Religious Education

RE vision

“RE has an exceptional impact on pupils’ positive attitudes to diversity and difference in society. The jointly agreed syllabus enables pupils to understand the distinctive features of the Catholic and Anglican faith.” SIAMs Ofsted inspection 2018

The Religious Education department is committed to the formation of our students and to make Christ known and loved. In order for students to live life to the full we deliver high quality teaching and learning that is underpinned by the Gospel values of Love of God and Love of neighbour. Religious Education is at the heart of the curriculum and will “construct a platform, on which individuals can stand to make a faith commitment and develop as fulfilled human beings”.

Religious education fosters a safe and secure environment through the expertise of staff, where students can come to a full understanding of the teachings of the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches, and a full appreciation of Britain as a multicultural society. We are concerned with searching for answers to the big questions of human existence in order to help students make sense of life.

Students are encouraged to think philosophically about what it means to be human and how they belong to God, the Church, and the world. Students will examine the bible; assess the impact this has on human experience and make connections with their own lives. They will develop skills such as critical thinking, dialogue and debate, as well as fostering moral reasoning. This allows students to then respond to Catholic Social Teaching and care for all based on the intrinsic teaching that all people have dignity and are created in the image of God.

The new Religious Education Directory (RED) promotes student formation and academic excellence in a challenging curriculum that allows students to understand, discern and respond. The curriculum is spiral, where six branches are revisited across key stage 3, that mirror the liturgical calendar. This curriculum supports and reflects our special identity as both Roman Catholic and Anglican.

As Religious education is a core subject, all pupils follow the AQA GCSE and study both Christianity and Judaism alongside philosophical and ethical themes. They develop a detailed understanding of a variety of moral issues and the impact they have on humanity whilst developing skills in evaluation, explanation and the ability to present a justified argument. The study of different religions, such as Judaism in year 10, gives students a wider perspective and they freely express their opinions with both honesty and sensitivity.

“Pupils regularly achieve exceptionally high standards in RE, leading to GCSE results that are well above the national average. This is one of the highest achieving departments and particularly impressive as all pupils take the subject to GCSE, in line with the high profile given to RE as a core subject” SIAMs Ofsted inspection 2018.

Curriculum team

Mr A Morrison – Head of RE
Mrs S Coxton – RE Teacher
Mrs K Devanney – RE Teacher
Miss S Quinn – RE Teacher
Ms N Dodd – School Chaplain