RELIGIOUS STUDIES

Head of Department Mrs K McLellan

In the Religious Studies department, our aim is to have an unbiased approach in our teaching methods.  The Gregg School is non-denominational and we feel that it is important that the pupils learn to understand and respect the beliefs of all faiths.  We have pupils from many different cultural backgrounds within the school and it is our aim for all pupils to widen their knowledge and understanding through hearing the experiences of others.  We endeavour to enrich pupils’ understanding of spiritual, moral and cultural awareness through a broad and interesting curriculum.

In class, we expect an environment of respect and trust; pupils are able to share their ideas without prejudice and we also teach that listening sensitively to others’ opinions is just as important as expressing ideas.

Religious Studies is taught as a core subject throughout the school: years 7 to 9 are given two 40 minute lessons per week and years 10 and 11 have Religious Studies lessons on a rotation basis.  We are following National Framework for RE and the curriculum the pupils follow in years 7-9 is based on the QCA Scheme of Work for RE.  The topics studied are as follows:

Years 10 and 11

Years 10 and 11 receive a block of 7/8 lessons as a core subject every other half term.   The topics they study cover a wide range of moral, ethical and philosophical issues and various religious responses to these issues are integrated into the course.

 At the end of year 9 pupils can also opt to study the AQA GCSE course, which involves looking at the religions of Buddhism and Christianity.  The course elements are as follows:

• Beliefs and sources of authority
• Practice and organisation
• Relevance and application
• Matters of life and death

Students who take up the option are required to complete one piece of coursework for each religion and are assessed externally through one examination paper for each religion.

Assemblies

In order to set the right tone for each week we have an Assembly on most Mondays, which normally contains hymns, music and prayers as well as the notices of the week. Whilst there is always a moral theme, the presentation is as varied as possible and benefits from visiting speakers, dramatic sketches and class contributions.