Religious Studies

Equality & Diversity Letter Oct 21

Teacher in Charge

Mrs S Bridgeman

The Religious Studies department at Cwmbran High School is situated in the upper school building and consists of one subject specialist teacher, and a range of experienced humanities teachers. We are a popular department with students in all years studying the subject. The Department is lively, committed and successful. It has good resources including artefacts, videos, text books, projectors and access to laptops.

The purpose of the Religious studies curriculum is to:

  • To engage, inspire and challenge learners, equip learners with the knowledge and skills to answer challenging questions about the world and our place within it.
  • To enable learners to ask deep and often searching question about faith and belief relating to contemporary philosophical and ethical dilemmas.
  • The teaching of RS makes links between the beliefs, practices and value systems of a range of faiths and world-views studied.
  • The RS curriculum will help to develop respect and responsibility for all aspects of diversity, whether it be social, cultural and religious, and prepare learners well to be global  citizens living and succeeding in modern Wales.

Whilst also developing a range of transferrable skills, such as:

  • Personal Growth; developing compassion and empathy.
  • Respect; showing tolerance of others belief, opinions and cultures.
  • Asking Big Questions: communicating effectively and listening to others.
  • Morality; understanding right from wrong and how this impacts our understanding of rules and laws as well as our own actions.
  • Critical analysis; to question ideas with respect and use evidence and reason to form valid judgements on a range of topics and viewpoints.
  • Literacy; writing accurately for a range of purposes e.g., describe, explain and discuss.
  • Literacy; write accurately using key vocabulary fluently within the right context
  • DCF; to work collaboratively using a range of digital programmes

Religious Studies Curriculum Outline (KS3)

KS3 study topics within Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism.

Year 7 – What is religion and worldviews? Judaism, The Old Testament, Hindu Gods and worship, Hindu Festivals.

Year 8 – The Nature of God, The New Testament – the life and teachings of Jesus, Christian worship, Stewardship and the environment.

Year 9 – An introduction to Buddhism, Religion and conflict, Prejudice and discrimination, Philosophy of religion, Ethical thought and theories, Medical Ethics.

At Key stage 4 pupils can follow two pathways to experience Religious Studies.

Either

Full Course GCSE

Year 10 – Christian Beliefs and Practice

Buddhist Beliefs and Practices

Issues of Life and Death

Issues of Good and Evil

Year 11 – Christian Beliefs and Practice

Buddhist Beliefs and Practices

Issues of Relationships

Issues of Human Rights
Or

NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Equality and Diversity

Year 10 – Unit 01 Equality and diversity in society

Unit 02 Equality and diversity in the community

Year 11 – Unit 03 Equality and diversity in the workplace