Subject Pages
Religious Studies
This subject looks at the broad range of worldviews, religious and non-religious, held by our diverse school community and beyond. It has a unique place on the curriculum as we are a statutory subject, but our curriculum model is designed locally by Kent SACRE (the Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education, a mixture of county councillors, faith and atheist representatives and teachers).This allows flexibility to adapt our curriculum to be academic, inclusive and allowing for personal self-development so that students leave Highworth equipped to contribute positively to society as thoughtful and well-informed individuals, valued in any workplace or university.
Using a community of enquiry pedagogy, students are encouraged to analyse and engage in debate on real world topics and issues facing both themselves as young people and wider society. This requires exploring the beliefs, teachings and practices of the major religions and secular worldviews and how these impact the way people think and behave. Students will also develop a willingness to be challenged, to be self-reflective on their worldview and to develop their own attitudes and responses towards religious, philosophical and ethical issues. This fosters a student's personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development which aligns with expectations of the UK education system.
A community of enquiry pedagogy allows students to develop the skills from three broad academic disciplines:
- to reason like a philosopher by developing problem solving, reasoning and critical thinking skills
- to think like a theologian appreciating the meaning and value of religious texts, teachings and beliefs in different contexts
- to study like a social scientist, recognising diversity and how this impacts on our social norms and worldviews, appreciating that no two people have identical worldviews.
We want our students to be curious yet confident in asking personal and searching questions of others sensitively and respectfully – lessons involve small group and whole class debate and discussion. This fosters key social skills of listening to others and responding critically to religious and secular ideas. Students will become confident in their verbal presentation skills and in their written communication, expressing their ideas on religion and current affairs with supported evidence and argument.
Alongside these skills, students will develop an appreciation for fundamental British values – democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.
Staffing
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Head of Department |
Miss E Pope |
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Teachers
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Mrs C McCarthy Mr P McLarney Mrs C Poore Mr R Swinney |
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Prefects
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Lucy Izzy Caitlin Lucy |
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Ambassador
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Alicia 8CS Eliza 8CS Millie 11VM Sophie 11VM |
Curriculum Map
Click here for the RE Curriculum Map
Key Stage 3
Content
In Key Stage 3, the focus is on exploring big questions e.g. 'Does religion make the world a better place?', 'Do we need to prove the existence of God?' and 'What is good and what is challenging about being a religious teenager in the UK?', ‘How far should we steward the planet?’
In Years 7 and 8 the religions studied are Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Sikhism alongside Humanist perspectives on these issues.The focus is on developing skills which will lead into GCSE.
Year 9 continues to revisit and develop skills but emphasises skills necessary for GCSE success e.g. revision, effective note taking and introduces GCSE style assessment questions. The religions studied are Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.
Assessment, Marking and Feedback
- Student work will be completed in the provided exercise book, on paper or in the form of display work.
- Assessed pieces of work are the culmination of a unit of work and will be marked in detail using a specific mark scheme. This is based on what is the expected standard for a student at this stage in Years 7, 8 or 9 if they are progressing sufficiently to achieve a grade 6/7, or higher, in their GCSE Religious Studies. Being awarded an M2, M1 or E means a student is ‘on track’ to achieve highly, being awarded an M3 or W means insufficient progress is being made. In this situation the class teacher will be exploring why this is and considering what support can be given.
- Please be aware that assessments become more challenging during each academic year so a achieving a consistent M2 is progress.
- All students have an A5 sheet in their books outlining the skills needed to be on track for their year.
- Years 7 and 8 have a record sheet to complete and record their target. The specific mark scheme for each assessment picks up on these skills and applies them to each assessment. Year 9 are given more class specific feedback to respond to following each assessment.
- Work outside of this is marked at the discretion of the teacher using personalised comments or stamps.
- At times, independent or peer evaluation may be used to support and engage students in the assessment of their own work and the setting of future targets.
- The school Reward System will be applied as appropriate.
- Interim Reviews (IR) – GCSE Religious Studies requires a student to be equally good at both AO1 (knowledge & understanding) and AO2 (analysis & evaluation). A teacher’s professional judgement will be made combining both AO1 and AO2 skills to determine whether a student is secure at meeting the expected standard.
Assessment grids
Key Stage 4
Content
All students have the opportunity to study and sit an exam in Religious Studies*. It is an academic subject and highly valued by employers and universities. Highworth appreciates the value of the subject and students sit a full course GCSE, consistently achieving some of the best results in the school.
