Religious Education at The Deanery aims to ensure that all students become religiously literate and will give them the tools so that they may ‘live life in its fullness’ (John 10:10).
RE at The Deanery will comprise of three academic disciplines: Theology, Philosophy and Social Science and we are very fortunate to have a team of five RE and Theology specialists in the teaching team at The Deanery. This means our students are receiving a high quality Religious Studies education from graduates in the discipline. We aim for all of our students to become religiously literate and empower them with the education and skills needed to become good citizens of our world. RE will contribute to the character development of all our students and will encourage them to develop spiritually and to work with each other to build a community of shared values. At Key stage 3 all students will follow a tailor made Religious Education curriculum for our students and our school, which includes content from our Swindon locally agreed syllabus and the NATRE Understanding Christianity resource. This follows the Church of England requirements for the study of Christianity, but also enables students to have a rich and diverse understanding of many different worldviews, belief systems and cultures. RE in years 7 to 9 provides a solid foundation for GCSE study and beyond. At GCSE (years 10 and 11) students will study the AQA GCSE Religious Studies A qualification.
Curriculm map - Year 7
RE curriculum vision
Every student will know about and understand Christianity as a diverse global living faith through the exploration of core beliefs using an approach that critically engages with biblical text.
Every student will gain knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and worldviews appreciating diversity, continuity and change within the worldviews and religions studied.
Every student will engage with challenging questions of meaning and purpose raised by human existence and experience.
Every student will recognise the concept of religion and its continuing influence on Britain’s cultural heritage and in the lives of individual and societies in different times, cultures and places.
All students will be able to explore their own religious, spiritual and philosophical ways of living, believing and thinking.
RE curriculum intent
To provide students to with opportunities to reflect upon their own beliefs and ideas about themselves, their place in our world and with others.
To engage students in high-quality academic study which will enable them to become religiously literate and hold well-balanced conversations and religion and worldviews.
To enable students to interact with other worldviews and faiths, and allow them to explore how these beliefs impact the lives of others in our communities and the wider world.
To ensure that all pupils have a solid foundation for GCSE study and beyond.
| Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | Term 5 | Term 6 |
Year 7 Foundations ‘Before’ | God’s chosen people - What does it mean to be Jewish? IDENTITY & COVENANT Judaism | The ‘Big story’ – Where did Christianity come from? CONTEXT/CONCEPTS Christianity | History of Christianity –How did Christianity survive? PERSECUTION & RESILIENCE Christianity & Judaism | God - If God is Trinity, what does this mean for Christians? MONOTHEISM Christianity | The life of Muhammad - Where did Islam come from? COURAGE & RESILIENCE Islam | Justice - What is so special about being a Sikh? SERVICE Sikhism |
Year 8 Living ‘Now’ | People of God – Does the world need prophets today? COMMUNICATION Christianity | Living in 21st century Britain - What is good/challenging about being a teenage Muslim in Britain today? COMMUNITY COHESION Islam | The worldwide Church – Do all Christians believe the same thing? DIVERSITY Christianity | Creation – What lessons can we learn from Hinduism about our environment? STEWARDSHIP Hinduism | Gospel - What is so radical about Jesus? COURAGEOUS ADVOCACY Christianity | Express yourself -Religious Expression through Art and Music RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION Christianity, Islam & Judaism |
Year 9 Next ‘Future’ | Fact or fiction - Do we need to prove God’s existence? PHILOSOPHICAL ARGUMENTS FOR/AGAINST THE EXISTENCE OF GOD Various – Inc. Humanism & Buddhism | Morality - Does religion help people to be good? ATHEISM/SECULARISM Humanism | Happiness - Should happiness be the purpose of life? HAPPINESS Buddhism | The fall – Why are people good and bad? PROBLEM OF EVIL Christianity | Afterlife - Is death the end? Does it matter? ESCHATOLOGY Humanism & Christianity | Wisdom – What do we do when life gets hard? SOURCES OF WISDOM & AUTHORITY Christianity |
Assessment and home learning
At Key Stage 3 all students will complete a summative milestone assessment at the end of a scheme of learning. This is usually at the end of a term. This will be marked by their teacher and feedback will be given on how to improve and move forward in their learning, and students will have an opportunity to improve their work based on this feedback. At various points throughout the units of work students will have the opportunity to reflect and revise their previous learning through key vocabulary and knowledge quizzes, usually at the start of lessons in the form of 'Do Now Activities' (DNA). Opportunities for extended writing is built into our schemes of learning and lesson plans. Homework will also be set regularly to compliment the learning in the classroom and the schedule for the KS3 homework can be found both in students' exercise books as well as in the links below. Any homework set will be available to view on Arbor with a clear deadline.
At Key Stage 4 all students will regularly complete formative assessments in lessons and this may include opportunities for self or peer-marking with feedback in the form of 'What Went Well' and 'How To Improve' comments. At the end of a unit of work (usually at the end of a term) all students will complete a key vocabulary test, based on the academic vocabulary of the exam specification, and a summative assessment in the form of knowledge based questions and exam style questions based on the GCSE specificaiton. This will be marked by the teacher and feedback will be given on how to improve and work towards progress in their GCSE. These 'in lesson' assessments are alongside the whole school mock exmainations at various ponts throughout the year. Homework will also be set regularly to compliment the learning in the classroom. Any homework set will be available to view on Arbor with a clear deadline.
