VISION & AIMS

The aim of RE is to support students in developing their own coherent patterns of values and principles as well as to support their social, moral, spiritual and cultural development. As a department we want to create a learning environment that engages, stimulates and challenges students.

In RE at Deer Park we follow the Living Difference agreed syllabus and explore different religions, inquiring into key concepts of the religions that show beliefs, practises and experiences. We then contextualise these concepts within religions and evaluate. We require that students come to reasoned responses to develop their own arguments, and views on the issues studied. Intrinsic to teaching and learning in RE is to enable students to see that the world and the people within it have many differing views and practises; it is our role to allow pupils to enquire into these ideas and facilitate their learning.

The units of work throughout the key stages are designed to encourage students to interpret and respond to a variety of concepts, beliefs and practices within religions and evaluate their value for society and themselves. The programmes of study are progressively developed to build upon students’ capacities to interpret, evaluate and respond to differing values and beliefs. This is achieved through extending their thinking and analytical skills and their creative, imaginative and emotional development.

In the RE department we strive to achieve the highest standards with our students and create a stimulating environment.

At the centre of our programmes of study is the idea that RE should be a subject that allows students to question and explore, to appreciate that RE is not an abstract subject that doesn’t apply to them but a subject that is intrinsic to the society we live in.

KS3

Year 7

Judaism - This unit explores some of the key concepts within Judaism including God, Abraham, Moses and what it means to be a Jew today.  

Christianity - This unit explores some of the key concepts within Christianity including God, Jesus, Agape and what it means to be a Christian today. 

Islam - This unit explores some of the key concepts within Islam including Sawm, Zakah and Salah. It also draws year 7 to a close by exploring Ninian Smart's 7 dimensions of a religion exploring where each of these have been seen across the three Abrahamic faiths.

Year 8

Hinduism - This unit explores some of the key concepts within Hinduism including Brahman, the Trimurti, Karma, Samsara and what it means to be a Hindu today. 

Resurrection Detectives – This unit follows on from the year 7 Christianity scheme and allows students the opportunity to explore the importance of the death and resurrection of Jesus for Christians and debate whether the resurrection did take place.

Does God Exist? – In this  philosophical unit, students get to question key arguments about the existence of God. They explore philosophical arguments that have been put forward and evaluate each of these. 

KS4

A GCSE in Religious Education is highly valued by employees due to the nature of transferable skills that it develops. These include, analysis, evaluation, empathy, interpretation, reflection and justification to name a few.  It allows students the opportunity to delve into the world that we live in, exploring religious and non-religious views on several themes as well as fostering an ethos of respect for others, an opportunity to challenge stereotypes and build an understanding of other cultures and beliefs. Religious Education provides a space for students to reflect on their own ideas and develop their thoughts about questions of meaning and ethics.

At Deer Park we follow the AQA GCSE which is broken down into two exams:

Part One: The study of TWO religions with a focus on Beliefs, Teachings and Practices (worth 50% of the qualification)

Students will study Christianity and Islam in depth focusing on the key beliefs, teachings and practices of each religion and the influence that this has on individuals, communities and societies.

Part Two:  Thematic Studies: An exploration of religious, ethical and philosophical themes (worth 50% of the qualification)

Students will study FOUR themes considering different beliefs and attitudes to religious and non-religious issues in contemporary British society:

• Religion and life – the origin and value of the universe and human life including scientific and religious views on these and the relationship between them. The use of the environment and animals and ethical arguments relating to abortion, euthanasia and life after death

• Religion, peace and conflict – including the key concepts of war, peace, justice and reconciliation. An exploration into the reasons for war, a just war, terrorism, pacifism and responses to war in the 21st century

• Religion, crime and punishment – the causes of crime and different aims of punishment including ethical arguments on the death penalty

• Relationships, family and religion : including the concepts of the family, chastity, marriage, sexuality, polygamy and divorce