We study the AQA Specification A Course. We are studying Christianity and Islam for paper 1 and four moral issues for paper 2 - war and peace, religion and life, religion, crime and punishment and religion, human rights and social justice.
There is no coursework, just an end of course exam, consisting of 2 papers each lasting 1 hour 45 minutes.
* ‘The national curriculum in England: Framework document’, September 2013, p.4. See also ‘Religious Education in English Schools: Non-Statutory Guidance on RE’ 2010, the Education Reform Act 1988, DfEE Circular 1/94 and the REact syllabus)
Assessment, Marking and Feedback
- Students are responsible for maintaining and collating their notes in an orderly fashion. They are given an A4 exercise book to record their notes. A book check and review will be held during each topic.
- The focus of marking at GCSE is on examination practice questions and learning the technique required for top quality answers. These can be set as homework, classwork or timed end of unit assessments. These are set regularly, marked and returned to the student with appropriate formative comments, targets and encouragement. The criteria established by the examination board may be used to form the comment made. Such marking will be completed within two weeks, if not before. Sometimes feedback will be verbal and given via the whole class or a small group if many students have the same area of weakness.
- Students have the opportunity to purchase detailed revision packs. At present we do not recommend the purchase of commercially published GCSE revision packs.
- The school Reward System will be applied as appropriate.
- Students deemed to be achieving consistently high standards or showing an excellent work ethos should be recommended to the Head of Department and a postcard can be sent home.
Specification
Please click here for the AQA GCSE Religious Studies specification A
A Level
Content
The course followed is AQA A Level Religious Studies and consists of 4 areas of study:
- Philosophy of Religion. Topics include: the existence of God; the problem of evil; religious experiences; miracles; and the soul.
- Ethics. Topics include: ethical theories of decision making; the application of ethical theories to decision making on issues e.g. abortion, free will & conscience.
- Religion – a study of Christianity. Topics include: considering sources of authority; key moral principles; issues of sexuality; science; secularisation; and religious pluralism.
- Dialogues between religion & philosophy and religion & ethics.
This is a 2 year course with no coursework. Students will be examined via 2 exam papers each lasting 3 hours at the end of Year 13.
Assessment and feedback
Students are responsible for maintaining and collating their notes in an orderly fashion. The majority use paper and secure ring binders, others prefer to use electronic forms of note taking and storage. Content review will be held regularly.
The focus of marking at A Level is on examination practice questions and learning the technique required for top quality answers. These can be set as homework, classwork or timed end of unit assessments. These are set regularly, marked and returned to the student with appropriate formative comments, targets and encouragement. The criteria established by the examination board may be used to form the comment made. Such marking will be completed within two weeks, if not before. Sometimes feedback will be verbal and given via the whole class, a small group, or individually, depending on the number of students with the same area of weakness.
Students are provided with detailed revision packs.
The school Reward System will be applied as appropriate.
Specification
Please click here for the AQA A Level Religious Studies specification
Reach Stars
Exam Support
Advice
For exam success, it is better to be the tortoise than the hare!
Step 1 - We advise students to begin by learning the content through a revision method that works for them. Every student is different and students will have already had support and ideas to discover what this method is. Little and often, 20 minute chunks with a quick 5 minute break helps retention. Regular testing of facts is also helpful on a weekly basis.
Step 2 – Look at exam questions, model answers and writing frames. What do you need to be able to do to achieve your goal? If unsure please ask.
Step 3 – Plan answers to all exam questions, even the scary and difficult ones! This saves thinking time in the exam and boosts confidence that you understand the question and can write good answers. Share ideas with your teacher.
Step 4 – Practise answering questions under timed conditions. Your teacher will mark them for you.
We recommend the RE GCSE department written revision packs because they have the detail for grades 7 – 9 and are focussed on the topics for AQA exam specifications.
Revision packs are also available for A Level students.
The RE team run lunchtime 'drop-in sessions', with RE subject prefect help, throughout the school year where students wanting extra help, some quiet time to study or to ask questions are welcome to attend. We also run an after-school 'drop-in session' just for A Level students.
Past papers
Limited past papers can be found for GCSE and A level on the AQA website.
