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The principal aim of religious education is to explore what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that pupils can gain the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to handle questions raised by religion and worldviews, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living.
The principal aim of religious education is to explore what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that pupils can gain the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to handle questions raised by religion and worldviews, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living.
Everybody holds a worldview. Nobody stands nowhere on an issue. Our course of study looks at the broad range of worldviews held by our community and beyond
Everybody holds a worldview. Nobody stands nowhere on an issue. Our course of study looks at the broad range of worldviews held by our community and beyond
Our subject occupies a unique place in the Churston curriculum; we are a statutory subject but we use a locally designed curriculum model. This flexibility enables us to design our course to support students in reaching their goals of scholarship and self-development. Through our thoughtfully designed and academically rigorous programme of study, our students are invited to analyse different worldviews and engage in debate with real-world arguments and issues.
A scholar of religions relies on the following key skills, which we develop:
Critical thinking: asking thoughtful questions, challenging assumptions and applying knowledge to evaluate theories and beliefs.
Ethical reasoning: thinking through moral issues and evaluating theories of right, wrong, good and bad.
Worldview analysis: studying beliefs different to our own and understanding how someone’s background and beliefs shape how they see the world.
Conceptual reasoning: thinking deeply about complex ideas that aren’t physical or visible (like God, time, justice, etc.).
Comparative analysis: identifying similarities and differences between beliefs, practices, or views.
Critical reading: carefully understanding a text by spotting key ideas and considering its purpose, bias and context.
Textual interpretation: explaining what religious and philosophical texts may mean, and considering how different people interpret them.
Argument construction: building a clear and logical case to support a point of view.
Discussion and debate: sharing ideas clearly and listening to others.
Academic writing: writing clearly, formally, and with evidence. Specifically: defining, describing, explaining, evaluating and arguing.
Beyond the classroom
Beyond the classroom
Years 7 and 8
All students in Years 7 and 8 are offered the chance to enter into a highly regarded art competition called Spirited Arts. Students all experiment with creating an artwork with a spiritual or religious theme and write a brief essay explaining their work. This competition welcomes entries of painting, drawing, poetry, photography, dance, drama, sculpture, and music.
Years 9 to 11
We offer essay competitions at various points in the year, encouraging students in Years 9-11 to enter. Essay competitions often feature a controversial statement and are judged by the PRS Department and our A Level RS students.
Years 12 and 13
We encourage our A Level students to enter the John Locke Institute’s essay competition, which runs every year in the spring term. Students from all over the nation compete for this prestigious award.
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