Religious Education (Key Stage 3)
Intent
The Religious Education curriculum challenges students of all faiths and none to explore questions of meaning, purpose and value and encourages them to reflect critically on their own thoughts and beliefs and those of others. This is done by drawing on the wisdom of religions and world views and helps our students to determine their own purpose in the world and the impact they can have on it. Furnishing students with knowledge and understanding of both the Christian faith and the faith of other world beliefs enables them to understand the role and significance of religion in the modern world, the important beliefs and values that shape it, and the impact religion has on many people’s lives. Furthermore, we believe teaching our students about other faiths and beliefs will support our students to be more tolerant and tackle stereotypical views that can exist in the wider community.
We strongly believe that substantive and disciplinary knowledge are intertwined and thus, are taught as such, with students being taught the facts about specific religions or topical issues whilst also having the opportunity to implement skills of analysis, reasoning and arguing so their opinions are always effectively supported.
Year 7
Focus
| Autumn | Spring | Summer |
|---|---|---|
| Students begin with an introduction to world religions. They will gain an understanding of what religion is, why it is important to many people and will examine some of the common features of the main world religions such as religious texts, religious leaders, places of worship, festivals and symbols. | Students will take a more in-depth study of Christian practices and beliefs. They will gain a knowledge and understanding of what being part of the Christian faith means to its followers and will examine the role of Jesus in the Christian faith, the importance of baptism, the Christian place of worship, some key Christian beliefs and the significance of both Easter and Christmas as the key Christian festivals. | Students will study the beliefs and practices of the non-theistic religion Buddhism. They will gain a knowledge and understanding of how Buddhism originated, the teachings of the Buddha, of some of its beliefs and practices, the importance of the vihara as a place of worship and the significance of the Buddhist festival of Wesak. |
Enrichment Opportunities
- Bing Videos – International Buddhist Temple – introduction
Year 8
Focus
| Autumn | Spring | Summer |
|---|---|---|
| Students complete an in-depth study of Islam, examining Muslim beliefs and practices. They will gain a knowledge and understanding of how Islam began, the significance of the Prophet Muhammad, the importance of the mosque and worship, how the Five Pillars of Islam affect a Muslim’s daily life, the significance of Muslim festivals. | Students study a unit of work called ‘Ultimate Questions’. This unit gives students the opportunity to think about and challenge their own, and different views, on difficult topics such as life after death, belief in God, the existence of evil in the world and capital punishment, whilst also considering different religious views on these issues. | Students complete an in-depth study of Judaism, examining Jewish beliefs and practices. They will gain a knowledge and understanding of Jewish beliefs about God, the importance of the synagogue and worship, the Jewish ‘coming-of-age’ ceremonies of Bar/Bat Mitzvah, the significance of Jewish festivals and a modern-day Jewish wedding. |
Enrichment Opportunities
- Bing Videos – Virtual tour of a mosque
- Bing Videos – Virtual tour of a synagogue
Year 9
Focus
| Autumn | Spring | Summer |
|---|---|---|
| Students study a unit called Prejudice and Discrimination. They explore different types of prejudice and discrimination with a focus on racial discrimination, examining the cases of Anthony Walker and Stephen Lawrence. They study, in depth, the life and work of Martin Luther King, examining how his Christian faith and his belief in non-violent protests shaped his campaign in the Civil Rights’ Movement in America. | Students study a unit called Animal Rights. They explore the nature of animal rights, the ways animals are used/misused by humans, the differences between humans and animals, veganism and vegetarianism as an alternative to eating meat, animal experimentation and religious views on these issues. | Students study a unit of work called ‘Medical Ethics’ which gives pupils the opportunity to think about and to challenge their own and different views, on difficult topics such as cloning, organ donation, fertility treatments, abortion and euthanasia. They will also consider different religious teachings on these issues. |
Enrichment Opportunities
- Bing Videos – Martin Luther King biography
- Bing Videos – Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream Speech
Useful Links/Websites
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zh3rkqt
https://www.educationquizzes.com/ks3/religious-education
In the UK, parents have the right to withdraw their children from RE on the grounds that they wish to provide their own RE. This provision will be the parents’ responsibility. Please contact the school office should you wish to invoke this right.
Playlists
Year 7
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Year 7 Term 1
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Year 7 Term 2
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Year 8
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Year 8 Term 1
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Year 8 Term 2
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Year 9
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Year 9 Term 1
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Year 9 Term 2
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Valkyrie Road, Wallasey
Wirral CH45 4RJ