However, the department has written very detailed revision guides which contain large numbers of practice questions, based on exam board advice on new questions, and also model answers on how to answer and gain full marks. These will be available for students in Year 10 and Year 11.
Revision packs & resources are available to students studying A Level.
Useful external links
www.request.org.uk – good for Key Stage 3 and GCSE
www.truetube.co.uk – RE version of YouTube – young people create the resources on religion, ethics, PSHE, Citizenship & social issues etc. Key Stage 3 and GCSE
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/guide/ - old bit of the BBC website but good for ethical issues for GCSE and A Level
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion - good for unusual and interesting articles for all year groups
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/ - old bit of the BBC website but great for factual information on the key religions and atheism
www.ted.com/talks - short, powerful talks on issues affecting everyone. Good extension viewing for GCSE and A Level
http://www.philosopherkings.co.uk/ - written for the old A Level specifications and not for AQA, this has some great resources but do remember to keep focussed on what your own exam spec needs!
https://thepanpsycast.com/ - fab podcasts on all things A level! Great if you want a taster of university level work and to go beyond an A level syllabus.
Careers
Potential careers
Religious Studies is an academic and highly valued GCSE and A Level subject.
Some students go on to study a degree involving Philosophy, Religious Studies or Theology and their careers are varied – have a look at this piece of research to find out the most popular careers & it isn’t becoming a nun or a priest!
Many students use an RS qualification to show their skills to a potential employer or university course and because it makes them stand-out from the more usual A Level subjects. Highworth students with A Level RS have been accepted onto top Russell group university law and medicine courses, to study speech & language therapy, Biology, foreign languages or midwifery in recent years amongst the more usual entries of English, another Humanity, Sociology or Psychology. We also have a former student working for Deloitte in London training to become an accountant.
RS suits students looking for a career working with people in some capacity. The police and NHS value an RS qualification because it shows a potential recruit has empathy, an understanding of different cultures and beliefs in a multi-faith society and is articulate at communicating with other people. Others go on to work in PR and communications or project managing. Perhaps it is easier to think of a career an RS qualification would not be useful in!
https://www.natre.org.uk/news/latest-news/videos-of-careers-for-graduates-in-theology-and-religious-studies/ - 10 fab videos of people with RS/Theology degrees & it’s not careers in teaching, social work and being a vicar!
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20190401-why-worthless-humanities-degrees-may-set-you-up-for-life - if your passion is the humanities do not feel pressurised into taking STEM subjects for A level or degree, especially if you are not sure what career path you would like. As this fantastic article shows most jobs want transferable skills and an A level or degree in Theology, Religious Studies, Philosophy or Ethics is going to give you plenty. What good is it being a doctor if you can’t appreciate the ethical dilemmas & communicate with your patient? Invent something incredible but you cannot ‘sell’ the product to the public? It also explores salaries.
Alumni
Former Highworth students with RS as a qualification are doing a huge variety of careers from law, medicine, orology, social work, IT project managing to teaching/lecturing, midwifery, finance, PR and student counselling services. Please ask us if you would like to be put in contact with an alumni who has followed a career path you are considering.
Extracurricular
Clubs
- Philosophical Ultimatum -
Philosophical Ultimatum is about exploring a statement or question to appreciate how it can be understood in different ways and what factors we might need to explore in order to gain a deeper understanding of the question. We don't always manage to come up with an answer! Recent questions have included:
- Are we in control of our own lives?
- Would society be better without money?
- Is right always right?
This is aimed at Sixth form students but is also open to Years 10 and 11.
For more information please contact Mrs Poore c.poore@highworth.kent.sch.uk
- A Level and GCSE Support Sessions run all year.
- Please be aware there is also a Christian Union – for more information please contact Mr Swinney r.swinney@highworth.kent.sch.uk
- A quiet space and prayer room for students of any faith is provided every lunchtime. Please contact Miss Pope for more information e.pope@highworth.kent.sch.uk
Sixth Form Enrichment Days
Such is the value and importance of appreciating the impact of religion on individuals and wider society, let alone the skills it can develop, some continued study of RE is legally required in the Sixth form. The RE team liaise with the PSHE lead and the Sixth Form Team to deliver sessions relevant to Sixth form students. These have included an introduction to some of the biggest names in Philosophy, the impact of religion and culture on relationships and the impact of immigration on UK demographics and society. If there is something you would like to explore, please talk to someone in the RE team.