Religious Studies

Religious Studies is designed to explore what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live. This allows all students to gain the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to handle questions raised by religion and modern society, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living.

Key Stage 3 
Our Key Stage 3 curriculum is designed to allow students to investigate the majority of core faiths represented in the UK. We later build on this by introducing themes such as the ‘the problem of evil’ which allow our learners to apply the lessons they have learnt from various world views to ultimate questions that affect our lives. We also offer our students the opportunity to achieve The Archbishop of York Award, which teaches the key values of leadership and encourages learners to make a positive difference to their local community. 

Key Stage 4 
We study the popular AQA RS (Specification A) in Key Stage 4 focusing on Christianity and offering learners the chance to experience philosophy through studying Buddhism. As well as studying religion, the GCSE course offers pupils the chance to encounter important questions that we ask on a daily basis. Examples of areas studied include medical ethics and attitudes to crime. We encourage our learners to investigate all points of view and become well-informed, empathetic individuals. 

What else does the department offer? 
We currently offer a Key Stage 4 trip to Leicester Cathedral and Leicester Buddhist Centre to allow our learners to delve deeper into the subjects they are learning and appreciate how religious believers work in real-world situations. Our staff also offer revision sessions that all students are invited to attend. We also aim to supplement learning by inviting external speakers to present key ideas and share their life experiences with our learners.