Religious Studies

Sandbach High school

Curriculum

Curriculum Intentions

Vision    

Religion and Worldviews (R&WV) contributes dynamically to children and young people’s education in schools by provoking challenging questions about meaning and purpose in life, beliefs about God, ultimate reality, issues of life and death and issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human. In RS they learn about and from religions and worldviews in local, national and global contexts, to discover, explore and consider different answers to these questions. They learn to weigh up the value of wisdom from different sources, to develop and express their insights in response, and to agree or disagree respectfully.  

Curriculum Intentions 

Religion and Worldviews (R&WV) does NOT seek to promote the beliefs of one religion over another. Rather, we aim to: 

  • support pupils in their own search for meaning and purpose in life 
  • help pupils develop their own beliefs, values and ideals 
  • provide a safe and secure environment for pupils to challenge prejudices and misconceptions 
  • encourage tolerance and respect for themselves and for other people
  • enable pupils to be discerning so that they can make informed choices about systems of belief whether faith based or secular
  • encourage pupils to recognise and celebrate diversity in society
  • enhance pupils’ understanding of history, art, music, literature and the media. 

R&WV seeks to give a basic grounding in the beliefs and practices of the 6 world religions, thus equipping learners with the basic knowledge to understand their neighbours and colleagues in life. We aim to equip our students with the vocabulary to ask philosophical and theological questions, and the skills to consider the different possible answers to these questions. 

Learners in R&WV are prepared with the skills necessary for GCSE-style questions: description, deeper explanation, evaluation of a range of views, justification of a judgement using evidence. Learners with Additional Needs are given scaffolded tasks to enable them to work towards these goals. Content is regularly updated to reflect current topics of debate. 

Our learners leave us equipped for a wide range of employment and vocations; they are able to consider differing viewpoints and can take into account the way worldviews affect the ethical standpoints of others. 

Curriculum Lead

Curriculum Leader Humanities Faculty:  Ms C Wildman  cwildman@sandbachhigh.co.uk 

 

Key Stage 3

YEAR 7  

Big Idea 

Christianity 

Islam 

Judaism 

The Nature of God 

God as Trinity 

The 99 Names of Allah 

Yahweh and the Covenant 

Living a good life: exemplars 

Jesus: Parables  

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh): Revelation 

Abraham: Covenant 

Moses: Commandments 

Living a good life: rituals 

Communion 

Shahadah, Salat 

Shabbat 

Key Concepts: Sacrifice 

Jesus and Salvation 

Ramadan 

Abraham and Isaac 

Times and Places 

Christmas and Easter 

Hajj 

Passover 

 

YEAR 8 

Big Idea 

Hindu Dharma 

Sikhi 

The Shoah 

The Nature of God 

Brahman and the Trimurti 

Waheguru 

Problem of Evil: How could God let this happen? 

Living a good life: exemplars 

Gaining good karma; Gandhi 

The Ten Gurus 

Righteous of the Nations 

Living a good life: rituals 

Puja 

Amrit ceremony 

Passover in the camps 

Key Concepts: Sacrifice 

The Renouncer 

Khalsa Sikhi 

Why did people do this to others? 

Times and Places 

The Mandir, Divali, Holi 

The Gurdwara 

Ghettos and Camps 

 

YEAR 9 

Big Idea 

Black History Month/BLM 

Buddhism 

Religion & the family 

Religion and Life 

Crime & Punishment 

Beliefs in Action 

Why are some people racist? 

No God – so is it a religion? 

Where do women fit in? What is marriage about? 

When does life begin: impact on ethics 

The aims of punishment 

Living a good life: exemplars 

Martin Luther King and Malcolm X 

The Buddha 

Those standing up to discrimination 

Issues at the start of life – and the end 

Heroes of forgiveness 

Living a good life: teachings 

Equality in Scripture 

Meditation and Mindfulness 

The role of women; sexuality 

Religious and non-religious values 

How do we treat the sinner? 

Key Concepts: Justice 

Equal rights to all - racism 

Kamma and the wheel of rebirth 

Equal rights – sexism & homophobia 

What is the right thing to do? 

Restorative Justice 

Times and Places 

Black History Month 

Wesak; the temple 

Pagan celebration of life stages  

The journey of life: key moments 

The Island 

 

 

Key Stage 4

KS4 Map 

 

KS4: year 10 

KS4: year 11 

Autumn  

Christianity: 10: Nature of God; Trinity; Creation; Incarnation; Crucifixion; Ascension; Salvation; Life After Death. 

Islam: 10: Articles of Faith; Five Roots of Usul ad-Din; Oneness of Allah; Nature of God; Angels; Predestination & Free Will; Life After Death 

Family and Relationships 

Marriage & Divorce; Sexuality; Gender Roles. 

 Religion and Life 

Creation of the World; Abortion; Euthanasia.  

Threshold Concepts 

Incarnation: God as a human being 

Salvation: sacrificial death 

Tawhid: absolute One-ness of Allah; links to predestination  

Roles of men and women. 

Sanctity of all life, including plant and non-human animals. 

Spring  

Christianity: 10: Worship; Prayer; Baptism; Communion; Pilgrimage; Festivals; Food banks. 

