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Religious Studies
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Helping the students of today become a better society for tomorrow
Introduction
Religious Education at Cecil Jones Academy is about teaching tolerance and understanding. It’s about preparing students and giving them the skill to flourish as able and qualified participants of a multi-cultural, multi-faith society. Religious Education makes a distinctive contribution to the school curriculum by developing pupils' knowledge and understanding of religion, religious beliefs, practices, language and traditions and their influence on individuals, communities, societies and cultures. It enables pupils to consider and respond to a range of important questions related to their own spiritual development, the development of values and attitudes and fundamental questions concerning the meaning and purpose of life. The RE department at Cecil Jones Academy are a successful and dedicated team who are committed to the student’s enjoyment and development in Religious Studies.
KS3
At Key Stage 3 pupils study a variety of different topics. We aim to create an inclusive environment so we aim to study the majority of the major world religions over Years 7 and 8 with an open and broad perspective.
In Year 7 we build on pupil’s prior knowledge and study world religions as a foundation for their study in Year 8 and beyond. In year 7 we study the following:
- Judaism
- Christianity
- Islam
In Year 8 we look at religious views and start to develop our philosophical skills.
- Islam
- Suffering
- Inspirational Leaders
In Year 9 we study:
- Christianity: Beliefs and Teachings and Practises
- Islam: Beliefs and Teachings and Practises
KS4
The aim of GCSE Religious Studies is to teach pupils an understanding and evaluation of different religions and their impact on the world; pupils are encouraged to develop their imagination and become aware of the spiritual dimension and the richness it can bring.
We find it essential for pupils to learn about the community they live in and we therefore implement compulsory Religious Studies throughout the school until Year 11. Pupils in year 9 begin the KS4 syllabus by studying the new WJEC Eduqas Religious, Philosophical and Ethical Studies content. In their lessons pupils will be discussing and analysing Muslim and Christian views, as well as considering non-religious views, on a range of philosophical, moral and ethical topics such as abortion, the existence of the afterlife, the roles of men and women and capital punishment.
Course Overview
Examination Group: WJEC/Eduqas
Examination Value: 100%
Examination Structure: Three Exam Papers
Paper 1: Philosophy and Ethics 50%
- Issues of Human Rights
- Issues of Good and Evil
- Issues of Life and Death
- Issues of Relationship
Paper 2: Christianity 25%
- The nature of God
- Creation
- Jesus Christ (incarnation, resurrection and atonement)
- Afterlife
- Forms of worship
- Sacraments
- Pilgrimage
- Celebrations
- Whether the UK is still Christian
- The Church in the local community and the worldwide church.
Paper 3 Islam 25%
- The nature of Allah
- Prophethood
- Angels
- Afterlife
- The foundations of faith.
- The Five Pillars of Sunni Islam
- The Ten Obligatory acts of Shi’a Islam
- Jihad
- Islamic festivals such as Eid-ul-Adha
Visual Curriculum Map
Homework
At key stage 3 pupils will be set homework every other week and are expected to take around 30 minutes to complete this work.
At Key Stage 4 pupils will be set homework every other week and are expected to take around 1 hour to complete this work.
