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Religious Education

Staff within the Department: 

 

Ms S. Gale - Head of RE

Ms H. Osman - RE Teacher

Mr K. Bolt - RE teacher

Ms E. West - RE Teacher 

Ms A. Deugi- RE teacher.

 

Religious Education is a compulsory subject as it is a legal requirement for schools to teach the subject throughout all key stages. All pupils at key stage 4 will gain a full course GCSE. At key stage 5 we offer A level Philosophy and Ethics which in recent years has been a popular A level with pupils achieving excellent results. The school follows the Ealing Agreed Syllabus which is advised by Ealing SACRE.

RE at Ellen Wilkinson School For Girls provides opportunities for pupils to:

  • Reflect upon challenging questions about the meaning and purpose of life, beliefs, the self, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human.
  • Explore their own beliefs (whether they are religious or non-religious)
  • Develop respect for others regardless of their background
  • Consider their responsibilities and to explore how they might contribute to their communities and to wider society. It encourages empathy, generosity and compassion.

Curriculum

KS3

All students study RE in years 7 and 8. During Key Stage 3 pupils look at a variety of religious, social and ethical issues. The course is designed to encourage pupils learn about religion and reflect on what we can learn from the different religious beliefs. Throughout the course pupils study the six main world faiths.

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

Introduction to 6 world faiths

Inspired Leadership and Founders of Faith

Islam

Festivals

Buddhism

Suffering and Evil

 

Year 8

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

What belief means to me

Humanism

Drugs

Human Rights

Is religion a positive influence in society?

Christianity

 

We follow the Ealing Agreed Syllabus in KS3 RE. For more information please look at the following website.

https://www.egfl.org.uk/school-effectiveness/curriculum/curriculum-subjects/religious-education/re-curriculum/key-stage-3

Enrichment activities to do at home

If pupils wish to develop their knowledge of Religious Education outside of the classroom they could

  • Read the Boy in Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
  • Read Diary of Anne Frank
  • Visit a place of worship such as a Church, Neasden Temple or a Mosque

 

KS4

All pupils study RE throughout KS4 will receive a full GCSE at the end of the course. Pupils will study Christianity and Sikhism in detail. In addition, pupils will also look at a range of moral and ethical issues. Our course allows pupils to study the six main world faiths and how they would respond to each issue.  As a department we feel it is important to study a variety of religions, so the pupils develop their understanding, tolerance and respect towards others.

 

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

Year 9

Christianity: Key Beliefs

Religion and Life

Christianity: Key Practices

Crime and Punishment

Year 10

Sikhism: Key Beliefs

Peace and Conflict

Sikhism: Key Practices

 

Relationships and Family

Year 11

Revision: Christianity and Sikhism

Revision: Ethical Issues

 

Revision: Key skills for the exam.

 

We follow AQA Religious Studies Specification A. In component 1: The study of religious beliefs, we look at Christianity and Sikhism. In component 2: Thematic studies, we look at theme A Relationships and families, theme B Religion and life, theme D religion and conflict and theme E religion, human rights and justice.

There is an exam for each component and both exams will be taken at the end of year 11.

If you would like more information please visit the AQA website

http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/religious-studies/gcse/religious-studies-a-8062

 

Enrichment activities to do at home

If pupils wish to develop their knowledge of Religious Education outside of the classroom they could

  • Read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
  • Visit the Imperial War Museum to look at issues such as the Holocaust and Nuclear Weapons
  • Watch films with moral issues such as My Sisters Keeper (Matters of Life) or The Help (Prejudice)

 

A level

The Religious Studies A-Level is a popular choice within the sixth form and covers Christianity, Philosophy and Ethics. Pupils will look at philosophical issues such as the problem of evil and evidence for and against the existence of God. In addition to this, pupils will also look at ethical theories and how different philosophers would respond to issues such as business ethics and euthanasia. Finally pupils will study the impact of Christianity on our society and the challenges it currently faces.

There are three exams and each one assesses a different part of the course. This is what we cover over the two year course in each unit.

Unit 1: Philosophy of religion

  • Ancient philosophical influences
  • The nature of the soul, mind and body
  • Arguments about the existence or non-existence of God
  • The nature and impact of religious experience
  • The challenge for religious belief of the problem of evil
  • Ideas about the nature of God
  • Issues in religious language.

Unit 2:

Religion and Ethics

  • Normative ethical theories
  • The application of ethical theory to two contemporary issues of importance Ethical language and thought
  • Debates surrounding the significant idea of conscience
  • Sexual ethics and the influence on ethical thought of developments in religious beliefs.

Unit 3:

Development of Christian Thought

  • Christian beliefs, values and teachings, their interconnections and how they vary historically and in the contemporary world
  • Sources of religious wisdom and authority
  • Practices which shape and express Christian identity, and how these vary within a tradition
  • Significant social and historical developments in Christian theology and religious thought
  • Key themes related to the relationship between religion and society

 

For more information please visit the OCR website.

http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/as-a-level-gce-religious-studies-h173-h573-from-2016/

Enrichment activities to do at home

If pupils wish to develop their knowledge of Religious Education outside of the classroom they could

  • Read The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
  • Watch the Big Questions on BBC 1 on Sunday Morning
  • Keep up to date with current affairs by watching the news