Year 7
What does it mean to be a Christian in the 21st Century?
You will look at reasons why being part of a Church school and learning about faith is so vital within our society today. You will explore key Christian beliefs and practices, specifically focusing on the characteristics of God, why events such as Christmas, Easter and Holy Communion are remembered and celebrated and the impact these beliefs have on the everyday life of a Christian.
Read MoreWhat is Judaism?
This unit is an introduction to Judaism. Pupils will look at the founding Fathers of Judaism, Abraham and Moses, and explore the impact their lives had and still have on the Jewish and Christian faith today. Pupils will develop their understanding of the history of Pesach (Passover) and how this ties in with the Last Supper as well as develop their understanding of the Jewish moral code and its influence on society today. We will also study how Judaism provides the foundation for belief in Christianity.
Read MoreWho is Jesus?
You will examine who Jesus is believed to be from a Christian perspective and reflect upon your own personal beliefs about who Jesus is. You will also study key events from his life, including his baptism, the miracles he carried out and Holy week.
People of faith
You will learn about inspirational people of faith including Lord Alfred Dubs, Greta Thunberg, Malala and Martin Luther King. You will study what they are passonate about and how they live out their values in everyday life. You will also explore the impact each person of faith has had on others and the world around us.
What is Sikhism?
You will learn about the origins of Sikhism, explore a Sikh place of worship (Gurdwara) and take a virtual tour round the famous Golden Temple of Amritsar in India. You will also identify the importance of sewa (serving others) in Sikhism and examine Sikh identity today within the UK.
Read MoreYear 8
Philosophy: Does God exist?
In this unit you will study the philosophical arguments for and against belief in God, enabling you to discuss and reflect upon your own views on the topic.
- The unit will create an understanding of the problems caused by the existence of evil and suffering raises for theists and will provide an introduction to both Christian and non-religious responses to this.
- This unit will also introduce you to key Humanist beliefs on the meaning and purpose of life as well as explore the influences on the ethical decisions of Humanists.
What is Ethics?
You will study the main ethical theories within Western Philosophy and the Christian tradition and how these may be used to inform ethical decision making on issues such as medical ethics and social justice.
Who was the Prophet Muhammad?
An introduction to the key events in the Prophet Muhammad’s life and how these inform Muslim beliefs and practices today.
Spirited Arts
In this summer term, you will discover how spirituality and faith can be expressed through art, music and meditation. The focus will be on Christian, Muslim and Buddhist expressions of faith as well as non-religious ideas of mindfulness and meditation for spiritual well-being.
You will also be invited to create your own piece of ‘art’ (for example, music, drama, drawing, dance, sculpture, photography, poetry, etc) that can be entered into the international Spirited Arts Competition run by NATRE, with rewards to be won! This unit of study requires an open and imaginative mind!
Year 9
Christian Beliefs (Christianity)
You will study:
* The nature of God within Christianity;
* The Trinity;
* Creation and different Christian views on how the world was created;
* The incarnation;
* The last days of Jesus’ life;
* Salvation;
* Christian eschatology;
* The problem of evil;
* Divergent solutions to the problem of evil.
Muslim Beliefs (Islam)
You will study:
- The six Beliefs of Sunni Islam;
- The five Roots of ‘Usul ad-Din in Shia’ Islam;
- The nature of Allah;
- Risalah (Prophethood);
- Muslim holy books;
- Malaikah (angels);
- Al-Qadr (predestination);
- Akhirah (life after death).
Marriage and the Family (Christianity)
You will study:
- Marriage
- Divorce
- Sexual relationships
- Contraception
- Families
- Support for the family in the local parish
- Equality of men and women in the family
- Gender prejudice and discrimination
"Crime and Punishment (Islam) "
You will study Muslim, humanist and atheists views on:
- Attitudes towards crime and justice;
- Actions to end the causes of crime;
- Teachings about good, evil and suffering;
- Attitudes towards punishment;
- Attitudes towards the aims of punishments;
- Teachings about forgiveness;
- Teachings about the treatment of criminals;
- Attitudes towards the death penalty.
Year 10
Living the Christian Life (Christianity)
You will study:
- Christian worship: liturgical and non-liturgical forms of worship;
- The role of the sacraments in Christian life;
- The nature and purpose of prayer;
- Pilgrimage: the nature, history and purpose of pilgrimage;
- Christian religious celebrations;
- The future of the Christian Church;
- The role and importance of the local church in the local community;
- The role and importance of the Church in the worldwide community.
Living the Muslim Life (Islam)
You will be studying: - TheTen Obligatory Acts of Shi’a Islam.
- Shahadah as one of the Five Pillars.
- Salah as one of the Five Pillars. - Sawm as one of the Five Pillars. - Zakah as one of the Five Pillars and Khums. - Hajj as one of the Five Pillars. - Jihad: the origins, meaning and significance of jihad in Islam. - Religious celebrations (Id-ul-Adha and Id-ul-Fitr in Sunni Islam and Id-ul-Ghadeer and Ashura in Shi'a Islam).
