RELIGION, PHILOSOPHY & ETHICS
Department vision
At WGSG, the study of Religion, Philosophy and Ethics is a meaningful and thought-provoking exploration of major world faiths and contemporary moral issues. Carried out in a non-doctrinal and open way, this subject allows learners to gain an awareness of where beliefs come from and how they influence communities. Our guiding aim as a department is to provide all students with a moral grounding and awareness of the impact religious and cultural beliefs have on individuals and wider societies.
We encourage all students to learn from each other in a respectful manner and engage with a challenging curriculum which allows all to gain a deep insight into beliefs and practices alongside philosophical and ethical enquiry. Through a rigorous and systematic study, students develop skills in analysis, critical thinking and developing an informed argument, which prepares students as citizens who are informed about culture and theology and feel confident in applying their knowledge in an interdisciplinary way.
Year 7
| Topic | Learning Outcomes | |
| Term 1 | What are Sikh beliefs about God? | To investigate key beliefs and practices in Sikhism and analyse the impact these have on a Sikhs life in Britain today. |
| Term 2 | Who was Jesus Christ? | To understand Christian beliefs about Jesus Christ as he is presented in the Gospels and to consider the influence Jesus’ example and teaching has on believers today. |
| Term 3 | How important is tradition for Jews? | To explore the traditions and religious practices within Judaism and to consider how history and ancestry impacts the Jewish way of life. |
| Term 4 | What does it mean to be Christian? | To examine ways in which Christians put their faith into action through worship and sacraments. |
| Term 5 | What are Hindu beliefs about God and the afterlife? | To compare Hindu ideas about God, worship and life after death with alternative religious beliefs. |
| Term 6 | Faith in Action | To investigate how individual Christian put faith into action by looking at the lives of Mother Teresa and MLK Jr. |
Year 8
| Topic | Learning Outcomes | |
| Term 1 | Do we need to prove the existence of God? | To examine philosophical questions about God’s existence and evaluate whether there are good reasons for belief in God or not. |
| Term 2 | Morality and ethical questions | To investigate where our sense of right and wrong comes from and how religious and non-religious people approach ethical questions |
| Term 3 | What are the teachings of the Buddha? | To explore the life and journey of Prince Siddhartha Gautama and analyse the usefulness of the Buddha’s teaching. |
| Term 4 | What are Humanists ideas about life and death? | To understand what it means to be Humanist by examining secular ideas about the purpose of life and reality of death. |
| Term 5 | How did Islam start? | To investigate the life of Muhammad and to understand the importance of rituals and ceremonies in Islam. |
| Term 6 | Influential religious figures | To explore and analyse the lives of influential religious figures, including; Malala Yousafzai and Malcom X. |
Year 9
| Topic | Learning Outcomes | |
| Terms 1-3 | Practices in Islam | To understand how and why Muslims perform the Pillars and celebrate festivals. To become confident in answering GCSE style questions by explaining and analysing the practices with reference to Islamic scripture and Arabic terminology. |
| Terms 3-6 | Beliefs and Teachings in Islam | To understand the key beliefs about God, Prophets, angels and life after death in Islam. To become confident in answering GCSE questions by explaining and analysing beliefs and teachings with reference to Islamic scripture and Arabic terminology. |
Years 10 & 11
Year 10
| Topic | Learning Outcomes | |
| Terms1-2 | Beliefs and Teachings in Christianity | To understand key Christian teachings and beliefs about God, life after death and Jesus’ Last Days. To demonstrate an improved ability in answering GCSE style questions by explaining and analysing beliefs and teachings with reference to Biblical scripture and key terminology. |
| Terms 3-4 | Practices in Christianity | To understand how and why Christians perform worship and sacraments and celebrate festivals. To demonstrate an improved ability in answering GCSE style questions by explaining and analysing the practices with reference to Biblical scripture and key terminology. |
| Terms5-6 | Religion, Crime and Punishment | To explore religious and non-religious perspectives about issues relating to crime and punishment (including forgiveness, forms of punishment and the death penalty) and to analyse ethical implications for individuals as well as wider society. Continue to demonstrate ability in applying religious teachings and scripture to the crime and punishment themes. |
Year 11
| Topic | Learning Outcomes | |
| Terms1-2 | Revelation and the existence of God | To examine and evaluate philosophical arguments for the existence of God and the nature of the divine and revelation. To demonstrate expert ability in applying religious teachings and terminology to ideas about revelation, enlightenment and philosophical arguments. |
| Terms3-4 | Religion and Life | To examine and evaluate religious and non-religious ideas about the origins of the world and humanity. To explore ethical arguments surroundings life and death issues, including, abortion, euthanasia and animal experimentation. To demonstrate expert ability in applying religious teachings and terminology to ideas about creation and ethical life issues. |
| Terms5-6 | Relationships and Families | To examine and evaluate religious and non-religious attitudes towards the purpose of relationships and families and beliefs about gender roles and equality. To demonstrate expert ability in applying religious teachings and terminology to a range of ideas and beliefs about family, relationships and gender. |
Post 16 at WG6
The RPE department is part of the Social Science Faculty at WGSG. The Social Science department offers four A Levels which have all proven to be some of the most popular A Levels in the school. They are:
- Religion, Philosophy and Ethics A Level
- Business Studies A Level
- Psychology A Level
- Sociology A Level
- Health and Social Care A Level
Related Careers
RS, Philosophy and Ethics develops skills of evaluation and analysis which are applicable to almost any walk of life. It is not just about what others think; it is about learning to think for yourself. According to AGCAS – the association of Graduate Careers Advisory Service, RS/Theology graduates go into a wide range of careers. However, they, and employers, feel that it particularly prepares students for the following careers:
Law
Social Worker
Teaching
Journalism
Politics
Financial Services
Hospitality
Human Resources
Community Work
