Theology and Religious Studies Curriculum
Curriculum Intent – Content and Structure
The intended outcomes of what we teach:
Our curriculum invites studentss to consider the big questions of meaning and purpose, which sooner or later confront every person, e.g. ‘Where does everything come from?’ ‘Why am I here?’ and ‘What happens after we die?’ Students explore answers to these questions by closely studying the Bible and other sources of Christian authority, through which they develop the skills of enquiry, analysis, interpretation, evaluation and reflection. They also apply these skills to the study of a range of other religions and interrogate how people in other times and places have drawn on texts and traditions to answer questions of meaning and purpose. At each stage, students are encouraged to consider their own stance on these questions and to use the skills and resources they have learned to explore their own religious, spiritual and philosophical ways of living, believing and thinking.
Curriculum Implementation
Curriculum Content and Sequence
Year 7
Autumn | Spring | Summer |
| Exegetical Theology | Spring 1 Exegetical Theology continued Spring 2 Judaism | Summer 1 Judaism continued and Islám Summer 2 Islám |
Year 8
Autumn | Spring | Summer |
| Systematic Theology | Spring 1 Systematic Theology continued Spring 2 Hinduism | Summer 1 Hinduism continued and Buddhism Summer 2 Buddhism |
Year 9
Autumn | Spring | Summer |
| Autumn 1 Historical Theology Autumn 2 Historical Theology continued and Practical Theology | Spring 1 Practical Theology continued Spring 2 New Religions | Summer 1 New Religions continued Summer 2 Religion in Debate |
Year 10
Autumn | Spring | Summer |
| Autumn 1 Christian Beliefs Autumn 2 Christian Beliefs continued and Christian Practices | Spring 1 Christian Practices continued Spring 2 Buddhist Beliefs | Summer 1 Buddhist Beliefs continued and Buddhist Practices Summer 2 Buddhist Practices |
Year 11
Autumn | Spring | Summer |
| Religion and Family Religion and Life Religion, Peace and Conflict | Spring 1Religion, Crime and Punishment Spring 2 Revision for GCSE | Revision for GCSE |
Year 12
Autumn | Spring | Summer |
| Arguments for the existence of God Normative Ethical Theories | Spring 1 Sources of Wisdom and Authority and Application of Ethics Spring 2 Evil and Suffering and Application of Ethics | Summer 1 God and Application of Ethics Summer 2 Religious Experiences and Bentham and Kant |
Year 13
Autumn | Spring | Summer |
| Autumn 1 God conduct and Key Moral Principals Christianity, Gender and Sexuality Christianity and Secularisation Religious Language Autumn 2 Self, Death and Afterlife Miracles Conscience Christianity and Science | Spring 1 Expressions of Religious Identity Introduction to Meta-Ethics Free Will and Moral Responsibility Christianity and Religious and Pluralism Spring 2 Revision for A Level | Revision for A Level |
The Rationale for the Content and Sequence of what we Teach
Year | Why we Teach this Content and how the Content and Sequence of Topics Benefits our Students |
Year 7 | The first half of Year 7 is spent learning how to navigate, analyse, interpret and reflect upon the Bible - the foundational text of Christian theology. This not only equips students with the skills they need to argue for or against Christian claims about the world, but also develops their literacy more generally by teaching them how to analyse texts and build arguments around them. Students first learn how the Bible is subdivided into books, chapters and verses, and practice navigating between these. They are then introduced to the history of the Bible’s compilation and examine how it has been used by Christians at different points in history and why there are different versions of it in use today. They then begin to study the art of biblical hermeneutics, in particular how a person’s presuppositions influence their interpretations of the Bible and how this has given rise to controversies over its meaning. They conclude their introduction to exegetical theology with a scripted debate in which they have to defend a literal or metaphorical reading of the book of Genesis. The second half of Year 7 turns to the other Abrahamic religions and examines their relationship to their own sacred texts and how this contrasts with their relationship to the Bible. This teaches students to apply their newly developed hermeneutic skills to the world beyond the text and equips them to understand why other person’s beliefs and practices might differ from their own. Students first learn about how Judaism and Christianity diverged in the first century and how the Talmudic tradition developed in Judaism. They revisit the texts that they learned about in the Autumn and Spring through a Talmudic lens and consider how these interpretations shaped and continue to shape, the beliefs and practices of Jewish communities. Finally, students look at IslÄm and how the Islamic understanding of the Qur’Än compares with Christian understandings of the Bible. Students learn about the revelation and transmission of the Qur’Än and the tradition of hermeneutics that has developed around it. They then contrast its claims about AllÄh and the prophets with the Christian claims about the same and consider how these claims influence the lives of Muslims today. |
