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Curriculum
Page
Religious Education |
| The Religious Education Department aims to provide
students of all abilities with a broad, balanced and relevant
experience of the subject. |
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  Year Seven |
| The Year Seven syllabus aims to introduce
students to four of the major world faiths. It includes a detailed
look at the concept of God, worship, rites of passage and religious
duty from the perspective of Christianity, Judaism, Islam and
Hinduism. |
Introduction to Religious Education
The Soul
The concept of God
Worship
Rites of Passage
Religious Duty |
| Teaching Group Organisation: |
| Students are taught in their Tutor
Groups and therefore are in mixed ability sets. In Year Seven,
students receive Religious Education lessons three times every
two weeks. |
| Assessment: |
| Students' work is continuously assessed
through teacher assessment of classwork and homework. Work is
marked according to the Department marking policy. In addition
to this, students will also be required to complete six assessment
tasks throughout the year, which will be assessed using Cambridgeshire
Religious Education Agreed Syllabus levels. |
| Homework: |
| All pupils are expected to complete
homework assignments. Longer projects based around a particular
theme may be set from time to time. |
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| Year Eight |
| Course Outline: |
| The Year 8 syllabus aims to build
upon the firm foundations laid in Year 7 and students undertake
a detailed study of the two remaining major world religious,
Buddhism and Sikhism. Students look particularly closely at
what it means to be a member of these faiths in the 21st Century
Britain. The Year 8 syllabus also aims to introduce students
to some basic philosophy and ethics through, the study of two
key themes - Death and the Afterlife and Prejudice and Equality. |
Death and the Afterlife
Buddhism
Prejudice and Equality
Sikhism |
| Teaching Group Organisation: |
| Students are taught in their Tutor
Groups and therefore are in mixed ability sets. In Year Eight,
students receive Religious Education lessons three times every
two weeks. |
| Assessment: |
| Students' work is continuously assessed
through teacher assessment of classwork and homework. Work is
marked according to the Department marking policy. In addition
to this, students will also be required to complete five assessment
tasks and a Year 8 exam, all of which will be assessed using
Cambridgeshire Religious Education Agreed Syllabus levels. |
| Homework: |
| All pupils are expected to complete
homework assignments. Longer projects based around a particular
theme may be set from time to time. |
|
| Year Nine |
| Course Outline: |
| The Year Nine syllabus introduces
students into a new way of thinking and learning. The aim is
that students should understand some basic philosophical concepts
and start addressing and exploring their own beliefs. The syllabus
is more flexible in the way it is taught and students are given
greater opportunity to be more responsible for their own learning.
In Year Nine students cover the following range of topics: |
The concept of God in the twenty-first century
Media attitudes to religion
An in depth study of the philosophical arguments for and against
the existence of God
The nature of evil and suffering
Crime and Punishment
Miracles
The Holocaust
Independent project work into a relevant ethical issue |
| When studying the Holocaust students
will be given a class reader 'Night' by Elie Wiesel, a holocaust
survivor. Students will also have the opportunity to take place
in a curriculum related visit, in conjunction with the History
department. |
| Teaching Group Organisation: |
| Students are taught in their Tutor
Groups and therefore in mixed ability sets. In Year Nine, students
receive Religious Education lessons once a week. |
| Assessment: |
| Students' work is continuously assessed
through teacher assessment of classwork and homework. Work is
marked according to the Department marking policy. In addition
to this, students will also be required to complete five assessment
tasks and a Year 9 exam, all of which will be assessed using
Cambridgeshire Religious Education Agreed Syllabus levels. |
| Homework: |
| All pupils are expected to complete
homework assignments. Homework will be set each week. Longer
projects based around a particular theme may be set from time
to time. |
|
| GCSE Philosophy and Ethics |
| What is Philosophy and Ethics? |
See also Upper School Curriculum
- Philosophy and Ethics [.pdf file] |
| Philosophy and Ethics is a GCSE course
which offers an exciting and relevant opportunity for students
to consider responses to fundamental questions of life. Students
will develop their knowledge of the beliefs, values and traditions
of Christianity and explore how Christians respond to pertinent
moral and philosophical issues raised by human and religious
