Religion, Philosophy and Ethics

Powerful Knowledge

Year 7

Students in year 7 join us from a variety of different backgrounds, so our biggest goal in Year 7 is to establish foundational knowledge and skills that the students can carry through the school. Students study:

• What is religion?
• The origins of Monotheism (Judaism)
• Origins of the universe
• Was Jesus more than a man? (Christianity)
• Alternative world-views (Atheism, Humanism)
• Can you be a Buddhist in the modern world?

Year 8

Year 8 starts to develop the critical thinking skills introduced in Year 7, it also provides a contrast of religions through polytheism, as opposed to the monotheistic them in Year 7. Students start to consider more Philosophy and Ethics topics, getting them prepared for skills that are needed at GSCE. Students study:

• Roman Mythology
• Mythology in Hinduism
• Crime and Punishment
• How is equality represented in Sikhism?
• Environmental ethics
• Islam and misconceptions

Year 9

Year 9 is a real opportunity for students to engage in more complex thinking, relating their analytical skills to modern day issues in Philosophy and Ethics. This emphasis in Year 9 allows students a perfect opportunity to sample what studies at GCSE will feel like. Students will experience assessments mimicking that of GCSE style 12 mark questions, enabling them to feel well prepared for KS4 assessments. Students study:

• What is Philosophy?
• What is religion?
• What is evil?
• Ethics around Artificial Intelligence
• Ethics around Space exploration
• Contemporary Modern Issues (e.g. Are games valuable? Does money equal happiness?)

Literacy

Above all else, students are challenged to develop their skills of debate, discussion and argument. Socratic questioning is used extensively so that students reflect, modify and rephrase ideas and propositions. Being able to identify the incoherency/coherency of arguments, self reflection and the ability to change views and opinions are skills and a mindset which is carefully nurtured and developed.  Literacy is further developed through the use of the assessments where students are to write like a Philosopher. Students are also exposed to multiple languages throughout their studies of RPE including but not limited to Punjabi, Sanskrit, Arabic, Chinese, Greek and Latin.

School Context

Here at Stowupland High School we seek to create an inclusive and diverse curriculum that evolves with the students throughout their time here. Students study Religion, Philosophy and Ethics throughout KS3 in a spiral curriculum which builds on skills from previous years. The redesign of our KS3 curriculum has resulted in consistently 2 full classes at GCSE. Our aim is to bring the reality of religion to students coming from a perspective of understanding, tolerance and analytical thinking. We emphasise how 86% of the world is still religious and although our picture of religion in Suffolk may not reflect this, that does not mean that is not what the rest of the world is like. Our students are inquisitive, respectful and engage in their studies enthusiastically. The oral skills that students learn through debate and discussion enable us to help students of all different abilities to succeed throughout their studies. All students still experience the subject in Year 10 and 11 irrespective of choosing GCSE through the Core RPE curriculum. The Core RPE curriculum is integrated with PSHE/RSHE with students alternating throughout the academic year.

Assessment

Students are assessed every half-term in RPE, asking students to develop their GCSE exam technique from Year 7 to Year 9. Students will complete a variety of 1-4 mark style questions in Year 7 and 8 before swapping to longer, extended writing in Year 9 to allow us to drill down and focus purely on the skills needed for GCSE 12 mark questions. Students are encouraged to revise for these assessments and are encouraged to consistently try and improve on their previous scores.

Careers

See entry for KS4.