Year 8 | In Year 8 students learn more about the Christian worldview and consider how the Bible informs it, and what other sources contributed to its formation. This builds on the skills they have developed in Year 7 helping them understand how Christianity responds to questions of meaning and purpose and how this contrasts with the answers offered by other religious traditions. Students begin by examining Christian claims about the nature of God, God’s relationship to Creation and how sin affects this relationship. They then understand and analyse different Christian theories of atonement and evaluate which of these is most convincing. They then turn to the doctrine of the Trinity and learn how this idea follows from the Christian understanding of God’s nature and the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. They conclude the topic by considering Christian arguments about the Day of Judgment and the afterlife and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the different understandings of this. The second half of Year 8 looks to the dharmic religions. Students examine their very different understanding of the relationship between Creator and Creation and how this informs their beliefs about this life and the afterlife. They begin by looking at the Vedic religion and how its texts were originally used. Students then trace the evolution of the Vedic religion into the various Ästika schools and analyse how these schools’ beliefs about the nature of the Godhead and human beings informs their practices. In particular, students consider how the ideas of dharma and karma shape a person’s life and how this differs from the life of someone from an Abrahamic tradition. The students then turn to the nÄstika schools and examine their rejection of the Vedas and their tendency towards non-theism. Particular attention is given to Buddhism (the most successful of these schools) and how its non-theistic interpretation of many ideas common to the dharmic religions. Students then consider why Buddhism has spread so successfully and analyse how its worldview may have contributed to this. |
Year 9 | In Year 9 students have two Religious Studies lessons a week. This year acts as a capstone to their study of religion in Key Stage 3 (KS3). They use what they have learnt in Years 7 and 8 to engage with controversies within and between religions, thereby becoming equipped to engage productively with a pluralising world. Year 9 also integrates several research projects, which help to develop the students’ independence of mind and to develop the research, writing and presentation skills that they will need to succeed in their exams and in the world. Students spend the first quarter of the year on the history of Christian thought and the various controversies that have arisen throughout this history. They begin by considering the relationship between the Church and the State and how this influenced development of Christological doctrine, the divine right of Kings and the theory of Just War. Students then look to the Protestant Reformation and consider the validity of the reformers’ criticisms of the late mediaeval Church. They follow the divergence of the reformation into different streams and evaluate the relative merits of the different Protestant positions on sin and salvation. Finally, students look at the situation of Christianity in the modern world and analyse why it is growing in Africa and Asia, but seemingly moribund in Western Europe. In the second quarter students turn to a range of practical theological problems. They consider some of the main challenges put to Christianity (e.g. the Problem of Evil and the challenge of scientific materialism) and look at how different Christian theologians have responded to these. In particular, students examine the challenge of militant atheism and evaluate how successfully Christians have responded to this challenge. They also study how various Churches in Western Europe have attempted to revive Christianity’s fortunes and evaluate which of these (if any) are most likely to yield success. The pupils conclude their study of Christian theology with an essay examining a contemporary theological issue of their choice and a presentation of their findings. In the third quarter students examine the New Religions. They look at case studies of new revelations within the Abrahamic and dharmic worlds (e.g. Baháʼí