Religious Education

Our KS3 curriculum aims to ensure that all pupils acquire and build upon a culture of determination, active learning, reflection and enquiry through:

•       Curiosity to enquire and know more about religions and their roles in the modern world.
•       Understanding of key aspects of PSHE and social responsibility.
•       Independent thought, empathy and objective appreciation and criticism of multiple perspectives.
•       Respect for the contribution of others and the ability to reflect on learning, work actively, collaboratively and co-operatively.

RE is a popular and valued subject in our school, studied by all pupils at GCSE. Our Key Stage Three Programme of Study has been designed to prepare our pupils for the challenge of GCSE RE, and to enrich their academic and cultural capital. Through the study of religion in modern society, we encourage pupils to develop independent thought and social responsibility through discussion and debate. We also encourage pupils to become reflective learners and collaborative learners to help them to develop personal resilience and an inner sense of accomplishment through learning. RE offers pupils extensive opportunities to develop high-level literacy and transferable learning skills.

At Hyde KS3 pupils are taught RE twice every two weeks. We have a three-step approach to our academic content and development of skills at key stage three: ‘foundation’, ‘development’ and ‘expertise’. We consider Year 7 to be in our ‘foundation’ phase, where they will cover the basics of six world religions within an over-arching social or religious theme. Lessons in this foundation phase are designed to enable Year 7 pupils to learn the processes of skill application we expect them to regularly use in RE, and to gain confidence and independence in lessons.  We begin Year 7 chronologically studying the more culturally familiar Abrahamic religions before moving to more unfamiliar and therefore culturally challenging ‘Eastern’ religions. Studying in this way allows our pupils to identify patterns of belief between the related religious traditions in the world today. In Year 8 through to early Year 9 we consider our pupils to be working within the ‘development’ stage. At this point, they will focus on the religions of Islam and Christianity (although not exclusively), as reflected in our local community, and explore ethical issues such as capital punishment and forms of expression, as are age appropriate. The development stage is one of stretch, challenge and improvement – we expect our pupils to be able to apply relevant academic skills, and so focus on the refinement of this through reflection and collaboration. At the end of Year 9 we consider our pupils to have entered our ‘expertise’ phase – the expectation is that they will have mastered our academic skills ready for GCSE, and that they will be ready to be taught more sophisticated and emotionally challenging issues, such as the content of our medical ethics unit, as they mature.

KS3 Religious Education

Year 7

Year 7 Religious Education

We consider Year 7 to be in our ‘foundation’ phase, where they will cover the basics of six world religions within an over-arching social or religious theme. Lessons in this foundation phase are designed to enable Year 7 pupils to learn the processes of skill application we expect them to regularly use in RE, and to gain confidence and independence in lessons. We begin Year 7 chronologically studying the more culturally familiar Abrahamic religions before moving to more unfamiliar and therefore culturally challenging ‘Eastern’ religions. Studying in this way allows our pupils to identify patterns of belief between the related religious traditions in the world today.

Term 1

Rules (Covering Judaism and Christianity)

Term 2

Actions and consequences (Covering Islam and Sikhism)

Term 3:

What makes a religion? (Covering Hinduism and Buddhism)

Year 8

Year 8 Religious Education

In Year 8, we consider our pupils to be working within the ‘development’ stage. They will begin their studies by exploring the nature of religion in Britain, focusing on census data, the importance of SMSC in schools, spirituality, and identity beyond labels. In later units, Year 8 will focus (although not exclusively) on the religions of Islam and Christianity, as reflected in our local community, and explore social and cultural issues as are age appropriate. The development stage is one of stretch, challenge and improvement – we expect our pupils to be able to apply relevant academic skills, and so focus on the refinement of this through reflection and collaboration.

Term 1

Religion in Britain

Term 2

Is it hard to be a Muslim?

Term 3

Is Britain Christian?

Year 9

Year 9 Religious Education

In Year 9, pupils will begin to explore explicit ethical themes within the context of human rights, looking specifically at forms of expression and the nature of qualified, limited and absolute rights. At the end of Year 9 we consider our pupils to have entered our ‘expertise’ phase – the expectation is that they will have mastered our academic skills ready for GCSE, and that they will be ready to be taught more sophisticated and emotionally challenging issues, such as the content of our human-rights inspired medical ethics unit, as they mature.

Term 1

Religious Expression. 

Term 2

Medical Ethics.

KS4 Religious Education

Religious Education Teachers