In year 7 Religious Studies is taught as part of a Humanities curriculum. All Pupils have 4 lessons of Humanities each week. However, , it is not an integrated Humanities curriculum, instead pupils have blocks of History, Geography or Religious Studies. In effect this means that there is one 3 week block each term when pupils have 4 Religious Studies lessons each week.
The Curriculum
Autumn Term: Learning
About Religion and Learning From Religion
This module of work is divided into
two separate units. The first builds on work completed in primary school
and gives pupils the opportunity to research a religion in depth. The
second unit is about festivals. Focusing on Christmas, it allows pupils
to compare and contrast different versions of the Nativity story and to
investigate what different Christians believe to be true about Christmas.
Pupils will also be able to consider Christian responses to people suffering
at Christmas time.
Spring Term: Where Do
We Look For God?
The work this term introduces pupils to the
philosophy of religion. Pupils will be able to investigate different ideas
about whether there is a God and the arguments for and against this. The
unit includes philosophical ideas such as Paley's Design Argument and
also considers different forms of religious experience. Students will
also think about what God is like.
Summer Term: Rights and
Responsibilities
Year 7 work in the summer term focuses on the
ideas of rights and responsibilities. Pupils will study the teachings
of Jesus and St. Paul on justice. They will also learn about liberation
theology, specifically the work of Oscar Romero. Pupils will also do work
on the responsibilities we have towards the environment; looking at Christian
and Buddhist teachings.