and Sikhi) and how the older religions have responded to their claims. They also consider non-theistic alternatives to religion, such as Humanism and whether these have the potential to replace the older religions in the world. Finally, they examine the phenomenon of post-modern religion and how globalisation and social media have reshaped people’s relationship with religion. This topic concludes with pupils undertaking a research project into a New Religion of their choice, presenting a report on it to the class and fielding questions from the audience. In the final quarter of Year 9 students undertake a series of comparative studies into issues common to the world religions. They examine case studies of violent extremism within all the major religions and consider the extent to which these movements are driven by ideas intrinsic to the religion’s worldview and by external factors, e.g. poverty and political marginalisation. They examine freedom of speech, and whether this also protects blasphemy and public prayer. They also look at the question of global inequality and examine whether religion contributes to this, or whether it is a mitigating factor. The students finish Year 9 by researching an issue of their choice and contrasting how two different religions engage with it. |
Years 10 and 11 | At Key Stage 4 (KS4) students attend a combination of Core RE enrichment, Focus Days and GCSE Religious Studies. Year 10 Core RE Students in Year 10 receive 1 hour per week during enrichment time for half the academic year, approximately 20 hours of lessons per year. These are focussed on representation of the life of Jesus and their impact on popular culture. Students look at how Jesus has been depicted in art and film from the time of the early Church to the present. They also look at how the life of Jesus has been allegorised for different audiences. They examine three case studies: 'The Miracle Maker' (a relatively traditional account of Jesus’ life), 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe' (a more heavily allegorised, but still recognisably Christian re-telling of the story) and 'The Matrix' (a wholly secular story, which nonetheless incorporate many Christian motifs). The students consider the value of the different films for introducing people to the life of Jesus and why even non-religious people find it a source of inspiration. Focus Days The Focus Days draw on the students’ knowledge and skills from Key Stage 3 and apply them to a series of contested religious issues. They are challenged to take a position on these issues and to support it by drawing on relevant scripture and tradition. Focus Day 1 (end of Year 10)
Focus Day 2 (Year 11)
Focus Day 3 (Year 11)
Each of the above days have been developed with an awareness of the needs of non-specialist teachers. Key Stage 4 – Exam classes |
Years 12 and 13 | The new A Level in Religious Studies builds on work studied at GCSE and takes this to a higher level with the introduction of Philosophy of Religion and Religious Ethics. The study of a combination of Abrahamic and Dharmic religions makes this transition much smoother as it begins to prepare students for the more challenging material an A Level course offers, for example this is specifically apparent when studying the concept of the soul. The religion of focus is Christianity. |
Key Stage 4 (KS4) and Key Stage 5 (KS5) only:
What exam board/syllabus do you teach?
Why have you chosen this syllabus?.
In what ways is it suited to your students?
At KS4: The AQA syllabus has been chosen as it offers an interesting and engaging balance between theological study and ethical consideration and provides scope to teach beyond the test. The schedule for teaching the content of the course encourages students to re-visit theological topics (Year 10) during the ethical modules (Year 11), preparing them well for their final examination and the assessment methods provide the opportunity for students to engage well with the subject material.
At KS5: The AQA syllabus has again been chosen as it offers a smooth transition from the GCSE to A Level course. It also divides the examination papers up into Philosophy and Ethics and Christianity, which suits the split teaching well.
Curriculum Implementation
The subject specific habits and behaviours we develop (or intend to develop) in our students
Subject Specific Habits and Behaviours | How we embed these in our students |
| Curiosity To reflect on the origins and truths of beliefs, the effects those beliefs have on believers and to develop a curiosity about the world.
Critical thinking The ability to analyse and evaluate challenging theological, philosophical and ethical issues, and to reach a thoroughly justified conclusion.
Religious Literacy The ability to talk with accuracy, depth and breadth about a variety of religious beliefs and practices.
