Theology and Religious Studies Curriculum
Curriculum Intent – Content and Structure
The intended outcomes of what we teach:
Our curriculum invites studentss to consider the big questions of meaning and purpose, which sooner or later confront every person, e.g. ‘Where does everything come from?’ ‘Why am I here?’ and ‘What happens after we die?’ Students explore answers to these questions by closely studying the Bible and other sources of Christian authority, through which they develop the skills of enquiry, analysis, interpretation, evaluation and reflection. They also apply these skills to the study of a range of other religions and interrogate how people in other times and places have drawn on texts and traditions to answer questions of meaning and purpose. At each stage, students are encouraged to consider their own stance on these questions and to use the skills and resources they have learned to explore their own religious, spiritual and philosophical ways of living, believing and thinking.
Curriculum Implementation
Curriculum Content and Sequence
Year 7
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
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Exegetical Theology |
Spring 1: Spring 2: |
Summer 1: Summer 2: |
Year 8
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
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Systematic Theology |
Spring 1: Spring 2: |
Summer 1: Summer 2: |
Year 9
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
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Intro into Philosophy |
Christian Beliefs (GCSE) |
Buddhism Beliefs (GCSE) |
Year 10
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
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Autumn 1: Autumn 2: |
Spring 1: Spring 2: |
Summer 1: Summer 2: |
Year 11
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
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Autumn1: Autumn 2: |
GCSE Revision |
GCSE Revision and Exams |
Year 12
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
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Arguments for the existence of God Normative Ethical Theories |
Spring 1: Spring 2: |
Summer 1: Summer 2: |
Year 13
Autumn |
Spring |
Summer |
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Autumn 1: Autumn 2: |
Spring 1: Spring 2: |
A Level Revision and Exams |
The Rationale for the Content and Sequence of what we Teach
Year |
Why we Teach this Content and how the Content and Sequence of Topics Benefits our Students |
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Year 7 |
The first half of Year 7 is spent learning how to navigate, analyse, interpret and reflect upon the Bible - the foundational text of Christian theology. This not only equips students with the skills they need to argue for or against Christian claims about the world but also develops their literacy more generally by teaching them how to analyse texts and build arguments around them. Students first learn how the Bible is subdivided into books, chapters and verses, and practice navigating between these. They are then introduced to the history of the Bible’s compilation and examine how it has been used by Christians at different points in history and why there are different versions of it in use today. They then begin to study the art of biblical hermeneutics, in particular how a person’s presuppositions influence their interpretations of the Bible and how this has given rise to controversies over its meaning. They conclude their introduction to exegetical theology with a scripted debate in which they have to defend a literal or metaphorical reading of the book of Genesis. The second half of Year 7 turns to the other Abrahamic religions and examines their relationship to their own sacred texts and how this contrasts with their relationship to the Bible. This teaches students to apply their newly developed hermeneutic skills to the world beyond the text and equips them to understand why other person’s beliefs and practices might differ from their own. Students first learn about how Judaism and Christianity diverged in the first century and how the Talmudic tradition developed in Judaism. They revisit the texts that they learned about in the Autumn and Spring through a Talmudic lens and consider how these interpretations shaped and continue to shape, the beliefs and practices of Jewish communities. Finally, students look at Islám and how the Islamic understanding of the Qur’án compares with Christian understandings of the Bible. Students learn about the revelation and transmission of the Qur’án and the tradition of hermeneutics that has developed around it. They then contrast its claims about Alláh and the prophets with the Christian claims about the same and consider how these claims influence the lives of Muslims today. |
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Year 8 |
