Skip to content ↓

Religious Education

Year 9

Year 9 focus on core beliefs in both Islam and Christianity. Exploring beliefs about God, his qualities, differences in denominations and beliefs in the afterlife. They will explore similarities and differences and build on prior knowledge from middle school.

Students will then explore and apply their knowledge of the two religions to ethical topics. At the end of Year 9 students will investigate religion, crime and punishment, looking at issues of forgiveness, types of punishment and whether corporal or capital punishment are morally acceptable.

Year 10 and 11

Year 10 students look at ethical topics ranging from human relationships, the value of human life and war and conflict. Students explore their own views, values and compare and contrast these with Christian attitudes. Students follow the AQA GCSE syllabus and learn to apply their knowledge to a range of different style exam questions that cover knowledge and understanding terms to evaluation skills.

Year 11 students will continue to develop exam technique and cover the units Islam and Christian practices. Students will explore how Christains and Muslims put their beliefs into practice and how and why these beliefs are significant in the believers' everyday lives.

6th form (Year 12 & 13)

Religious Studies A level is a demanding but rewarding course that is divided into three sections, philosophy of religion, religion and ethics and development of Christian thought. Students follow the OCR exam specification and over the two years investigate the big questions, evaluate ethical theories and explore the impact Christian theology has had on aspects of society for example human nature, gender, secularism, responses to poverty and civil disobedience. The course looks at a range of ancient and more modern philosophers and their approaches.

Students are encouraged to debate, listen to others and respond to arguments both constructively and critically. The course is exam based and students develop their analysis and critical thinking skills through their essay writing. The A level is challenging but supports many of the skills needed for university and is a popular choice amongst returning students at QE.