Religious Studies / Philosophy & Ethics
Religious Studies at Thetford Grammar School facilitates pupils’ personal development. At each of the Key Stages, Religious Studies takes into account the awareness and abilities of pupils and contributes towards the personal development of the child as they engage with their own context in the world today.
This approach to learning involves shared concerns and experiences as opposed to shared topics. Rather than learning purely ‘about’ the different beliefs and practices of many religions, pupils explore questions such as those concerning matters of life and death from their own point of view, as well as though contrast of differing religious perspectives.
The schemes of learning for Key Stage 3 are designed with a view to the Norfolk Agreed Syllabus for Religious Studies.
KS3
Year 7
Michaelmas Term:
Introduction to World Religions
1. What is religion? - Understanding religion and its definitions;
2. Major world religions overview - Introductions to each religion, its history key beliefs and sacred texts.
Lent Term:
Religious Practices and Celebrations
3. Festivals and Holy Days - Christian, Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist festivals significance and practice;
4. Rituals and Worship - Forms of worship across different religions with comparisons.
Summer Term:
Religion, Society and Ethics
5. Religion and Society - Religion in the community, social action and local institutions;
6. Ethical Teachings and Moral Issues - Ethics in Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism and their practical applications to issues.
Year 8
Autumn Term
CRE Introduction to Critical Religious Education – This module introduces pupils to the question ‘what do we know what is real?’. Each lesson breaking down a different part of the phrase to explore epistemology and differing worldviews.
Spring Term:
CRE Moral Teachings – This module introduces pupils to a breadth of moral teachings starting with theistic views, and moving into non-theistic viewpoints. It allows students to explore differing religions and philosophies (e.g., Hinduism, Egoism, Buddhism) through ethics.
Summer Term:
CRE Science and Religion – This module introduces pupils to the seeming conflict between science and religion. Students will look at various creation myths before examining the Genesis story in detail. They will then explore the cosmological and teleological arguments to decide whether science and religion can work in harmony.
Year 9
Autumn Term:
Ethical Theories and Moral Philosophy
1. Re-introducing Ethics,
2. Major ethical theories - Utilitarianism, Deontology, Virtue ethics,
3. Applying Ethical Theories - Contemporary ethical issues e.g., enivironment, abortion, bioethics.
Spring Term:
Philosophy of Religion
4. Arguments for God's existence - Cosmology, teleology, ontology,
5. Challenges to religious belief - the problem of evil, faith and reason.
Summer Term:
Social and Political Philosophy
6. Justice and fairness - theories of justice,
7. Rights and responsibilities - Human rights and civil disobedience,
8. Freedom and authority - the nature of freedom, authority and legitimacy.
KS4
Year 10
Belief, Teachings and Practices - Christianity
Christianity: Beliefs and Teachings - 1. Nature of God, 2. Trinity, 3. Creation, 4. Problem of Evil, 5. Jesus Christ, 6. Jesus' Life, 7. Concept of Salvation, 8. Eschatology.
Christianity: Practices - 1. Worship, 2. Sacraments, 3. Prayer, 4. Pilgrimage, 5. Church, 6. Mission, 7. Church in the Wider World.
Belief, Teachings and Practices - Islam
Islam: Beliefs and Teachings - 1. Core Beliefs, 2. Allah, 3. Prophethood, 4. Books, 5. Angels, 6. Eschatology, 7. Life after Death
Islam: Practices - 1. Practices, 2. Public Worship, 3. Private Worship, 4. Hajj, 5. Zakat, 6. Sawm, 7. Festivals, 8. Jihad.
Year 10 Revision and Exams
Recap and revise the year 10 Islam and Christianity content. The work through feedback and exams. This is also a good opportunity for exam technique.
Religion, Philosophy and Ethics
Christianity: Relationships and Families – 1. Relationships, 2. Men and Women, 3. Christian Equality.
Year 11 - Religion, Philosophy and Ethics
Christianity: The Existence of God, Gods and Ultimate Reality – 1. The Question of God, 2. The Nature of Reality, 3. Experiencing God.
Christianity: Religion, Peace and Conflict – 1. Violence and Conflict, 2. Peace and Peace-making, 3. Forgiveness and Reconciliation.
Christianity: Dialogues Between Religious and Non-religious – 1. Challenges for Religion, 2. Dialogue Within and Between Religious, 3. Dialogues Between Religious and Non-religious.
Space for catch up and revision across the course
A Level
Year 12
OCR AS Level: Philosophy
1. Philosophical Language and Thought
2. The Existence of God
3. God and the World
4. Theological and Philosophical Developments
OCR AS Level: Ethics
1. Normative Ethical Theories: Religious Approaches
2. Normative Ethical Theories
3. Applied Ethics
4. Ethical Language: Meta-ethics
OCR AS Level: Theology
1. Foundations
2. Insights
3. Living
4. Development (A level Unit)
Year 13
OCR A Level Units
5. Religious Language: Negative, Analogical or Symbolic
6. Religious Language Twentieth Century Perspectives
7. Significant Ideas
8. Developments in Ethical thought
9. Society
10. Challenges