To reflect on, evaluate and respond to their own and others’ worldviews.
Literacy To be able to argue persuasively, verbally and in writing and to do so with a high level of literacy. | Curiosity
Critical Thinking
Religious Literacy
Reflective
Literacy
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Academy Ethos
Academy Curriculum Intent | How our department’s curriculum content and teaching approaches reflect the whole Academy ethos |
| A Curricular and Pastoral commitment to Micah 6v8: Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God High Expectations of students’ behaviour for learning, learning progress, and respect for our community. A commitment to make learning enjoyable, engaging, relevant and challenging. A commitment to develop knowledge, skills and character. Consistency and fairness in approach and routines. Excellent and developing subject knowledge which inspires confidence in students. Effective collaboration across all parts of the academy. Highly skilled teaching which deepens understanding and stimulates curiosity. A willingness to embrace research and innovation in order to enhance the learning potential of our students. Recognising and rewarding effective use of learning habits as well as academic achievement. |
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Implementation
Academy Ethos
Micah 6v8: Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God | ||||
Curriculum Content Opportunities | Curriculum Delivery Opportunities | |||
| Justice | Year 7: The Bible and the Qur’Än as the ultimate guides to just and unjust actions. Theology as human attempts to comprehend God’s justice. Year 8: Atonement as necessary for the satisfaction of God’s justice. Karma as a form of cosmic justice. Year 9: The tension between Christianity and the State in creating a just world. Christian challenges to injustice in the modern world. KS4: Christian Beliefs – Forgiveness, judgement, sin, salvation and atonement. Christian practices – Worldwide church, persecution, reconciliation. Buddhist beliefs – Kamma Buddhist practices – 5 Precepts, 6 Perfections. Year 11 – Human Rights and Social Justice unit. KS5: Christianity – Good moral conduct, sanctity of life, gender equality, transgender issues, religious pluralism. Ethics – the entire course. |
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| Kindness | Year 7: The Bible’s teachings on the importance on kindness. Jesus as exemplar of kindness. Kindness exemplified in the Qur’Än and HadÄ«th. Year 8: Kindness as a core Christian teaching. Kindness (metta and karuna) in the dharmic traditions. Year 9: Kindness as a Christian duty. Kindness in the face of ethical disagreement. KS4: Christian Beliefs – Forgiveness. Christian Practices – Reconciliation, persecution, Ways Christians help their local and worldwide communities (Food banks, street pastors, charity work with the poor). Buddhist Beliefs – Kamma, Dependent Arising, Noble Eightfold Path. Buddhist Practices – Kamma, Five Precepts, Six Perfections, metta (loving-kindness), karuna (compassion). Year 11 Ethics topics, e.g. abortion, euthanasia, environmental ethics, peace & conflict. KS5: Christianity - Good conduct and key moral principles; Religion, gender and sexuality. Ethics units. Especially Fletcher’s ‘agape’. |
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| Humility | Year 7: Human limitations in understanding the divine. Learning to disagree productively about the meaning of a text. Year 8: Challenging authority respectfully. Learning to disagree with people of profoundly different worldviews. Year 9: The consequences of arrogance in the face of challenge. Accepting difficult questions from an audience. KS4: Christian Beliefs – Nature of God, sin, atonement, God as creator, incarnation. Christian practices – How Christians have a duty to help others, worship, prayer, mission. Buddhist beliefs – Enlightenment, interconnectedness of beings and dependent arising, kamma, three marks of existence. Buddhist practices – Funerals, worship, meditation, festivals. Religion and Life topics. KS5: Christianity - Sources of Wisdom and Authority, God unit, Good conduct and key moral principles, Expressions of religious identity e.g. baptism, communion, mission. Life after death. Philosophy – Arguments for God’s existence, The problem of evil, Religious experience unit. Miracles. Self, death and the afterlife. Ethics course. |
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Please click here to access the full Religious Studies curriculum document.