About the Course
In years 7 & 8, RE explores what people of different faiths understand about God, authority, worship, beliefs, values and truth. It provides opportunities to consider why people believe in God and how their beliefs can influence many aspects of their lives. It also looks at why members of a particular religion may believe different things.
It is taught in accordance to National Curriculum guidelines to develop the knowledge and skills students need to be successful in RE at GCSE level, and also to be able to improve understanding and community cohesion in a religiously and ethnically diverse school wider society.
There is a strong focus on culture, diversity and society throughout the study of these different topics. Students in Year 8 are also introduced to GCSE topics in advance of beginning the course in Year 9. Students are assessed each half term by a range of different tasks designed to develop both their research and communication skills. There is a strong emphasis on communication and literacy and by the end of Year 8 students are expected to be able to write reasoned arguments in that take into account different points of view.
The following topics are taught using examples from the six major world Religions of Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism & Sikhism. Students are also introduced to Philosophy and beliefs from Humanism and Atheism.