Kingsbridge Community College

RE

 Staff
Mr. Lorwyn Randall
- Head of Department
  Mrs. Kathy Norris
 
  Mrs. Wendy Ohlson  
  Mr Robert Crocker
  Mrs. Caroline Walmsley


RE Statement

The fact that all RE teaching is carried out by trained RE specialists is a major contributory factor to the successful delivery of high standards.    The subject knowledge and expertise of the staff is the department’s greatest and most precious resource.

The department is nationally recognised as being a centre of excellent practice.

RE Logo

We also offer an AS & A Level Philosophy & Ethics course - CLICK HERE

All pupils are entitled to Religious Education, as part of the National Curriculum.

Religious Education seeks to
 Contribute to the development of pupils’ own values and beliefs.
 Bring pupils to a knowledge and understanding of religion

Religious education aims to assist pupils to
 Reflect upon those aspects of human experience which give rise to fundamental questions about life.
 Develop sensitivity to spiritual or religious interpretations of human experience.

Religious Education provides
 Exposure to the wide variety and richness of cultures in Britain and the world.
 Opportunities to explore moral and ethical issues.
 An exposure to the discourse of religion.

Religious Education is important for children developing into citizens of the new millennium because:

 They will live in an increasingly small world, and an increasingly multi-cultural society. This is recognised by many employers, who describe such knowledge and empathy inculcated by good RE teaching as an attribute of great importance.

 They will be confronted by a dazzling variety of forms of spiritual expression, and need to make informed choices. They need to be able to discuss religious ideas comfortably, thus avoiding unscrupulous and exploitative religious movements.

Religious Education at Kingsbridge Community College is non-confessional. It has no agenda to promote one particular religious tradition; it celebrates and values all traditions, whether ancient or modern, as equally valid and valuable expressions of human spirituality.

Curriculum Overview

Key Stage 3
In Year 7, RE is plays a substantial role in the Opening Minds Curriculum, and is delivered by tutors within those lessons.
In year 8, Students will study modules on Sacred Spaces, The life of Jesus, Sikhism, and Pilgrimage.
IN year 9 Students study Christian Responses to Conflict, an Introduction to Philosophy of Religion, Religious responses to Suffering, the Holocaust, and Life after Death.

Key Stage 4
At Key Stage Four all students have the opportunity to gain a qualification in RE – most study for a full GCSE, but others have the opportunity to work towards a Certificate of Education in the subject. The GCSE course is currently Edexcel – Christian responses to Contemporary Issues, and Buddhism, although we will shortly be moving to AQA.

Key Stage 5
At Key Stage 5, the department runs an extremely successful A level course looking at Western Philosophy of Religion and Hinduism. We also run an AS course in Critical Thinking, as well as running a day conference for all year 12 students.

In studying these topics, it is always important to try and encourage students to encounter the tradition in the flesh. The department regularly runs a number of trips (two of which are used as examples of good practice on the DCSF website). We take all of year 8 to Glastonbury as part of their study of Pilgrimage, and have run two sixth form trips to India.


Religious Education - AQA

What you will study

The course consists of two units studied over both years focusing on religious and non-religious attitudes towards issues of morality and citizenship. Focus areas include:

Medical Ethics Sex & Relationships
Drugs Sport & Leisure
Crime & Punishment Multiculturalism
World Poverty Human Rights

These topics are studied firstly as issues in themselves, then through the lens of religion (Christianity and Buddhism) and finally through the ideas, opinions and attitudes of the students themselves.

How you will be examined

- One exam worth 50% at the end of Year Ten
- One exam worth 50% at the end of Year 11 with an opportunity to re-sit the year ten exam.

The assessment allows 50% of marks to be gained through a knowledge of religious attitudes and teachings about the topics studied and 50% for students expressing well-supported opinions and arguments of their own in relation to the issues.

Religious education at Kingsbridge meets with national legal requirements to provide RE, PSHE & Citizenship to all students but goes a step further in rewarding them for their efforts with a full GCSE in the subject. It is a fully accredited course but also places a great deal of emphasis on discussion, debate and an exploration of controversial and ‘Big’ questions about life, society and culture.