RE
RE is so much more than the study of religion. Within lessons at Ralph Thoresby students will have a chance to discuss the fundamental questions about life, understand where people’s beliefs come from and how they impact their lives. At KS3 students will explore the 6 World Faiths and also explore Humanist and Atheist thinking. Students are encouraged to question and evaluate beliefs and explore their own view on some of the big questions about life.
We will explore questions such as;
“When does life begin?”
“Is there an afterlife?”
“Is religion still relevant in modern Britain?”
Students are given the opportunity to express their own opinion on these matters, and then apply religious views.
Our students will experience and search for meaning and purpose and explore wide ranging religious traditions. They will have the opportunity to question these beliefs and explore how religion impacts the world today. Our students will also explore ethics and morality and be given the opportunity to challenge these through debates. RE encourages students to discuss ideas such as responsibility both personally and worldwide. In RE students are encouraged to make a personal response to right and wrong and to consider a range of responses to moral issues. RE at RTS also involves exploring different cultures and gives the students’ opportunities to make links between faith and personal action in day to day life. Students will also learn what it means to belong, to become confident in themselves and be able to respond positively to similarities and differences in our changing multi-ethnic and multi-faith society.
Religious Education encourages tolerance and respect; we live in a diverse society in which these skills are vitals. RE at Ralph Thoresby helps students realise difference is to be celebrated not feared.
Curriculum Content
Assessment Summary
In Key Stage 3 students will complete at least one assessed piece of work each half term. Every half term they will complete recall tests based on what they learned in previous units, this is to test their memory for learning. The recall tests will also have some question from the current unit they have been studying. It will take the form of short knowledge based questions. Once a term they will also do an end of unit test which will include a combination of short recall questions and a number extended writing questions. In Year 9 students will be same as above. Every half term they will also complete end of unit test which will include a combination of short recall questions and a number extended writing questions.
In Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11) students will complete several recall tests to test their memory for learning and at least one assessed piece of work each half term. These assessments will take the form of GCSE style past paper questions and will include one of each question type (3, 4, 5 and 12 mark questions) In all key stages student’s will be given a percentage score and reported against a school average.
Y9 Bridging Year
Through the exciting Wider Modern World curriculum students can continue to study a knowledge rich RE curriculum in year 9. In the Power and Conflict unit they will explore the role religion plays in the world in regard to the search for power. Students will explore the role and perception of women in religion and evaluate whether they fit in modern society. During these lessons students will study contemporary religious ethics and formulate personal responses to these current real world issues.
Students who chose GCSE RE will delve deeper, expanding their knowledge and developing their understanding of Religion, Philosophy and Ethics. They will further enrich their curriculum by exploring a wide range of exciting and relevant topics such as Evil & suffering, Challenges to Religion, Animal Rights, Sikhism and an Introduction into Philosophy of Religion and Ethics. They will explore questions such:
Is it acceptable to test on animals?
How can evil & suffering challenge people’s faith?
Do miracles exist?
During Year 9 students will develop debating skills, empathy, extended writing skills, formulate opinions and evaluation skills all of which can prepare them for GCSE.