Matters of Life and Death (Christianity)
You will study: - Sanctity of life
- Abortion
- Euthanasia - Life after Death (Christian views) - Life after Death (atheist and Humanist views) - Christian responses on life after death to atheist and Humanist views.
- Scientific Origins of the Universe - the Big Bang Theory. - Scientific Origins of the Universe - Theory of Evolution. - Christian responses to Scientific Theories (Genesis 1) - The Natural World - Climate change and animal rights
Peace and Conflict (Islam)
You will study: - Muslim attitudes towards peace - The role of Muslims in peacemaking, forgiveness and reconciliation. - Muslim attitudes to conflict - Pacifism - Just War theory in Sunni and Shi’a Islam. - Just War – Situation Ethics - Holy War: the nature of a holy war (Harb al-Maqadis) within Islam. - Weapons of mass destruction (WMD). - Muslim views on Terrorism. - Non-religious views on Terrorism.
Read MoreYear 11
All teaching of the content is now finished and so Year 11 will be spent revising all content and focusing in on exam practice within the context of each topic.
Read MoreBelief in God (Christianity) & Belief in Allah (Islam)
You will revise:
- The nature of God within Christianity;
- The Trinity;
- Creation and different Christian views on how the world was created;
- The incarnation;
- The last days of Jesus’ life;
- Salvation;
- Christian eschatology;
- The problem of evil;
- Divergent solutions to the problem of evil.
- The six Beliefs of Sunni Islam;
- The five Roots of ‘Usul ad-Din in Shia’ Islam;
- The nature of Allah;
- Risalah (Prophethood);
- Muslim holy books;
- Malaikah (angels);
- Al-Qadr (predestination);
- Akhirah (life after death).
You will also be studying how to answer exam questions for each revision topic, covering a-d style questions.
Marriage and the Family (Christianity) & Crime and Punishment (Islam)
You will revise:
- Marriage
- Divorce
- Sexual relationships
- Contraception
- Families
- Support for the family in the local parish
- Equality of men and women in the family
- Gender prejudice and discrimination
Muslim, humanist and atheists views on:
- Attitudes towards crime and justice;
- Actions to end the causes of crime;
- Teachings about good, evil and suffering;
- Attitudes towards punishment;
- Attitudes towards the aims of punishments;
- Teachings about forgiveness;
- Teachings about the treatment of criminals;
- Attitudes towards the death penalty.
You will also be studying how to answer exam questions for each revision topic, covering a-d style questions.
Living the Christian Life (Christianity) & Living the Muslim Life (Islam)
You will revise:
- Christian worship: liturgical and non-liturgical forms of worship;
- The role of the sacraments in Christian life;
- The nature and purpose of prayer;
- Pilgrimage: the nature, history and purpose of pilgrimage;
- Christian religious celebrations;
- The future of the Christian Church;
- The role and importance of the local church in the local community;
- The role and importance of the Church in the worldwide community.
- TheTen Obligatory Acts of Shi’a Islam.
- Shahadah as one of the Five Pillars.
- Salah as one of the Five Pillars. - Sawm as one of the Five Pillars. - Zakah as one of the Five Pillars and Khums. - Hajj as one of the Five Pillars. - Jihad: the origins, meaning and significance of jihad in Islam. - Religious celebrations (Id-ul-Adha and Id-ul-Fitr in Sunni Islam and Id-ul-Ghadeer and Ashura in Shi'a Islam).
You will also be studying how to answer exam questions for each revision topic, covering a-d style questions.
Matters of Life and Death (Christianity) & Peace and Conflict (Islam
You will revise: - Sanctity of life
- Abortion
- Euthanasia - Life after Death (Christian views) - Life after Death (atheist and Humanist views) - Christian responses on life after death to atheist and Humanist views.
- Scientific Origins of the Universe - the Big Bang Theory. - Scientific Origins of the Universe - Theory of Evolution. - Christian responses to Scientific Theories (Genesis 1) - The Natural World - Climate change and animal rights
- Muslim attitudes towards peace - The role of Muslims in peacemaking, forgiveness and reconciliation. - Muslim attitudes to conflict - Pacifism - Just War theory in Sunni and Shi’a Islam. - Just War – Situation Ethics - Holy War: the nature of a holy war (Harb al-Maqadis) within Islam. - Weapons of mass destruction (WMD). - Muslim views on Terrorism. - Non-religious views on Terrorism.
You will also be studying how to answer exam questions for each revision topic, covering a-d style questions.
Exam Technique
You will revise:
- Exam answer structure for each style of question;
- Use of sources of wisdom and authority in exam questions;
- Evaluation technique for d) style questions;
- Conclusion writing for d) style questions.