At Lightcliffe Academy our Religious Studies vision aims to engage, inspire and encourage our students to ask deep and often searching questions about the world in which we live in. Students will be nurtured to become objective and balanced thinkers. They will think of questions and articulate answers about theological beliefs, philosophical debates and contemporary ethical issues around them to become respectful and culturally aware young people of the future.
Here at Lightcliffe Academy our Religious Studies curriculum aims to engage, inspire and encourage our students to ask deep and often searching questions about the world in which we live in. The aim of this curriculum is to contribute pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development learning about different people’s worldviews, both religious and non – religious whilst having the time to reflect on their own beliefs and values that are vital for their Health and Happiness.
With this integral to the curriculum, Religious Studies at Lightcliffe, will both reflect the guidance given in the Local Agreed Syllabus whilst incorporating our academies SHARED characteristics. Students will be encouraged to be ambitious in their studies developing their key academic skills in Theology, Philosophy and Ethics whilst given the space and opportunity to question and seek responses to the diverse and varied beliefs, values and practices that shape our world. In their approach, students will be nurtured to be objective and balanced thinkers who formulate articulate answers about the questions they have pertinent to the theological viewpoints, philosophical debates and contemporary ethical issues they interact with so that they can develop to be respectful and culturally aware of the diverse local, national and global world in which they live in.
Through creative opportunities, independent, teacher led tasks and oracy-based strategies of debate and discussion it is intended that students will flourish in their studies as they build on prior knowledge and gain further insights into the world of religious and non- religious perspective. It is hoped that after their Religious Studies at Lightcliffe they will leave here with that further understanding of what it means to be dignified global citizens with a better understanding of their own worldviews, the worldviews of others and that which influences it. With reference to the Pathways found within the Local Agreed Syllabi and with focus on the following main aims, as guided by the Local Agreed Syllabus, the curriculum looks to:
A. Enable learners to develop a broad and balanced understanding of religions/worldviews.
B. I Empowers learners to develop and use critical thinking skills.
C. Broaden perspectives of faiths and cultures, encouraging tolerance of diversity.
D. Develop their own personal worldview, identity, values and spirituality.
E. Contribute to developing learners as positive, participating citizens of the world.
Year 7 is a bridging year which aims to support with the transition of students from primary to secondary. Students will begin the year with an introduction to philosophical questions and theological study through the exploration of what religions believe about God. Students will take a theological approach to the year learning key foundational knowledge that underpins the Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Considering the diversity found within religions students will explore key beliefs and practices developing key skills along their year 7 learning journey. Each topic they approach will start with a key Big Question with learning built around answering that question. Some of the topics in this year include religious beliefs about God, the difference between Reform, Orthodox and Hassidic Jews, Christian beliefs about Jesus including key beliefs such as sacrifice, forgiveness and the Son of God. Student will also explore what it means to be Muslim in Britain exploring the diversity within Islam and beliefs and practices such as the 5 Pillars, The 5 Roots and 6 Articles. Students will explore a range of questions such as What Do the Abrahamic Believe About God? Can we Be Responsible for our own Actions at 13? How Do Jews Follow the Mitzvot? Did Jesus Exist? And What Challenges Do Muslims Face practicing their faith in Britian? In all the curriculum is designed to make those connections between religions whilst showing the diversity within religion and introducing key knowledge to be developed as they move into their Year 8 studies.
Year 8 continues with a philosophical approach to the year considering Who Created the World? Students will debate the theological and philosophical theories on the creation of the world considering the difference between scientific and theological truths and exploring religious beliefs on taking care of the planet and animals. Students will the examine beliefs about life after death with focus on Dharmic beliefs in reincarnation. Moving on through their studies students will then explore how these beliefs influence the practice of Hindus and Buddhists in their daily lives. To finish the year students will recap their understanding of the Abrahamic faiths through a unit that explores the religious history behind Jerusalem in Isael and the importance of it as a place for pilgrimage. Students will use this learning and summer home learning to consider what an interfaith centre in the area might look like. In all students will be challenged to thinking deeper about the world in which we live, the big questions we all look to answer, and the influence beliefs have on the practice of Dharmic Faiths.