In Year 8 students learn more about the Christian worldview and consider how the Bible informs it, and what other sources contributed to its formation. This builds on the skills they have developed in Year 7 helping them understand how Christianity responds to questions of meaning and purpose and how this contrasts with the answers offered by other religious traditions. Students begin by examining Christian claims about the nature of God, God’s relationship to Creation and how sin affects this relationship. They then understand and analyse different Christian theories of atonement and evaluate which of these is most convincing. They then turn to the doctrine of the Trinity and learn how this idea follows from the Christian understanding of God’s nature and the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. They conclude the topic by considering Christian arguments about the Day of Judgment and the afterlife and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the different understandings of this. The second half of Year 8 looks to the dharmic religions. Students examine their very different understanding of the relationship between Creator and Creation and how this informs their beliefs about this life and the afterlife. They begin by looking at the Vedic religion and how its texts were originally used. Students then trace the evolution of the Vedic religion into the various ástika schools and analyse how these schools’ beliefs about the nature of the Godhead and human beings informs their practices. In particular, students consider how the ideas of dharma and karma shape a person’s life and how this differs from the life of someone from an Abrahamic tradition. The students then turn to the nástika schools and examine their rejection of the Vedas and their tendency towards non-theism. Particular attention is given to Buddhism (the most successful of these schools) and how its non-theistic interpretation of many ideas common to the dharmic religions. Students then consider why Buddhism has spread so successfully and analyse how its worldview may have contributed to this. |
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Years 9 - 11 |
All students at Wren Academy Finchley take either AQA’s ‘GCSE Religious Studies A’ (8062/8063) or their ‘GCSE Religious Studies: Short Course’ (8061). The table below outlines the differences between the topics covered by the exams.
In the Autumn Term of Year 9 studentss study ‘Introduction to Philosophy’, which introduces them to the study of epistemology and moral philosophy. The topic invites them to consider their own understanding of ‘truth’ and ‘right’, and prepares them to study these in more detail in Years 10–11. Starting in the Spring Term, all pupils study the ‘Christian Beliefs’ and ‘Buddhist Beliefs’ components of the GCSE. These not only prepare them for the exam, but also serve as capstones to the work they have done on the Abrahamic and Dharmic religions in Years 7–8. In Year 10 students follow either the full course or short course GCSE curriculum. Pupils who opt for the Short Course apply their knowledge of Christianity and Buddhism to two ethical themes: ‘Relationships and Families’ and ‘Religion, Peace and Conflict’. The pupils doing the full course continue their study of Christianity and Buddhism with ‘Christian Practices’ and ‘Buddhist Practices’ in the Autumn Term, and then study four ethical themes in the Spring and Summer Terms. The pupils doing the Short Course sit the exam at the end of Year 10 and finish the year with a ‘Core RE’ topic that examines the influence of Christianity and Buddhism on popular culture. Pupils doing the full GCSE continue their studies into Year 11, when they learn about ‘The Existence of God and Revelation’ and ‘Religion, Human Rights and Social Justice’. These topics are more sophisticated than the Short Course ones; they better extend the students’ thinking and prepare them for A Level work. These students sit their exam during the normal GCSE period. Focus DaysIn addition to the above, Key Stage 4 students attend three RS themed Focus Days. These draw on the students’ knowledge and skills from Key Stage 3 and apply them to a series of contested religious issues. The pupils are challenged to take a position on these issues and to support it by drawing on relevant scripture and tradition.
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Years 12 and 13 |
The new A Level in Religious Studies builds on work studied at GCSE and takes this to a higher level with the introduction of Philosophy of Religion and Religious Ethics. The study of a combination of Abrahamic and Dharmic religions makes this transition much smoother as it begins to prepare students for the more challenging material an A Level course offers, for example this is specifically apparent when studying the concept of the soul. The religion of focus is Christianity. |
Key Stage 4 (KS4) and Key Stage 5 (KS5) only:
What exam board/syllabus do you teach?
Why have you chosen this syllabus?.
In what ways is it suited to your students?
At KS4: The AQA syllabus has been chosen as it offers an interesting and engaging balance between theological study and ethical consideration and provides scope to teach beyond the test. The schedule for teaching the content of the course encourages students to re-visit theological topics (Year 10) during the ethical modules (Year 11), preparing them well for their final examination and the assessment methods provide the opportunity for students to engage well with the subject material.
