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Hungerhill School

RE

The aim of the RE curriculum is to engage, inspire, challenge, and encourage pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to answer challenging questions. Religious Education contributes significantly to the moral fiber of the school and enables pupils to ask deep and often searching questions about their own faiths and beliefs, and the beliefs, faiths and opinions of others regarding pertinent contemporary moral issues. Pupils will be able to deepen their understanding of God as encountered and taught by different religions. The teaching of RE makes links between the beliefs, practices and value systems of a range of faiths and world-views studied. The RE curriculum will help to develop responsibility and respect for all aspects of diversity, whether it be social, cultural, and religious, and prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain. 

Our curriculum will: 

Develop the character of all students 

  • Pupils will develop confidence in becoming courageous advocates, challenging injustice and suffering in the world and through personal experience, foster empathy and tolerance within a diverse world. 

  • Teaching of the Golden Rule which is upheld by all religions, and other religious stories and parables will instill and reinforce the qualities of kindness and tolerance and support the need for equality for all. 

  • Through the teaching of Stewardship, pupils will develop care and respect for each other and the world in which they live. 

Ensure all students are literate and numerate 

  • Pupils will confidently articulate justified opinions on ethical issues, giving personal, religious and non-religious views. 

  • RE uses deep reading and listening exercises to invite students into an evaluative discourse on the significance of other ways of life in different parts of the world.   

Build knowledge and aspirations of all students 

  • Pupils will be able to explain in detail how religious teachings in a variety of religions can be applied to contemporary moral issues such as euthanasia, abortion, abuse of the world and the use of capital punishment. 

  • RE lessons should provide a ‘safe space’ and a suitable climate for younger and older students to navigate some of the deeper, more treacherous questions about existential matters. 

  • Students will have the opportunities to assimilate and evaluate a wide range of contemporary beliefs from the religions studied (Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism and Islam) and interrogate those beliefs to ask searching and pertinent questions. 

Ensure all students have the secure foundations to progress into further education and employment 

  • Students are encouraged to see the skill sets they develop in RE as transferable across the school and to the world of work. 

  • RE provides a good background for any career where understanding people is an asset. Employers like to know that applicants have thought a bit about themselves and their place in the world. 

Develop cultural capital of all students 

  • Religious education would allow students a chance to   appreciate and wonder at the diversity of human achievements and the extraordinary range of human everyday practices. 

  • Religious education would give students a sophisticated understanding of the impact, both positive and negative, that religious belief can bring to a person’s life. 

  • Students can develop an aptitude for dialogue so they can participate positively in society.  

Mrs R Hancock
Curriculum Leader for RE

 

Religious Education KS3

Main skills developed in Key Stage 3:  
  • ​researching information
  • communication skills
  • comprehension skills
  • analysis and evaluation
  • empathy - trying to put oneself into someone else's position
  • developing a range of personal, listening and thinking skills within a variety of contexts
  • ​assimilating information - selecting and evaluating information
  • application of information - applying information in new ways
  • synthesis - creating something new using one's understanding
  • analysis
  • evaluating information
​How parents can help to support their son's/daughter's learning in Key Stage 3:  
  • point out articles on religion in newspapers, on the news, TV etc.
  • talk about issues which crop up in RE such as ethical issues and other people's beliefs
  • show an appreciation of other cultures, especially when travelling abroad
  • when visiting places, new towns etc, try to pop into place of worship
  • finding computer websites which could be of use
  • helping students to research, and showing them how to use the research to create original work
  • ask them questions about what they have done in class
  • talk to them about religious ideas and religious items in the news

 

Developing skills:

You will:

  • be required to show your knowledge and understanding of the religions studied
  • use specialist vocabulary to inform your work
  • be required to use and develop the full range of thinking skills necessary for the study of any subject at sixth form or college
  • develop skills of investigation and evaluation to show the nature and relevance of religious thought and practice in the world
  • give personal responses to questions about life and moral issues, supporting your answers with facts and evidence, thus improving your ability to think quickly but deeply, as well as your ability to see and accept different points of view

Religious Education KS4

In Year 7 and 8 students will complete a series of three Curriculum Focus Days, which pull together a series of classroom-based lessons and external visitor sessions.

 

Outline of Course Content:

This is a  course of study, where students are exposed to a wide variety of topics that are relevant to our current society. These topics include the diverse nature our society and the key theological questions that surround different communities.  In Year 9, 10 and 11 students will complete a series of three Curriculum Focus Days, which pull together a series of classroom-based lessons and external visitor sessions. The content is delivered in a series of units, which incorporate topics ranging from human rights, to sexuality and extremism . Alongside this content, students are able to develop a range of transferrable skills, such as reflective learning, teamwork and effective participation, and independent enquiry. As a result, RE aims to prepare a young person leaving Hungerhill at sixteen with the skills, knowledge and awareness to navigate our diverse society".

 

 

Careers using RE

The study of Religious Education can help to provide the background knowledge and understanding required for a wide range of career opportunities. There are many job roles where the study of RE helps to provide a suitable insight.
 
You may wish to become very committed to your religion and work as a leader for that faith. This is very demanding and requires considerable dedication. The title given to this role will vary depending upon your faith.
 
Dedicated religious work can also involve roles with the following; hospitals, the prison service, universities, schools, and the Armed Forces. This work is usually providing spiritual and moral guidance during times of difficulty. This is often delivered privately to individuals, but can also involve working with groups of people.
 
RE relates to many roles which require an understanding of people and a perspective on world affairs. Given the subject looks in detail at the beliefs of a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds, it can provide supporting knowledge for the following work areas:  
  • advisory work
  • broadcasting
  • careers guidance
  • youth and community work
  • counselling
  • healthcare
  • human resources
  • journalism
  • law
  • local government
  • marketing
  • medicine
  • nursing
  • police work
  • prison and probation work
  • social work
  • teaching
  • tourism
However the above roles will also require further bespoke professional qualifications.

Getting started and progressing:

Religious studies at A-Level is offered by several local sixth forms. This can be combined with other subjects to make a complete timetable.  Progression to degree level study is available in Religious Education and Theology. These subjects are also offered, with others, by several Universities to produce a ‘joint honours’ degree.
 
For those wanting to work as a representative of their faith, voluntary work and community involvement is usually required and represents a good starting point.