Philosophy, Religion and Ethics at RPA

What makes teaching PRE at RPA special?

It is a fantastic privilege to lead the PRE curriculum at RPA. Our students show a keen interest in the subject - from year 7, all the way to A Level - and it never ceases to amaze me just how well they can grasp some of the more difficult concepts and issues we discuss, and debate them in such depth. They seem to relish the challenge - and if they enjoy it? - well that makes RPA one special place to teach.

K. Martin

What we do when

Year 7: What is religion?

Students study Comparative Religious Studies at the beginning of Key Stage 3. It will introduce them to some of the themes they will study during the rest of the key stage. It will also demonstrate to them that their study of world religions and philosophy will require academic and intellectual rigour 

Year 8: What is ethics?

At the start of year 8, we provide an introduction to Buddhism and Sikhism. We finish year 8 with a study of Ethics which many students find very thought-provoking. They are able to voice their opinions on a range of subjects that affect them directly and indirectly, or which have become newsworthy and open to public debate.

Year 9: What is philosophy?

At the start of year 9, we look at Philosophy of Religion. This unit gives students a first opportunity to study philosophy, and to think and argue philosophically, focusing on the philosophy of religion.We then move on to studying Christianity. Finally, we study Islam which is the fastest growing religion in the UK.

Key Stage 4

GCSE Religious Studies challenges learners to reflect on and develop their own values, beliefs and attitudes in the light of what they have learnt in Key Stage 3, and it also contributes to their preparation for adult life in a pluralistic society and global community. Students will also improve their ability to construct well-argued, well-informed, balanced and structured written arguments, demonstrating their depth and breadth of understanding of the subject.

Exam board: Eduqas

Year 10

• Issues of Life and Death: origins of the world, origins and value of human life, afterlife

• Issues of Relationships: marriage, divorce, sexual relationships, issues of equality: gender, prejudice and discrimination

• Issues of Human Rights: human rights and social justice, prejudice and discrimination, wealth and poverty

• Issues of Good and Evil: crime and punishment, forgiveness, good, evil and suffering

Year 11

• In-depth study of Christianity: The nature of God, creation, Jesus, salvation, the afterlife, forms of worship, sacraments, pilgrimage, celebrations, Christianity in Britain, the local community and the world

• In-depth study of Islam: The nature of Allah, prophethood (risalah), akhirah (afterlife), foundations of faith, the Five Pillars of Sunni, ten obligatory acts of Shi’a Islam, jihad, festivals and commemorations

Assessment

Three exam papers:

• Paper 1: Philosophical and Ethical Issues in the Modern World (2 hours) - 50%

• Paper 2: Christianity (1 hour) - 25%

• Paper 3: Islam (1 hour) - 25%

Key Stage 5

Students who choose to study Philosophy at A level will continue to develop their knowledge and understanding of the big questions, such as: “What is knowledge?” and “What do good, bad, right and wrong really mean?” They will also consider further questions including: “Is the concept of God incoherent?” and “What is mind?” This is a truly challenging A level with an array of thought-provoking topics to keep students coming back with more questions than answers.

Exam board: AQA

Year 1

• Epistemology: what is knowledge?, the tripartite view, perception as a source of knowledge: direct realism, indirect realism, Idealism, reason as a source of knowledge: Innatism, Intuition and Deduction Thesis, the limits of knowledge

• Moral Philosophy: normative ethical theories, utilitarianism, Kantian deontological ethics, Aristotelian virtue ethics, Applied ethics, Meta-ethics, Moral anti-realism

Year 2

• Metaphysics of Mind: dualist theories, physicalist theories, eliminative materialism, functionalism

• Metaphysics of God: the concept and nature of 'God', arguments for the existence of God, ontological arguments, teleological/design arguments, cosmological arguments, the problem of evil, whether God’s attributes can be reconciled with the existence of evil

Assessment

Two exam papers:

• Paper 1: Epistemology and Moral Philosophy (3 hours) - 50%

• Paper 2: Metaphysics of Mind and Metaphysics of God (3 hours) - 50%

Who to contact

Kev Martin - kmartin@richmondparkacademy.org

Laura Bicknell - lbicknell@richmondparkacademy.org