Islam: 10: Holy Books; 5 Pillars in Sunni Islam; Prophets; Prophet Muhammad (pbuh); Imamate 

Peace and Conflict 

Concept of Holy War and Jihad; Just War Theory; Peaceful Protest; Weapons of Mass Destruction; Terrorism. 

 Crime and Punishment 

Types of Crime; Types of Punishment; Forgiveness.  

Threshold Concepts 

Faith in action: real world application of beliefs. 

Can there be a ‘just’ war? 

Why do we obey laws? 

Summer  

Christianity: 10: Street Pastors; Mission & Evangelism; Reconciliation; Persecution; Christian Aid. 

Islam: 10: Obligatory Acts; Jihad; Id ul Fitr; Id ul Adha; Ashura. 

Revision 

External exams 

Threshold Concepts 

Faith in action: real world application (community). 

 

 

Key Stage 5

For further information about A level Religious Studies at Sandbach College please visit: https://www.sandbachcollege.co.uk/religious-studies/ 

 

KS5 Map 

 

KS5: Year 12 

KS5: Year 13 

Autumn 

Philosophy: Arguments for the Existence of God; Problem of Evil  

Ethics:  DCT: Ethical Egoism; Virtue Theory.  

Islam:  Muhammad; developing Islam; Qur’an. Allah; Risalah.  

Philosophy: Freud & Jung; Atheism. 

 Ethics: Free Will;  

Islam: Sharia and Jihad; Shi’a.  

Threshold Concepts 

Can the existence of God be proven? 

How do we define ‘being good’? 

What are the core beliefs of Islam? 

How are believers challenged in their faith? 

What does it mean to have ‘free will’? 

How do Muslims apply their beliefs to the challenges of living an ethical life. 

Spring 

Philosophy: Religious Experience.  

Ethics: Natural Law; Utilitarianism.  

Islam: Malaikah & Akhirah; Salah; Zakah; Five Categories Action. 

Philosophy: Religious Language. 

 Ethics: Finnis & Hoose: Metaethics 

 Islam: Crime & Punishments; Developments. 

Threshold Concepts 

How do we define a religious experience? Can it be proved? 

Are their inherent rules to morality? Or is morality a relative state? 

What are the core practices of Islam? 

How does language reflect the beliefs underlying the words? 

How have ethical theories been developed? 

How might Muslim beliefs be applied and developed. 

Summer 

Philosophy: 12: Miracles. 

Ethics: 12: Situation Ethics; Determinism 

Islam: 12: Practices that shape identity. 

Revision 

External Exams 

Threshold Concepts 

Does the definition of a miracle make it so improbable as to be impossible? 

Is the ethical life one that can be ascertained by formulae?  

How might a Muslim define themselves? 

Strategies for revision and answering questions under timed conditions. 

 

Qualifications

KS4:  AQA GCSE Religious Studies A: Christianity, Islam and Thematic Studies. 

 https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/religious-studies/gcse/religious-studies-a-8062  

The examinations consist of two papers: one paper on religious beliefs and practices, one paper on Thematic Studies. Each paper contains shorter questions, worth 1 and 2 marks, examining knowledge. Medium length questions, worth 4 and 5 marks, examining understanding of the impact of beliefs. Longer questions, worth 12 marks, examining different responses and interpretations of religious beliefs, practices and ethical viewpoints. 

KS5: Eduqas A level Religious Studies: The Study of Islam, Philosophy of Religion and Religion and Ethics. 

https://www.eduqas.co.uk/qualifications/religious-studies-as-a-level/#tab_overview  

The course covers key aspects of the beliefs and practices of Islam; in Philosophy we explore arguments for the existence of God, the problem of evil and suffering, and the nature of religious experience; in Ethics we consider ethical thought and language and how ethical theories have developed over time, whether that might be Situation Ethics or Utilitarianism.  Examination consists of three papers, each 2 hours long, each consisting of 4 essay-style responses to questions examining knowledge and the ability to analyse the effectiveness of the theories. 

Wider Curriculum

Amnesty International 

Philosophy Film Club 

Gardening Club 

Rainbow Club 

Useful Links

5 Ways I can help my child in KS3:  

  1. Discuss their learning with them; encourage them to consider different points of view.  
  2. Help them with their research: encourage use of sites such as BBC Religion and Ethics.  
  3. Encourage ‘spiritual literacy’, regardless of whether you are personally spiritual. This means talking about ‘big questions’ and how they might be answered.  
  4. Help them to learn by quizzing them; this will help them to see the differences between the religions.  
  5. Share your own views, whilst encouraging them to question you.  

 

5 Ways I can Help my Child in KS4 and KS5 

  1. Discuss their learning with them; encourage them to consider different points of view.  
  2. Ask them to relate their learning to current affairs: what might Christians or Muslims say about this?  
  3. Help them to research in more depth, using appropriate material. Encourage them to avoid ‘blogs’ that may be one-sided.  
  4. Quiz them, to check knowledge and understanding.  
  5. Share your own views and experiences; if you disagree with them, explain why. Encourage them to explain their views too.  

  

Useful websites: