The Importance of Religious Education

"Religious education provokes challenging questions about the ultimate meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God, the self and the nature of reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human. It develops pupils' knowledge and understanding of Christianity, other principal religions, other religious traditions, and other world views that offer answers to these challenging questions. It offers opportunities for personal reflection and spiritual development. It enhances pupils' awareness and understanding of religions and beliefs, teachings, practices and forms of expression, as well as of the influence of religion on individuals, families, communities and cultures.

RE encourages pupils to learn from different religions, beliefs, values and traditions, while exploring their own beliefs and questions of meaning. It challenges pupils to reflect on, consider, analyse, interpret and evaluate issues of truth, belief, faith and ethics and to communicate their responses.

RE encourages pupils to develop their sense of identity and belonging. It enables them to flourish individually within their communities and as citizens in a diverse society and global community. RE has an important role in preparing pupils for adult life, employment and lifelong learning. It enables pupils to develop respect for and sensitivity to others, in particular those whose faiths and beliefs are different from their own. It promotes discernment and enables pupils to combat prejudice." (Extract from NC Online)

Key Stage 3

In RE, pupils acquire and apply knowledge and understanding of:

• Christianity and the other principal religions represented in Great Britain (following the model syllabuses, they are Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism);
• how these religions influence individuals, communities, society and the world;
• the nature of belief, religion, philosophy and ethics

Key Stage 4

During years 10 and 11 our GCSE students have opted for the AQA papers 1c and 2b within Specification A. Throughout this period they will look at “The Christian Life and St Marks Gospel” and “The effects of Roman Catholic Tradition upon Aspects of Christian Lifestyle and Behaviour”.

80% of the marks will be achieved via RE written examinations and 20% of the marks will be achieved via RE set coursework. The coursework we have chosen in about “Baptism and Marriages”.

Some of our students are entered for the “Entry Level” course which consists largely of coursework assignments with internal examinations which are marked by RE Teachers.

Links

BBC GCSE Bitesize Religious Education