Religious Education in Years 7-9 asks students to think deeply, empathetically and spiritually on the ‘big questions’ in life.
Students learn both about religion and from religion, encouraging them to apply scripture and biblical teachings to modern issues faced by society. Here at St. Joseph’s we endeavour to develop students both academically and spiritually and students receive a wealth of opportunities to engage in sacramental preparation and collective worship.
We work closely with our parish priests and guest speakers to ensure that Religious Education at KS3 is an enriching experience. Religious Education is staffed by dedicated, passionate subject specialists who help bring the lessons to life. In our most recent Section 48 Diocesan Inspection the quality of our lessons, teaching, behaviour for learning and engagement were all judged to be ‘outstanding’ in RE.
In Year 7 students study the following modules:
- Module 1: Community and Belonging – which explores what it means to belong to a faith community and the sacraments of initiation.
- Module 2: Where do we come from? This module explores different theories of the creation of the universe before examining the religious history of the Northern Saints.
- Module 3: Indian religions – We begin this module by exploring the origins, beliefs and practices of Hinduism and how Buddhism developed from this.
- Throughout Year 7 students will also hold Question and Answer sessions with our parish priests, prepare liturgies and Masses and engage in social action each term too.
In Year 8 students study the following modules:
- Module 1: Vocation and Marriage – In this module we explore the sacrament of marriage and the importance of marriage in different faith traditions. We also explore what it means to be called to a religious vocation like the priesthood.
- Module 2: Commitment to faith – In this module we examine the sacrament of confirmation and how being filled with the Holy Spirit can empower us in our adult lives of faith. We end this module by looking at Holocaust Theology and how many Jews were inspired by their faith in God despite suffering from immense moral evil.
- Module 3: Life after Death and Islam – In this module we explore different religious beliefs about what happens when we die. We also end this module by studying Islamic beliefs, practices and customs.
In Year 9 students study the following Modules:
- Module 1: Rights and Responsibilities and Crime and Punishment – In this module we explore the morality of ethical issues like Genetic Engineering and cloning through to the morality of the death penalty and the different theories of punishment.
- Module 2: Environmental Ethics and War and Peace – This module encourages students to think about how we can be better stewards of the environment and how we can work as a society to reduce conflict in the world today.
- Module 3: Religious Diversity and Community Cohesion – In this module we examine religious diversity towards issues of marriage and relationships. We also examine the digitalisation of religion on the internet before concluding our Year 9 study with an examination of Sikhism.
Students will be assessed three times per module in the form of Key Tasks. At the end of each year students will also sit an end of year exam which examines content from across the year’s curriculum and helps build the necessary GCSE exam skills for their KS4 studies.
Knowledge Organisers:
Year 7 Module 1 Year 8 Module 1 Year 9 Module 1
Year 7 Module 2 Year 8 Module 2 Year 9 Module 2
Year 7 Module 3 Year 8 Module 3 Year 9 Module 3
Useful website links:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zh3rkqt
http://edurcdhn.org.uk/index.php
Curriculum links: RECD
If you require more information regarding the subject, please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Young, Curriculum Leader for Religious Education via the school office on: [email protected] God bless.