experience. Topics covered include: |
| Philosophy: |
Ethics: |
| The nature
of God, Christian beliefs about the nature of God,
reasons why Christians believe in God, the authority of
the Bible and miracles. |
Religion
and human relationships, the roles of men and women
within a Christian family, marriage, divorce, sexual relationships
homosexuality and contraception. |
| Good and
evil, responses to the problems of evil and suffering,
the source of morality, including the conscience, the
Bible and the example of Jesus. |
Religion
and medical ethics, abortion, fertility treatments,
euthanasia, suicide, the use of animals in medical research. |
| Religion
and science, Christian ideas about the origin of the
world and humanity, scientific ideas about the origin
of the world and humanity, the Big Bang theory, Darwinian
evolutionary theory and the environment. |
Religion
and equality, racism, the role of women in religion,
forgiveness and reconciliation, Christian attitudes to
other religions. |
| Death and
the afterlife, ways in which Christians understand
the idea of body and soul, understandings of hell, heaven
and purgatory, the concept of God as judge and Christian
funeral rites. |
Religion,
peace and justice, Christian attitudes towards war,
Just War, violence, pacifism, the treatment of criminals,
capital and corporal punishment and responses to social
injustice. |
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| What is the GCSE Syllabus? |
| Pupils will look at Philosophy and Ethics from
a Christian perspective. Over the two years students will follow
the: 'OCR Religious Studies B - Philosophy and Ethics, Full
course 1931'. |
| What Examinations are
Taken? |
| At the end of Year Eleven there will
be two, two-hour exams: one Philosophy exam and one Ethics exam. |
| Is there any Coursework? |
| No, in this GCSE there is no coursework component;
assessment is based entirely on the final exam. |
| What are the Lesson Activities? |
| During lesson time students will be involved in
a range of activities including discussion, debate, note-taking,
practising answering exam questions, preparing presentations
for the rest of the class, research from books and research
from the internet. The use of ICT is encouraged and some lessons
are taught in ICT rooms or using the school laptops. Outside
speakers are invited in on a regular basis. In the past these
have included: The society for the Protection of Unborn Children,
Animal Aid, Compassions for World Farming, local vicars and
the head of Religious Education from Homerton College, Cambridge
University, representatives from Huntingdon Life Sciences and
Nurses from Arthur Rank Hospice. |
| What are
the Homework Activities? |
| Homework is set on a regular basis
and represents an important opportunity for pupils to consolidate
and develop their knowledge and understanding. Within this GCSE,
homework involves a range of activities including reading, research,
note taking, answering exam questions, preparing presentations
and speeches. Good homework habits are important to establish
early on in the course and homework will be set on a weekly
basis. |
| Teaching Group Organisation:
|
| In the academic year 2005-2006 there will be four
mixed ability groups in year 11 and five mixed ability groups
in year 10. |
| Trips: |
| There is not currently a trip abroad,
however, past trips have included visits to the local church
in Comberton to look at Church architecture and the opportunity
for some students to visit Huntingdon Life Sciences. |
|
| Year Ten and Eleven (Core RE) |
| It is a legal requirement that all students in
formal education take part in Religious Education throughout
their school career and therefore, in addition to the very popular
Philosophy and Ethics GCSE, Key Stage 4 students have the opportunity
to take part in three Core Religious Education days. |
| Day One: Christianity and Sexuality |
| A day focussing on Christian beliefs about the
purpose of sex, the portrayal of sex in the media and sex before
marriage. Students also focus on Christian beliefs about Homosexuality.
|
| Day Two: Christianity, Hinduism and Animal Rights |
| A day looking at how religious people feel about
the treatment of animals and the value of animal life. Students
focus on the vivisection debate and speakers are invited in
to propose both sides of this debate. |
| Day Three: Religion in the Twenty-first Century |
| A day looking at issues affecting the world today
e.g. violence and poverty, with a focus on how religions, in
particular Christianity, Judaism and Islam respond to these
problems. Time is also spent exploring the process of ethical
decision-making and considering the opportunities and challenges
of belonging to a faith community in today's world. |
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This page was last updated on: Tuesday 24 October, 2006 |
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Text last issued/revised: 15 May 2006.
