Year 7

Religious Education is about discovering what people believe and why.

In Year 7 students will work towards achieving three units of study - each one encouraging them to use existing skills and developing new ones. During this year our key faiths will be Christianity and Sikhism, although we may look at other world faiths where appropriate.

Unit One – Belonging, Belief and Identity - Firstly we will look at ourselves and try to decide why we as individuals are special. Then we will learn how to investigate a faith through its symbols, sacred texts and traditions.

Unit Two – What do People Believe? - What is the “Truth”? What evidence do we have? Why do different faiths believe in different Truths? We will be investigating the written evidence and learning how to interpret what we find. We will also be looking at moral teachings and how they can affect the way people behave.

Unit Three – Life’s Journeys - Life is a journey where we all experience both successes and failures. We all have different experiences, which are valid in some way or other. We need to learn from these experiences if we are to grow as individuals. We will spend time looking at how some people mark important events along their journey through life.

 

Year 8

During Year 8 students will be able to make a more in-depth study of the world in which we live. Again they will complete three units of study.

Unit One – Experience and Belief - We will consider what it is which leads people to have strongly – held beliefs. We will go on to study how these beliefs are reflected in believers’ lives.

Unit Two – Where’s the Answer? - We will study how people have expressed their deepest values and commitments. We will consider religious texts and the range of meaning relevant for today’s world which have been attached to the teachings found within them.

Unit Three – Expressions of Belief - Art, architecture, poetry and music are some of the mediums through which people express their beliefs. We will study some of these along with pilgrimage and other rituals.

 

Year 9

During Year 9 students will have the opportunity to look at everyday events and traditions.

Unit One – What’s To Be Done? - By studying two key figures from history we will identify how their religious convictions helped them fight non-violently in order to bring about the changes necessary for society to live in greater harmony.

Unit Two – Keeping The Rules - Every society and faith has its own set of rules. What purpose do they serve? Who sets the rules? What can we learn from these different sets of rules?

Unit Three – Human kind and the Environment - We have been put in charge of Planet Earth. Are we good stewards? What duties and responsibilities do we have? Can we make the world a better place? How do the seasons and festivals affect our lives?