The Holy Trinity Church of England Secondary School

Religious Studies

Joint Head of Department: Mrs M Richardson & Mrs S Richards

   

Dept Office: 124

E-mail: mrichardson@holytrinitycrawley.org.uk

srichards2@holytrinitycrawley.org.uk

Staff Team:

Ms E Harrison

Dr A Robinson

Mrs J Telfer

Scroll down for Curriculum Details for each year group. 

Year 7

Aim for the Year

Year 7 pupils come to Holy Trinity School with a variety of Religious Studies experience.  Throughout the year foundation skills and knowledge in Religious Studies will be developed. The aim for Year 7 is to understand that beliefs are held by everyone and underpin the way people live their lives. 

We develop an understanding of key religious themes, such as loyalty and learning from the past through four religions –  Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Sikhism. The overall theme for this year is Making the Link Between Belief and Practice. We also introduce pupils to the Bible, how to find their way around it and an understanding of why it is important to Christians.

Topics and Skills

 The topics we study are:

  • Key beliefs and symbols in Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism
  • Festivals in Christianity, Hinduism and Judaism
  • Sacred texts in Christianity and Judaism
  • Religious themes in stories from sacred texts, e.g. faith

 The skills we focus on this year are:-

  • Students’ use of religious vocabulary
  • Students’ ability to give reasons for religious beliefs and practices
  • Students’ ability to link what they are learning to their own experiences
  • Students’ ability to ask questions about religion and truth

Assessment patterns

Baseline Assessment: September

Assessment 2:              January

Assessment 3:              May/June

Some work will be assessed using PIAS comments.

There will be teacher, self and peer assessment of work.

Homework / independent study skills

Research homework will be assessed by their RS teacher.

Creative homework will be teacher, self and peer assessed.  

Year 8

Aim for the Year

In Year 8 we aim to understand the importance of community life and worship in both Christian traditions and in Islam.   We learn why communities are important to individuals and we compare worship in Islam with different types of worship in Christianity.  We will be looking at the ‘big story’ of the Bible using elements from the new Church of England Understanding Christianity materials. We also learn how the church has developed from small beginnings and is now made up of different denominations.  We study the Amish as an example of a separate Christian community and evaluate how far our own school is a Christian community.   

Topics and Skills

The topics we study are:

  • A study of Islam, focusing on community life in Islam and worship in the Mosque
  • Bible stories from Creation in the book of Genesis to the Resurrection of Jesus
  • The characteristics of a Christian community
  • The nature and beginnings of the Church of England
  • The denomination family tree
  • Significance of worship in the Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant churches

The skills we focus on this year are:-

  • Students’ use of religious vocabulary
  • Students’ ability to give reasons for religious beliefs and practices
  • Students’ ability to link what they are learning to their own experiences
  • Students’ ability to ask questions about religion and truth

Assessment Patterns

Assessment 1:  October

Assessment 2:  January

Assessment 3:  June

Some work will be assessed using PIAS comments

There will be teacher, self and peer assessment of work

Homework / independent study skills 

  • To complete research homework which will be assessed by their RS teacher
  • To complete creative homework which will be teacher, self and peer assessed
  • To complete occasional homework tasks in preparation for lessons

 

Year 9

Aim for the Year

The aim for Year 9 is to introduce pupils to philosophical and ethical ideas connected with religious traditions.  We learn about the difference between spiritual and religious identity and about the ethics of relationships.  We study Buddhism as a non-theistic faith and consider what everyone can learn from this tradition.  We then study ultimate questions, including some of the traditional arguments for the existence of God and the problem of evil.  This year focuses particularly on developing the skill of formulating questions about the nature and purpose of life, developing abstract ideas and learning to write an evaluative, balanced argument.

Topics and Skills

The topics we study are:

  • Religious and spiritual identity in Christianity and Judaism
  • Christian teaching on Love, Sex and Marriage with a comparison of wedding ceremonies of another faith
  • The study of Buddhism
  • Wisdom: including discussing the problem of suffering and evil alongside belief in a benevolent deity and an examination of key Biblical texts

The skills we focus on this year are:-

  • Students’ use of religious vocabulary
  • Students’ ability to give reasons for religious beliefs and practices
  • Students’ ability to link what they are learning to their own experiences
  • Students’ ability to ask questions about religion, truth and ethics

Assessment Patterns

Assessment 1:  October

Assessment 2:  January

Assessment 3:  June

 Some work will be assessed using PIAS comments.

There will be teacher, self and peer assessment of work.

Homework / Independent Study Skills

  • To complete research homework which will be assessed by their RS teacher
  • To complete creative homework which will be teacher, self and peer assessed
  • To complete some homework tasks in preparation for lessons

 

Year 10

Aim for the Year

 ¨ Students enjoy exploring beliefs and practices of both Christianity and Islam and begin to see how they can be applied to today’s world

¨ Students Know and understand the expectations of the course

¨ Students know their target and what they need to do in order to achieve, if not exceed it

Topics and Skills

GCSE RS Eduqas  - The topics we study in Year 10 are: -

The Study of Christianity – Beliefs and Practices.

The Study of a World Faith: Islam – Beliefs and Practices.

Issues of Human Rights, e.g. prejudice and discrimination.

The  RS  GCSE skills we focus on are:-

  • Learning and use of religious language and concepts
  • Knowledge understanding of key religious beliefs and practices in Christianity and Islam
  • Showing what impact an Influence religious beliefs and practices have on the life of a believer and their faith community
  • Referring to sources of authority as a basis for religious beliefs and practices, e.g. the Bible and Qur’an
  • Further developing the skill of writing an evaluative and balanced argument 

Assessment Patterns

Assessment at the end of each topic of study. NB Revision materials will be made available to students.

Examination at end of year. NB Revision materials will be made available to students.

Some work will be assessed using PIAS comments. There will be teacher, self and peer assessment of work.

 Homework / Independent Study Skills

  • To complete research homework which will be assessed by their RS teacher. To complete key word learning
  • BBC Bitesize Revision
  • Eduqas website: 

http://www.eduqas.co.uk/qualifications/religious-studies/gcse/eduqas-gcse-RS-spec-full-from-2016.pdf

Year 11

Aim for the Year

¨ Students are able to examine how the beliefs and practices of Christianity can be applied to today’s world on a range of issues.

¨ Students know their target and what they need to do in order to achieve, if not exceed it

Topics and Skills

GCSE RS Eduqas - The topics we study are:

Religious, Philosophical and Ethical Studies in the Modern World:-

Issues of Relationships, e.g. marriage and the family.

Issues of Life and Death, e.g. the origin and value of human life.

Issues of Good and Evil, e.g. crime and punishment.

Revision of Year 10 topics i.e. Christianity and Islam

RS Skills:-

Learning and  use of religious language and concepts

  • Knowledge understanding of key religious beliefs and practices in Christianity and Islam
  • Showing what impact an Influence religious beliefs and practices have on the life of a believer and their faith community
  • Referring to sources of authority as a basis for religious beliefs and practices, e.g. the Bible and Qur’an
  • Further developing the skill of writing an evaluative and balanced argument

Assessment Patterns

Assessment at the end of each topic of study. Year 11 Internal examination.

Some work will be assessed using PIAS comments. There will be teacher, self and peer assessment of work.

3 RS Examination at the end of year 11. NB Revision materials will be made available to students.

Religious, Philosophical and Ethical Studies in the Modern World: 2 hour examination 50%.

The Study of Christianity: 1 hour 25%

The Study of a World Faith: Islam: 1 hour 25%

Homework / Independent Study Skills

To complete research homework which will be assessed by their RS teacher. To complete key word learning