Religious Studies
Curriculum Intent
“Wide differences of opinion in matters of religious, political, and social belief must exist if conscience and intellect alike are not to be stunted, if there is to be room for healthy growth. ” ~ Theodore Roosevelt
RS at the New forest Academy invites students to be curious about what it is to be human in a modern world through a broad and balanced curriculum that promotes challenge, choice, creativity and collaboration. The RS curriculum is inclusive and enables all students to thrive by developing powerful knowledge considering a range of religious, ethical, philosophical views.
The RS curriculum promotes the ‘British’ values of individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs. The curriculum promotes tolerance and inclusivity. Each lesson builds upon prior knowledge and is sequenced so that students are able to make progress irrespective of their starting point or own religious belief. Students are encouraged to think deeply about what they are learning. The curriculum is diverse and enables students to develop their knowledge and understanding of religions and non-re;igious beliefs. Opportunities for students to develop skills are interwoven into lessons ranging from opportunities for debates to building resilience by completing longer written answers.
The RS curriculum at the New Forest Academy will enable students to develop character and question who they are and who they wish to become. Students will consider how belief and faith can affect their world both locally and globally. The RS curriculum enables those who choose to continue to study RS at a higher level such as at college or university by equipping them with important skills and powerful knowledge. Irrespective of whether students choose to take their RS education further it will provide greater knowledge about their world and aims to support the development of more moral, tolerant and respectful individuals entering into our community.
The New Forest Academy provides RS for all students in accordance with the Hampshire Locally Agreed Syllabus, Living Difference IV ( Living Difference IV - The Agreed Syllabus for Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton, November 2021). RS “entails teachers bringing children and young people first to attend to their own experience and that of others, to engage intellectually with material that is new and to discern with others what is valuable with regard to living a religious life or one informed by a non-religious or other perspective...” (Living Difference IV, 2021).
Please click on the document link below to view our Curriculum Map for Religious Studies.