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Religious Studies

Religious Studies

We teach RS to help our children clarify and enlarge their ideas about religion. We also wish to develop the children’s qualities of respect, understanding and tolerance when dealing with or referring to members of different faith communities other than their own.

Aims

Our aims in teaching RS are to help our children to:

  • acquire knowledge and develop understanding of Christianity and the other principal religions represented in Great Britain
  • develop a positive attitude towards other people, respecting their right to hold different beliefs from their own, and towards living in a society of diverse religions
  • develop awareness of the fundamental questions of life raised by human experiences and of how religious teachings can relate to them
  • reflect on their own beliefs, values and experiences in the light of their study

Organisation

Head of Department – Mr Coulthart

RS is taught by class teachers from Years 1 to 4 in the children’s classroom. From Years 5 to 8 the children are mainly taught in a large, spacious, well-equipped RS Room by a subject specialist or the Head of Department.

Content

The RS curriculum is designed around both the RE Today Schemes of Work and ISEB syllabus. Years 7 and 8 follow the Common Entrance Syllabus and complete a project on either the role of St. Peter Mancroft or the Salvation Army within the local community.

A variety of teaching methods are encouraged in RS. These include discussion, written work, art, videos, visits, games, drama, the use of artefacts, stories, music and research.

The RS Department makes regular use of the School’s ICT resources. Relevant pieces of software have been purchased to support and develop work in Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism. Support material, including interactive activities,  exemplary pieces of work, video clips and links to websites have been added to Firefly the School’s VLE, which can be accessed from within school or from home.  The children make good use of their iPads and a range of apps to support their learning.

Click here to view a copy of the ISEB Common Entrance Syllabus for Religious Studies.

Trips and Events

Trips and visiting speakers form an important part of the RS curriculum as they help the children experience a faith community at first hand. Locally our children visit Norwich Cathedral, St. Peter Mancroft and Christ Church to examine both the buildings and the way Christians worship. The Thetford Museum provides further information about Sikhism and Norfolk’s connections to Maharajah Duleep Singh. The Christian pilgrimage centre of Walsingham helps expand our children’s understanding of different Christian denominations. Our children also visit the Norwich Buddhist Centre. An investigation is made of a local corps of Salvationists in Norwich by some of the older children as part of their Common Entrance work.