Religious Education

Departmental Staff
Mrs A NattrissCurriculum Leader
Mrs K EarlKey Stage 3 Co-ordinator
Mrs C BeardsReligious Education Teacher
Miss H BowlerReligious Education Teacher
Mrs S SmithReligious Education Teacher
Mrs P MoakesReligious Education Teacher
Mrs C MapletoftReligious Education Teacher

The distinctive character of All Saints’ Academy is found in its striving to be a faith community which communicates a Catholic vision of life.

The Religious Studies Department at All Saints’ is committed to serving the needs of students from the Catholic tradition and indeed from all faith traditions as part of the mission of the Church. It is our hope that in doing so all of the students at All Saints’ may become religiously literate young people who have the knowledge, understanding and skills – appropriate to their age and ability – to think spiritually, ethically and theologically and to be aware of the demands of religious commitment in everyday life. ?

Religion is a significant force in the contemporary world. It motivates human ideas and behaviors, shaping societies and cultures both for good and ill. Understanding how religion works can help you to understand current events, such as the tragedy of 9/11/01, the conflict in Israel and the tensions in Ireland between Catholics and Protestants. Understanding religion also helps you to understand people and what inspires them.

The religious studies programme at All Saints’ RC School is designed to encourage thoughtful reflection about such matters of faith. In so doing we aim to put the mission statement of our Catholic school at the heart of everything we do. In order to achieve this, the department aims to:

  1. Enable students to approach religion as an academic discipline, and as a means of developing and understanding their own faith position.
  2. Develop the skills required to engage in the critical examination of and reflection upon religious belief and practice in our culture;
  3. Enable students to reflect critically on the ultimate questions of life, and investigate how religious people grapple with them;
  4. Enable students to cultivate a critical awareness of and appreciation for the Catholic tradition including how the Catholic tradition informs and is informed by its historical situation.
  5. Enable each student to develop and be able to articulate their own faith positions;
  6. Enable each student to explore and to respect the different faith traditions and significance of religion as it is embedded in diverse cultures and contexts.
  7. Enable each student to appreciate the relationship between religious belief, personal faith and lived experience;
  8. Enable each student to develop the skills and attitudes to respond to the opportunities responsibilities and experiences of life.
  9. Empower a greater integration of faith and work in the lives of students, especially as concerning the aspects of charity and vocation.

Key Stage 3: Y7-Y8

Over the last few years,  the Diocese has been working in collaboration with many Trusts, including the OLOL Trust, to ensure that we are providing our students with a well-balanced and varied curriculum within Religious Education. As a result, a brand-new scheme of work has been developed and produced by the Diocese, working in partnership with Curriculum Leaders, Key Stage Coordinators and subject leads and as of September 2023, we began to teach our new schemes of work through the Religious Education Directory (RED). This is still being developed for Year 8 and Year 9 and will be successfully implemented by September 2025.”

The units for Y7 are:

  • Introduction to the Christian Faith
  • Creation and Covenant
  • Prophecy and Promise
  • Galilee to Jerusalem
  • Desert to Garden
  • To the Ends of the Earth
  • Dialogue and Encounter

Key Stage 4: Y9-Y11

Students follow the Eduqas Route B GCSE. The course is divided into three papers and the break down is below.

Component 1
Foundational Catholic Theology37.5%
90 mins
90 marks
+6 SPaG
Section 1: Origins and Meaning
Answer: x2 a) questions
 x2 b) questions
 x2 c) questions
 x1 d) question (SPaG assessed on d)Section 2: Good and Evil
Answer: x1 a) question
 x1 b) question
x1 c) question
x2 d) questions
Component 2
Applied Catholic Theology37.5%
90 mins
90 marks + 6 SPaG
Section 1: Life and Death
Answer x1 a) question
x1 b) question
x1 c) question
x2 d) questions (SPaG assessed on d)Section 2: Sin and Forgiveness
Answer x2 a) questions
x2 b) questions
 x2 c) questions
x1 d) question
Component 3
Study of a World Faith
Judaism25%
60 mins
60 marks
Judaism
Beliefs and Teachings
Answer x1 a) question
             x1 b) question
             x1 c) question
             x1 d) question
Practises
Answer x1 a) question
 x1 b) question
x1 c question
xd) question

 

 

Key Stage 5: Y12-Y13 Philosophy and Ethics

Eduqas Religious Studies A Level with the study of Christianity

In studying this A-Level, students are able to develop their interest within religion, across three distinct components: Christianity, Philosophy and Ethics.

The A-Level is a highly academic subject which develops a student’s knowledge, understanding and evaluation skills which in turn allows them to develop and formulate their own ideas and views of the world.

An A level in Religious Studies encourages students to:

Develop their interest in the study of religion and belief and relate it to the wider world

Develop knowledge and understanding of Christianity and associated Philosophical and Ethical thought.

Develop an understanding and appreciation of religious thought and its contribution to individuals, communities and societies

Adopt and develop an enquiring, critical and reflective approach to the study of religion and wider thought and contemplation.

Reflect on and develop their own values, opinions and attitudes in the light of their study.

 

The A-Level is divided into the following components and areas of study:

Component 1: A Study of Religion:

This component offers the choice of the study of one religion which is Christianity. There will be four themes: religious figures and sacred texts; religious concepts and religious life; significant social and historical developments in religious thought; religious practices and religious identity.

Students are required to answer one question from Section A out of a choice of two and one question from Section B out of a choice of three in this component. Questions can be taken from any area of the specification. Written examination: 2 hours 33⅓% of qualification Component 2:

Component 2: Philosophy of Religion:

There will be four themes within this component: arguments for the existence of God; challenges to religious belief; religious experience; religious language.

Students are required to answer one question from Section A out of a choice of two and one question from Section B out of a choice of three in this component. Questions can be taken from any area of the specification. Written examination: 2 hours 33⅓% of qualification

Component 3: Religion and Ethics:

There will be four themes within this component: ethical thought; deontological ethics; teleological ethics; determinism and free will.

Students are required answer one question from Section A out of a choice of two and one question from Section B out of a choice of three in this component. Questions can be taken from any area of the specification. Written examination: 2 hours 33⅓% of qualification.

 

Core RE

“Being a faith school, we continue to develop our students’ faith into their A Level journey. Each week they have one hour of Core RE which is delivered by a RE specialist. In the hour session, they explore many philosophical and ethical areas which are divided into teacher led sessions and debates. The units covered are:

  • Critical Thinking
  • Medical Ethics
  • Ethics
  • Philosophy
  • Religion in the world
  • Happiness

To support our 6th formers progress into the next stage of their education, we give them the opportunity to complete the ‘Extended Project Qualification’. Also referred to as the ‘EPQ’. To complete this qualification the students, complete a 7,000-word dissertation based on a question they create using the information they have gathered from the taught sessions. We guide the students to pick an area they would potentially like to study further or possibly work in a professional capacity after their education has concluded. This is an opportunity for them to learn what literacy skills and essay skills will be needed to succeed at university should they decide to take this path once their All Saints journey has ended.”