Year 9 moves learning forward with a more philosophical and ethical approach. With Theology carefully embedded within this curriculum students will explore and build on prior learning through an exploration range of philosophical scholars when looking at proving the existence of God through the arguments from, design, first cause and religious experience with reference to the existence of evil and suffering as an argument against God. Students in this year will build on their knowledge of Dharmic Faiths with a mini unit on Sikhism looking at selfless service, equality and leadership. Students will then move onto ethics based leaning where they will look at evaluating a range of issues such as organ donation, blood transfusions, fertility treatments, GE and will explore conflict in Israel considering whether religion is a power for peace or cause of conflict. They will examine religious, non-religious and scholarly theory around such ethics. Students will then engage in a public speaking task as they learn about inspirational figures that have been forces for change and understand the importance of Human Rights. Year 9 ends with focus on how we can support the disadvantaged and what religious and secular views are on this.
Oracy- Students throughout their studies will engage in several activities such as debates, presentations, public speaking, roleplay, and voice 21 talk tactics. Students will regularly be given a safe space to explore and discuss their opinions and that of others through whole class, group, paired and individual opportunities.
Literacy- Within the curriculum students will be given plenty of opportunities to develop their reading and writing skills. Students will be encouraged to enjoy reading through whole school strategies such as Ruler Reading and Read Aloud as well as in department strategies. Students will be encouraged to practice their writing skills through extended writing and activities such as news reports, diary extracts etc.
Service- Students will be aware of how RS influences people to do good, help others, contribute to charity and serve others in the world.
Health and Happiness- Students will examine the ways Religious and Non-Religious people keep themselves happy and healthy through the expression of spirituality.
Ambition- Students will be ambitious in their studies in RS understanding how they can be successful RS scholars who can identify their strengths, build on their areas for development and connect and make links with their future careers.
Resilience- Students will examine the way people of faith show resilience in their daily life through their beliefs and practices. Students will also be encouraged to be resilient in the challenges they may face through the academic study of RS
Equity- RS champions all British Values such as tolerance by facilitating the chance to engage with different worldviews and attitudes. RS celebrates the positive contributions that religion and its people make in the school and wider communities and helps students to promote community cohesion in the face of diversity.
Dignity- Students will be dignified scholars who objectively study a range of different perspectives and can respond as a critical friend to aspects of their study their oppose with. Students will be encouraged to always show dignity towards themselves and others in a discipline that can at times pose challenging and thought-provoking issues.
It is intended that the impact of this curriculum will be assessed through core assessment activities that assess the knowledge of this curriculum and the meeting of the intent of the curriculum through assessment of essential skills for study within the Religion, Philosophy and Ethics provision demonstrated in the Lightcliffe Academy Religious Studies Goals. Students will be assessed on their knowledge and ability to demonstrate key skills in the following areas:
Knowledge and Understanding
Critical Thinking
Literacy
The ability to meet success within these areas will be formatively assessed through common pink A-zones marked by staff or peer/self-assessed, mid/end of term iterative knowledge tests and end of unit extended writing activities where a summative assessment is not scheduled. In line with whole school policy there will be summative points whereby students are assessed at the end of each term except for the summer term whereby summative assessment will be replaced by an End of Year in school test.
In addition, to these it is hoped that students will develop more abstract skills such as empathy, inquisition, questioning, and responding assessed through the following means:
General Study Skills
Reflection: Personal Development
In all, Students will be notified of their strengths and areas for development though regular feedback which will be used to inform whole school data capturing. In addition, students will be given plenty of opportunities through additional self and peer assessment activities that allow students to reflect deeper on how they are learning and not simply what they are learning.
Knowledge of other cultures and world religious and beliefs can be useful in many careers and jobs where you are working with the public or communities. These include counselling and social services, marketing, sales and advertising, catering and hospitality, leisure, sport and tourism, journalism, law, retail sales and customer services, education and training, medicine and nursing, and other service sector roles. During your studies in GCSE Religious Studies, students will be sufficiently prepared for a range of careers through the topics that are studied, and the skills developed such as Problem Solving, Research, Evalution, Arguing to Persuade, Communcation and many more.
