Religion and Philosophy

2023 A Level        Religious Studies      A*- A = 42%     A*- B = 67%
 
2023 GCSE           Religious Studies      9 - 7 (A*-A) = 57%

                                                                    9 - 6 (A*-B) = 83%

Students are taught in tutor groups during Years 7 - 9. In Year 7 they receive two periods per fortnight and in Year 8 and 9, three periods per fortnight. We offer a broad curriculum that essentially has three main strands:

Firstly - Religious Studies: During Years 7 – 9, we look at five of the world faiths in some detail, offering the students the opportunity to understand different and global perspectives and encouraging tolerance and an open-minded appreciation of the views of others.

Secondly - we allow students to flex their philosophical muscles through enquiry-based lessons: all R&P staff are trained in a technique known as Philosophy For Children (P4C) which is a means by which students make enquiries regarding all sorts of profound topics (of their own choosing). The students love the opportunity to muse about big questions, whilst staff are trained in the art of helping them to structure their thinking about any particular topic.

Thirdly - we also teach citizenship: this includes helping students understand their place in their local as well as global community, including themes such as criminal justice, voluntary work and equality.

GCSE:

At GCSE level, we study the AQA Religious Studies Philosophy and Ethics course. This is examined in three separate exams at the end of Year 11.

Topics covered in Beliefs, Teachings and Practices units are: Christianity and Islam. 

Topics covered in the Philosophy and Ethics unit are: Relationships, The existence of God and ultimate reality, Peace and conflict, The dialogue between religious and non-religious beliefs.

A Level:

We study the OCR Philosophy and Ethics course. This is divided into three components:

Philosophy, Ethics and Buddhism

This is examined in three separate exams at the end of Year 13.

Topics covered in Philosophy are: Greek Philosophy of Plato and Aristotle; The nature of the soul; The nature of God; Arguments for God’s existence; Challenges to religious belief.

Topics covered in Ethics are: Ethical theories such as Utilitarianism, Natural Law, Kantianism, Situation ethics as applied to medical ethics, War and Peace and Business.

Topics covered in ‘Developments in Religious Thought’ are: The religious beliefs and values of Christianity, sources of wisdom, practices and the relationship between religion and society.

At Key Stage 3, all pupils are marked on their classwork as well as their oral contributions. There is one major assessed piece per half term that will help inform the half-termly assessments and one major piece of independent project work.

Projects for years 7-9:

Year 7: Design a multi-denominational place of worship

Year 8: Local community project

Year 9: Moral Issues project

At Key Stage 4, pupils’ work is continually monitored and there are several examination style questions that inform our assessment every half-term.

End of year assessment:

Years 7-9

Unlike many other subjects students in years 7-9 do not take a final summer exam. Instead their ‘final mark’ is taken from two unit assessments throughout the year plus a the mark awarded for their independent project work.

Years 10 and 12

Summer end of year examinations are taken at the end of Years 10 and 12.

Years 11 and 13

Public exams (GCSE and A Level examinations)

The R&P department runs a number of trips. In Year 7 we usually run a ‘places of worship’ trip that provides an opportunity for students to get an insight into different religious traditions. In the Upper School we aim to take exciting trips to places of religious and cultural significance. Last year we visited Japan. Next year we will take 16 students to Nepal. 

The R&P department runs two philosophy groups at lunchtimes:

For Years 7-9, Filmosophy provides an opportunity for students to engage with philosophical themes that can be found in modern cinematic masterpieces.

For Years 10-13, Philosophy Club aims to tackle fundamental philosophical issues through presentation, argument and debate. 

There are also a number of national essay competitions, for which support is provided by the department.