Religious Education
The principle aim of Religious Education in George Green’s is to enable pupils to understand the nature of religious beliefs and practices, and the importance and influence of these in the lives of believers.
Religious Education (RE) at George Green's aims to provide an objective, impartial, and unbiased education that respects and considers the diverse religious, non-religious, and cultural backgrounds of all students. Our approach fosters a positive attitude towards religion, encouraging students to engage with the beliefs and practices of different faiths with an open mind. We are committed to providing both an introductory and in-depth study of world faiths, enabling students to explore and understand religious diversity from a well-rounded perspective. By ensuring the KS3 curriculum offers a strong foundation, we equip students with the knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary for further learning at KS4 and beyond. Above all, Religious Education promotes personal growth, mutual respect, and tolerance, contributing to community cohesion in our diverse school environment.
Key Stage 3 Religious Education
What you will study
In KS3 students learn a range of key concepts in Year 7 and 8 from all 6 main religions in the UK and Tower Hamlets (Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam & Sikhism) as well as non-religious views.
In Year 7 our enquiry based curriculum explores topics such as the importance and relevance of holy books in modern age, the authority of religious founders and the value of places of worship.
Further, students get to evaluate and critically reflect upon the ideas of key philosophical thinkers such as David Hume as well as ethical thinkers such as Immanuel Kant, towards the end of year 8. As a local authority school, the R.E. department uses and builds upon the Tower Hamlet’s locally agreed syllabus for religious education.
Assessment
At the end of each topic students have and end of unit assessment that is based on two objectives: 1) Knowledge and understanding of key religious beliefs, practices and how it influences individuals or societies. 2) Analysis and Evaluation of key religious beliefs, practices and how it influences individuals or societies.
These are a mixture of small questions that utilise the skills of knowledge retrieval and explanation based questions, as well as longer essay based questions which allows students to evaluate and express their understanding and ideas.
Key Stage 4 Religious Education
Exam Board: AQA
What you will study
At George Green’s we offer AQA Religious education Route A for our GCSE students.
Students will begin their R.E. GCSE in Year 9 and sit examination at the end of Year 10. In year 9 They study beliefs and practices in Christianity and Islam as part of paper 1 and continue to apply religious teachings to different moral issues in Year 10 as part of paper 2. Students study, Theme A, B, D & E.
Assessment
At the end of each unit, students will have an end of unit test which is similar to their GCSE exam paper, under exam conditions. This alongside mock examination helps students, teachers and parents monitor progress.
Curriculum Map
Religion and beliefs inform our values and are reflected in what we say and how we behave. RE is an important subject in itself, developing an individual’s knowledge and understanding of the religions and beliefs which form part of contemporary society.
Religious education provokes challenging questions about the ultimate meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God, the self and the nature of reality, issues of right and wrong, and what it means to be human. It can develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of principal religions, religious traditions and worldviews that offer answers to questions such as these.
RE also contributes to pupils’ personal development and well-being and to community cohesion by promoting mutual respect and tolerance in a diverse society. RE can also make important contributions to other parts of the school curriculum such as citizenship, personal, social, health and economic education
(PSHE education), the humanities, education for sustainable development and others. It offers opportunities for personal reflection and spiritual development, deepening the understanding of the significance of religion in the lives of others – individually, communally and cross-culturally
Aims
To engage pupils in systematic enquiry into significant human questions which religion and worldviews address, so that they can develop the understanding and skills needed to appreciate and appraise varied responses to these questions, as well as develop responses of their own.
• RE contributes dynamically to children and young people’s education in schools by provoking challenging questions about meaning and purpose in life, beliefs about God, ultimate reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human.
• In RE they learn about and from religions and worldviews in local, national and global contexts, to discover, explore and consider different answers to these questions.
• They learn to weigh up the value of wisdom from different sources, to develop and express their insights in response, and to agree or disagree respectfully.
• Teaching therefore should equip pupils with systematic knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and worldviews, enabling them to develop their ideas, values and identities.
• It should develop in pupils an aptitude for dialogue so that they can participate positively in our society, with its diverse religions and worldviews.
• Pupils should gain and deploy the skills needed to understand, interpret and evaluate texts, sources of wisdom and authority and other evidence. They should learn to articulate clearly and coherently their personal beliefs, ideas, values and experiences while respecting the right of others to differ.
Contact our Department
Head of Religious Studies : Mr Omar Farooq, ofarooq@georgegreens.com