Religious Education
The aim of the RE department is to follow the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, ‘Go forth and make disciples of all nations.’
Name of Department: RE
Head of Department: Mr D Edwards
Our approach to the Religious Education curriculum
At the heart RE at St Augustine’s is the invitation to encounter the person of Jesus Christ: Combining the 3 distinct disciplines of Theology, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences. The RE department strives to help our pupils to a. develop their intellectual faculties, b. judge rightly, c. be handed a cultural heritage, d. foster values and e. be prepared for their professional adult lives. The aim of the curriculum is to provide opportunities for encounters with Christ, in line with the bishop’s desire to make Christ known and loved. The curriculum provides a variety of doorways to that encounter. The doorways to Christ that permeate the curriculum are:
The Word of God – this underpins everything that we do as it is the teaching and example of Christ Himself. Almost every lesson involves biblical teaching, and pupils know many verses by heart.
The study of the sacraments – the sacraments are the presence of God among us. Pupils study sacraments in every year group.
The presence of one another – the discussion within the classroom is a vital part of this subject area. Sometimes it reveals the difficulty that an individual has with the issue being taught; yet, often, God’s presence is revealed even within that difficulty. A pupil recently thanked their RE teacher at the end of year 11 saying, ‘You have taught me to understand that there are more opinions than my own.’
Challenging moral issues – The Church’s views on marriage and family, sexual relationships, equality, and justice can be challenging for some of our pupils. All these issues provide a doorway for pupils to consider these questions from a variety of viewpoints and to inform their own views.
Curriculum content
Key Stage 3
Year 7 and 8: Creation and Covenant, Prophecy and Promise, Galilee to Jerusalem, Desert to Garden, To the Ends of the Earth, Dialogue and Encounter
Year 9: Vocation, Authority, Reformation, John’s Gospel, Sacrifice, Love, Resurrection, Philosophy of Religion, Islam
Year 7 and 8 follow the new Religious Education Directory. This comprises of 6 areas of study that are studied with cumulative knowledge throughout KS3: Creation and Covenant, Prophecy and Promise, Galilee to Jerusalem, Desert to Garden, To the Ends of the Earth, Dialogue and Encounter.
The knowledge covered in Year 7 and 8 includes an outline of Christian beliefs of God as Creator (first person of the Trinity)- following God in Jesus (2nd person of the Trinity) - Baptism - Advent and Christmas.
Pupils then build on this by studying Jesus in greater depth - his miracles, his parables of forgiveness, and the events of Holy Week. They then study Pentecost and the Holy Spirit (3rd person of the Trinity) and how these affect the lives of Christians as they live in community and engage in prayer and mission.
Year 7 ends with a topic focussing on a Dharmic religion. Given the context of Scarbrough having a thriving Indian community we have chosen to focus on Hinduism. Year 8 finishes with a topic on Islam.
Year 9 is bookended with the theme of vocation; at the start of the year, they study priesthood and religious life, at the end of the year they study marriage and family. In between they study views on authority as a preparation for their study of Reformation. They reflect on the liturgical seasons in their study of John’s gospel (preparation for Christmas; the feast of the Incarnation) and in their study of Eucharist and the Emmaus story (preparation for Easter). They also engage in thematic studies, in particular abortion and euthanasia – this lays the groundwork for the GCSE and helps them to gain maturity through discussion of challenging topics.
Key Stage 4
GCSE: AQA Religious Studies B
Catholic Christianity Paper: Creation, Incarnation, Triune God, Redemption, Kingdom of God, Eschatology
Other Religions: Judaism Beliefs, Judaism Practices
Themes: Human Rights and Social Justice, Religion, Relationships and Families
GCSE RE gives pupils a detailed knowledge of one religion and its viewpoints (Catholic Christianity) on creation, incarnation, Triune God, redemption, Kingdom of God, and eschatology. They can then evaluate those beliefs held by considering the views of other Christian denominations.
It gives a detailed introduction to a second faith (Judaism – beliefs and practices).
It encourages pupils to consider views on a range of themes from a variety of viewpoints: marriage, divorce, contraception, family life, equality, human rights, money, poverty. This informs their own viewpoint and gives them the skills to analyse and evaluate the views of others.
How you can find out more about the Religious Education curriculum:
KS3:
KS4:
Faculty Leader contact: dedwards@sasyorks.org