Bluecoat Aspley Academy Religious Studies Intent Statement
At Archway Learning Trust, we desire for all of our students to come to understand and value the centrality of faith in our world. We aim to teach a Religious Studies curriclum that has powerful knowledge at its core, is academically challenging and culturally-rich. We want learners to view Religious Studies as an academic subject with rigorous demands that align with the demands of other Humanities subjects.
It is our hope that through the study of RS, all students develop a sense of identity and are able to evaluate their personal beliefs whilst reflecting on the beliefs of others. They will develop an understanding of core concepts that fall under the three pillars of thought which have shaped the society that we live in today, namely: theology, philosophy and ethics. In this way, our course enables students to become religiously literate whilst also building curiosity about the world that we live in.
Each unit of work is underpinned by foundations of beliefs that are outlined in sacred texts and Humanist documents. We think it is important to use these texts as a foundation upon which to build, so that students can start to unpick the role of interpretation in discerning religious beliefs. It is also important that we teach students to be critical interpreters who can form their own views whilst appraising the scriptures presented. We want students to gain a deeper understanding of how texts can be manipulated over time but we also want them to recognise how these texts can still be relevant in society today. Through gaining this knowledge, we are able to promote tolerance and respect for ‘the other’ whilst also allowing students to understand how their own beliefs may shape their worldviews, morality and identity.
As well as this, our intent for all students is that they are able to develop their skills of evaluation through encouraging them to formulate arguments in an academic and empathetic way. These discussions are key for our multi-cultural, ethnically diverse society to function in a way that leads to harmony, peace and mutual respect.
Disciplinary Concepts
Domains of knowledge
| Theology (Believing) | Beliefs; practices; sources of wisdom and authority; tradition; reason; experience; reliability of sources; development of beliefs over time; how believers see the world; interpretations |
| Philosophy (Thinking) | Questioning big ideas such as: reality; good and evil; how we engage with the world around us; morality; judgements; thinking deeply; worldviews |
| Ethics and human social sciences (Living) | Impact of beliefs on individuals and communities; ethical theories; diverse reality of religion and worldviews; moral principles; moral action; contributions of religious people on society |
Key Concepts
| Beliefs | Nature of Deity, creeds, teachings, holy books, authority, tradition, religious figures, moral principles |
| Practices | Ritual, sacraments, worship, charity, fasting, pilgrimage, places of worship, moral action |
| Scripture | Interpretation, authorship, context, authority, wisdom, commands, law, tradition, history |
| Big Questions | Reality, morality, ethics, tolerance, disagreeing well, life after death, the body and soul, reason, divinity |
Expand each Key Stage to access the Curriculum Map and see an overview of what is covered in this subject:
At KS3 in RS pupils have 1 hour a week in years 7/8 and two hours per week in year 9, please see the curriculum map to see what pupils will learn over the course of their study. Our KS3 curriculum aims to produce literate, thoughtful and knowledgeable pupils ready to live and defend their views in a diverse world. They will be aware of theological, philosophical and ethical perspectives and be in a position to understand evaluate and argue their own position.
At KS4 in Religious Studies pupils have two hours a week. We follow Edexcel Specification B (https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/religious-studies-b-2016.html). In this subject pupils will explore the beliefs and practices of two major world religions and understand their approaches to a range of global issues. Pupils will be encouraged to give their own evaluative commentaries on the views and beliefs they explore.
At KS5 in RS pupils have 5 hours a week. We follow the OCR Specification (https://www.ocr.org.uk/images/242913-specification-accredited-a-level-gce-religious-studies-h573.pdf). Pupils will explore a range of beliefs covering Philosophy, Ethics and Christian development.