Religious Studies is an ever popular and relevant GCSE course, which covers a range of contemporary moral issues as well as addressing the fundamental questions of life. It is a subject that enables you to think for yourself about religious and moral issues in a critical and enquiring way. Students will be challenged with questions about belief, values, meaning, purpose and truth; enabling them to develop their own attitudes towards religious issues. Students will also gain an appreciation of how religion, philosophy and ethics form the basis of our culture. They will develop analytical and critical thinking skills, the ability to work with abstract ideas, leadership and research skills. All these skills will help prepare them for further study. All students follow a compulsory GCSE course in Religious Studies. The course is taught in 5 lessons per fortnight and covers TWO units of work both of which are examined in Year 11.
Paper 1: The study of religions: beliefs, teachings and practices
Students will explore the beliefs, teachings and practices from a Christian, and from an Islamic perspective. Students will learn about the nature of God, beliefs about the afterlife and their importance to religious believers today, as well as exploring different forms of worship, religious festivals and the role of the Church/Mosque in the local and worldwide community.
Paper 2: Religious, Philosophical and Ethical Issues
In this paper, students will study how Christian and Muslim beliefs and teachings influence key issues of modern life. These include debating and considering the nature and purpose of marriage, the origins of the universe, animal experimentation, medical issues (abortion and euthanasia), and war and violence in the contemporary world. Students are also encouraged to express their own beliefs and opinions, whether from a faith background or not.
Oracy- Students throughout their studies will engage in several activities such as debates, presentations, public speaking, roleplay, and voice 21 talk tactics. Students will regular be given a safe space to explore and discuss their opinions and that of others through whole class, group, paired and individual opportunities.
Literacy- Within the curriculum students will be given plenty of opportunities to develop their reading and writing skills. Students will be encouraged to enjoy reading through whole school strategies such as Ruler Reading and Read Aloud as well as in department strategies. Students will be encouraged to practice their writing skills through extended writing and activities such as news reports, diary extracts etc.
Service- Students will be aware of how RS influences people to do good, help others, contribute to charity and serve others in the world.
Health and Happiness- Students will examine the ways Religious and Non-Religious people keep themselves happy and healthy through the expression of spirituality.
Ambition- Students will be ambitious in their studies in RS understanding how they can be successful RS scholars who can identify their strengths, build on their areas for development and connect and make links with their future careers.
Resilience- Students will examine the way people of faith show resilience in their daily life through their beliefs and practices. Students will also be encouraged to be resilient in the challenges they may face through the academic study of RS
Equity- RS champions all British Values such as tolerance by facilitating the chance to engage with different worldviews and attitudes. RS celebrates the positive contributions that religion and its people make in the school and wider communities and helps students to promote community cohesion in the face of diversity.
Dignity- Students will be dignified scholars who objectively study a range of different perspectives and can respond as a critical friend to aspects of their study their oppose with. Students will be encouraged to always show dignity towards themselves and others in a discipline that can at times pose challenging and thought-provoking issues.
There is no coursework in GCSE Religious Studies.
You will sit two exams at the end of Year 11. Each exam will last for 1 hour 45 minutes.
Leading up to this time students will be assessed through mock exams, end of unit assessments, common a zones formed as exam practice questions and regular iterative knowledge tests.
Where studying this subject can take you (Link to A-levels/ university/ careers)
Religious Studies is a very traditional academic subject and is highly regarded at all the major universities. At A Level Religious Studies is of interest to both Arts and Science students. It compliments both English and History as it also requires text and source analysis and demands a deep understanding of culture and the development of ideas. By introducing ethical and philosophical issues and through helping students to develop an enquiring, critical and reflective approach to ideas it is also useful for students who wish to further studies in medicine, ethics and healthcare. Students find the skills and knowledge gained in Religious Studies useful in careers such as law, journalism, social care, the army, childcare, the police, probation work, counselling, teaching, nursing and leisure and tourism.
