Welcome to the Religious Education Department

Staff

Mr R Thomas - Head of Humanities

Miss C Burden - RE Teacher (Head of RE)

Religious Studies at The Grange

Have you ever wondered why we are here, what our purpose is on this planet? Have you ever wondered why certain things happen to some of us, and not others? Have you ever wondered what happens after we die? Has is ever crossed your mind as to why we celebrate things, or why all religions believe in an almighty power?

In the RS department we aim to promote religious tolerance, through providing the pupils with a broad study of many world religions and traditions.

We provide a comparative study of the worlds religions, placing emphasis on the faiths that are present in contemporary Britain today, for example, those that pupils witness and experience on a day-to-day basis.

We aim to provide the pupils with knowledge and skills to form their own independent opinion of various areas of religion, philosophy and ethics.

At The Grange, Religious Studies is not just limited to the study of religion. We have a strong focus on philosophy and ethics throughout both key stage 3 and 4. We believe that this makes RS more accessible for our pupils, enabling them to develop and challenge their own opinions as well as those held by people of different faiths.

Key Stage 3

At Key Stage 3, pupils study the six major world religions (Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Sikhism, Islam and Buddhism) and a variety of tribal communities in varying depths. Pupils are also introduced to ethical issues such as the environment and poverty in Years 7 and 8. Philosophy is introduced in Year 9 in preparation for GCSE. Both of these are approached from secular and religious points of view.

Key Stage 4

At Key Stage 4 all pupils must continue with the statutory requirement of one hour of Religious Studies a week. During this hour, pupils will follow Unit 8, Religion and Society from the Ed-Excel Syllabus. One hour a week will provide them with half a GCSE after the 2 years. GCSE RS focuses on philosophy and a variety of contemporary ethical issues that are influential in today's world. This course covers issues that are frequently in the media, highlighting the relevance of the subject. Topics range from the debate over designer babies to capital punishment, same sex marriages to face transplants. Pupils are encouraged to develop and question their own ideas and beliefs and compare these to those held by people of faith.