In Philosophy, Ethics & Religion students learn about different religions as well as learning from them.
Through KS3 and KS4 Philosophy, Ethics & Religion students develop transferable skills such as:

• Empathy and Tolerance
• Communication
• Analysis
• Evaluation
• The ability to work within a group
• Independent learning
• Self-reflection
• The ability to construct an argument

Year 7

• What is RE
• A study of Islam
• A study of Christianity
• Pay it forward

Year 8

• What is Justice and who has fought against injustice?
• A study of Sikhism
• A study of Buddhism

Year 9

• Relationships
• Humanism
• Equality, prejudice and discrimination

• The holocaust
• Genocide – looking at Rwanda and the Balkans as a case study
• Reality -Using the film the Truman show and the allegory of Plato’s Cave to explore the issues of free will and determinism

Year 10

Religion and Life based on a study of Christianity and Islam

This unit requires students to study the relationship between religion and life in the UK. There are four sections covering believing in God, matters of life and death, marriage and the family, and religion and community cohesion.
Believing in God

• The Philosophy of Religion
• Investigating why people do or do not believe in God
• Teleological and cosmological arguments
• Religious Upbringing and how the media affects people’s belief in God

Matters of Life and death

• Why is human life so special?
• Religious view on life after death
• The nature and attitude to abortion and euthanasia

Marriage and the Family

• Sex, marriage, divorce and bringing up a family
• Homosexuality and Contraception

Community Cohesion

• Sexism, racism, multi–culturalism and relationships between religions in multi-faith societies

Year 11

Religion and Society based on a study of Christianity and at least one other religion
This unit requires students to study the relationship between religion and society, especially in the UK. There are four sections covering rights and responsibilities, environmental and medical issues, peace and conflict and crime and punishment.
Rights and Responsibility

• Christian Ethics, investigating how Christians should be members of society
• Human rights, genetic engineering and cloning

Environment and Medical issues

• Pollution, conservation and animal rights– why should religion be involved
• Fertility treatment, genetic engineering and transplant surgery

Peace and Conflict

• Religious Ethics including war - why do wars start, the United Nations, Darfur and Rwanda as a case study
• Just war theory

• Teachings on forgiveness and violence in society

Crime and punishment

• Why Law? What is justice? Should people be punished for wrongdoings– and if so, how?
• Capital punishment
• Attitudes and laws on drugs and alcohol