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St Wilfrid's Catholic School

Religious Education

Subject Leader: Mrs Baldwin
RE Teachers: Mr Ford, Mr Franke, Mrs Franke,  Mr Hickey Mr Kirwan & Miss Thompson
Website: St Wilfrid's Catholic School - Religious Education

 

Overview

Religious Education at St Wilfrid’s is an invitation for students to enquire, question and explore. We have a dynamic and innovative programme of study covering Catholicism in depth and other world religions such as Islam and Judaism. Students find the courses exciting and enriching, and value the opportunity to ask and explore fundamental questions about existence, how we live our life day to day and, of course, what might happen after death. Every classroom is a safe and secure environment in which students have the opportunity to explore their faith and other people’s and engage in a journey of exploration and discovery.

 

Key Stage 3

During Key Stage 3 we have begun teaching the new Catholic curriculum taking the students on a journey from source to summit through the Catholic faith whilst making comparisons with the other world faiths.

“I came that they might have life, and have it to the full”

John 10:10

In Year 7 and 8 we are now teaching the new religious directly ‘To know you more clearly’. It also allows students to start at creation and learn about our relationship with God all the way to the ends of earth. Each year the modules develop the student’s knowledge and understanding.

While nurturing the faith of Catholic pupils, the curriculum prepares all pupils to play their part as critical citizens in a plural and diverse culture. It develops in them a dialogical attitude, through the content that is presented and through the modelling of respectful dialogue in class.

Topics covered include the relationship between faith and science; the problem of evil; nature of human freedom; rights of the unborn; plight of refugees and asylum seekers; war and peace.

There is also a focus on the beauty of Catholicism and its influence on culture through art, music, literature, science, and architecture, equipping young people to engage with the Church beyond intellectual remits, and approach the transcendent.

 As part of Year 8 we also cover a programme of RSE which looks at different relationships from a Catholic perspective and compliments RSE that is covered in other areas of the school curriculum.

 

“I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

Exodus 3:6

Year 9 will start with exploring the theme of human rights and philosophical arguments, which provide some essential teachings before we move on to start the GCSE course. We start the GCSE early due to the nature and demands of the course. Having the GCSE over three years will allow us not only to cover the content that is required but spend time working on the necessary exam skills they will need. The outline of what we study is below.

“Love is the Fundamental and Innate vocation of the human person”

Pope St John Paul II

 

Key Stage 4

Year 10 and 11

At GCSE we study the Edexcel Religious Studies A course in which they will sit three exams. The first paper focuses on Catholic Christianity looking at key beliefs and practices as well as considering forms of expression including religious art and music. The second paper focuses on Islam and key beliefs and practices and then the third focuses on Philosophical or Ethical themes. Paper 1 is worth 50% of the whole GCSE and the other two count as 25% each and all are sat in the summer term of Year 11. Together they form the whole GCSE grade, and form a good foundation for A Level Philosophy and Ethics, which is offered in the Sixth Form.

 

Key Stage 5

Our VI Form students have two hours a fortnight of Core Spiritual Development. In this time, they are given the space to explore, question, evaluate, reflect on, and apply their own beliefs while respecting the beliefs of others. A central aspect of this time is a culture of dialogue.

 The aims of Core Spiritual Development (CSD)

  • To develop a good understanding of Catholic Social Teaching
  • To provide the opportunity to reflect on and develop a student’s faith position
  • Promote the moral, spiritual and cultural development of each student
  • Explore ethical and religious matters with regard to modern culture
  • To engage fully and to contribute to the betterment of society

 

A Level - Philosophy and Ethics

This is a popular course in St Wilfrid's Sixth Form, Philosophy and Ethics explores a variety of issues and topics from “Can you prove God’s existence or for that matter your own?” to “Can Euthanasia be a good thing?”. Students engage with philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle from as far back as Ancient Greece up to modern day philosophers such as Richard Swinburne and Peter Kreeft. They go on a rigorous and evaluative journey where they must learn how to think, reason, argue and communicate in a logical and coherent way. The new course also covers Developments in Christian thoughts which over the two years will give students the opportunity to explore religious beliefs and values and how they have historically developed. There are great discussions in lessons and great opportunities for independent learning and further research. We follow the OCR course in Philosophy and Ethics which is 100% exam based with three exams at the end of Year 13.