At KS5: The AQA syllabus has again been chosen as it offers a smooth transition from the GCSE to A Level course. It also divides the examination papers up into Philosophy and Ethics and Christianity, which suits the split teaching well.
Curriculum Implementation
The subject specific habits and behaviours we develop (or intend to develop) in our students
Subject Specific Habits and Behaviours |
How we embed these in our students |
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Curiosity To reflect on the origins and truths of beliefs, the effects those beliefs have on believers and to develop a curiosity about the world.
The ability to analyse and evaluate challenging theological, philosophical and ethical issues, and to reach a thoroughly justified conclusion.
Religious Literacy The ability to talk with accuracy, depth and breadth about a variety of religious beliefs and practices.
To reflect on, evaluate and respond to their own and others’ worldviews.
Literacy To be able to argue persuasively, verbally and in writing and to do so with a high level of literacy. |
Curiosity
Critical Thinking
Religious Literacy
Reflective
Literacy
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Implementation
Academy Ethos
Micah 6v8: Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God |
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Curriculum Content Opportunities |
Curriculum Delivery Opportunities |
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Justice |
Year 7: The Bible and the Quran as the ultimate guides to just and unjust actions. Theology as human attempts to comprehend God’s justice. Year 8: Atonement as necessary for the satisfaction of God’s justice. Karma as a form of cosmic justice. Year 9: The tension between Christianity and the State in creating a just world. Christian challenges to injustice in the modern world. KS4: Christian Beliefs – Forgiveness, judgement, sin, salvation and atonement. Christian practices – Worldwide church, persecution, reconciliation. Buddhist beliefs – Kamma Buddhist practices – 5 Precepts, 6 Perfections. Year 11 – Human Rights and Social Justice unit. KS5: Christianity – Good moral conduct, sanctity of life, gender equality, transgender issues, religious pluralism. Ethics – the entire course. |
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Kindness |
Year 7: The Bible’s teachings on the importance on kindness. Jesus as exemplar of kindness. Kindness exemplified in the Qur’ÄÂn and HadÄ«th. Year 8: Kindness as a core Christian teaching. Kindness (metta and karuna) in the dharmic traditions. Year 9: Kindness as a Christian duty. Kindness in the face of ethical disagreement. KS4: Christian Beliefs – Forgiveness. Christian Practices – Reconciliation, persecution, Ways Christians help their local and worldwide communities (Food banks, street pastors, charity work with the poor). Buddhist Beliefs – Kamma, Dependent Arising, Noble Eightfold Path. Buddhist Practices – Kamma, Five Precepts, Six Perfections, metta (loving-kindness), karuna (compassion). Year 11 Ethics topics, e.g. abortion, euthanasia, environmental ethics, peace & conflict. KS5: Christianity - Good conduct and key moral principles; Religion, gender and sexuality. Ethics units. Especially Fletcher’s ‘agape’. |
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Humility |
Year 7: Human limitations in understanding the divine. Learning to disagree productively about the meaning of a text. Year 8: Challenging authority respectfully. Learning to disagree with people of profoundly different worldviews. Year 9: The consequences of arrogance in the face of challenge. Accepting difficult questions from an audience. KS4: Christian Beliefs – Nature of God, sin, atonement, God as creator, incarnation. Christian practices – How Christians have a duty to help others, worship, prayer, mission. Buddhist beliefs – Enlightenment, interconnectedness of beings and dependent arising, kamma, three marks of existence. Buddhist practices – Funerals, worship, meditation, festivals. Religion and Life topics. KS5: Christianity - Sources of Wisdom and Authority, God unit, good conduct and key moral principles, Expressions of religious identity e.g. baptism, communion, mission. Life after death. Philosophy – Arguments for God’s existence, The problem of evil, Religious experience unit. Miracles. Self, death and the afterlife. Ethics course. |
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Please click here to access the full Religious Studies curriculum document.