: Religion and Life |
Theme D: Peace and Conflict
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Theme E: Crime & Punishment |
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| Knowledge |
Christian, Muslim and non-religious views on: different forms of contraception; human sexuality, including views on same-sex relationships; the nature and purpose of marriage; different family types, its nature and purpose; divorce and remarriage; gender and gender equality. |
Christian, Muslim and non-religious views on: the origins and creation of the universe; the value of the world; the concept of stewardship; animal rights; abortion and termination; different forms of euthanasia. |
Christian, Muslim and non-religious views on: the concepts of peace, conflict, forgiveness and reconciliation; different forms of protest, including violent protest and terrorism; whether religion is the cause of conflict; war and warfare including lesser jihad, Just War Theory, holy war; different forms of weapons of mass destruction - their development and use; the concept of pacifism; responses to victims of war.
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Christian, Muslim and non-religious views on: different forms of crime - against the person, property and state; the causes of and reasons for crime; the concept of shari’ah in Islam; the aims of punishment - deterrence, rehabilitation and retribution; the treatment of criminals, the notion of forgiveness; prisons; capital and corporal punishment. |
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| Skills |
Key Skills developed, embedded, practised and consolidated in Religious Education include: Comparison, interpretation and analysis of primary and secondary texts, written evaluation, development of a line of argument, speaking and listening, empathy and understanding of the personal perspectives of others. |
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| Assessment details |
GCSE AQA: End of Topic Assessments |
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KNOWLEDGE ORGANISERS
A Knowledge Rich Curriculum at Selby High School
Research around memory suggests that if knowledge is studied once and not revisited or revised, it is not stored in the long-term memory. This means that after one lesson, or revising for one test, the knowledge will not be retained unless it is studied again. It won’t be recalled unless it is revisited frequently, which will embed it in the long term memory. In the long term this makes recall far easier. As part of home learning, students should be revising what they have been taught recently but also content they were taught previously. Therefore as part of our strategy to embed learning over time we have started to develop knowledge organisers across all year groups and curriculum areas. These will provide key content and knowledge allowing students to pre-learn and re-learn, a vital part of processing all the information required to be successful in the new style GCSE’s.
Instructions for using your knowledge organisers
KS3 = Years 7, 8 & 9
KS4 = Years 10 & 11
Below are the knowledge organisers for each topic in this subject. These knowledge organisers will become embedded in the Learning Journeys for each topic as they are created on Ready Steady Learn.
Exam information for GSCE qualifications in this subject area
Click each link below to view the full specification:
