Religious Education
Faculty Coordinator
Mrs V Gray
Faculty Staff
Mrs M G Jess
Mrs N Vyas-Adams
We are a dynamic department with high expectations and commitments to meet the needs of every student by establishing a learning environment which is:
ACTIVE – ENJOYABLE – ENGAGING – CREATIVE
The Role of R.E.
- R.E. is a people thing
- It is where everyone can achieve their best
- Every student matters!
- R.E. is a place for non-stop learning
Goals
If a student can…
- Share their ideas and opinions and know what they think and why
- Show respect and tolerance for the opinions of others
- Keep expanding their ideas and experiences now and in the future
…then they will have been completely successful in R.E.
How good would it be if…
- R.E. made a significant contribution to whole school aims, spiritual and moral development for all students
- All students comments were positive
- Students were supported in their own personal search for what is true and good
- We could all explore the ‘meaning of life’
The above points were taken from ‘R.E. TODAY’, but we have good reason to believe that here at Darland we are well on our way to achieving this idea and we will continue working towards this vision by using ‘inclusive R.E.’ and actively promoting the value of truth, justice, respect for all and care for the environment.
What can students and parents look forward to:
Our goal is to provide a more ‘personalised learning’ for ALL our students, to ensure that they achieve their full potential.
Key Stage 3
Year 7
Year 7 study R.E. within the Humanities Competency Based Curriculum and will examine and explore a range of issues as part of themed topics of study. These will include the development of faith in Chester from the Romans, through the Reformation and belief patterns today; reflections upon the meaning of life and death; religious issues in the news.
Year 8 and 9
The main faiths studied are:
- Christianity
- Islam
- Hinduism
Through themed topics of study as follows:
Year 8
Love, love, love!
- Love for family and friends
- Romantic love
- Love for places and objects
- Charitable love
Commitment
- Rites of Passage
- Promises and Consequences
- It’s our planet!
- Human kind and unkind
Key Pieces
- Storge
- Holocaust Memorial Day
- Adam and Eve
Year 9
Ultimate Question
- How do we know what’s real?
- Life, the universe and everything…
- God: the big debate
Living the faith
- Foundation facts
- It’s only words…
- The big issue
Key Pieces
- The Ultimate Question
- The existence of God
Key Stage 4
R.S. short course and full course GCSE is mostly delivered by Mrs M G Jess and Mrs N Vyas-Adams
The WJEC syllabus requires no coursework
The short course examination consists of 1 paper covering 4 units of study
- Religion and Conflict (war and suffering)
- Religion and Medicine (ethics; IVF, abortion, euthanasia)
- Religious Expressions (ways of showing belief)
- Religion and State (authority, rules, law, punishment)
The full course examination consists of 2 papers each covering 4 units of study (8 in total)
As above plus
- Relationships (love and marriage)
- Is it fair? (prejudice and social responsibility)
- Looking for meaning (the ‘God debate’)
- Our World (purpose and role of humans)
Across the key stages, in addition to developing key skills and social, moral and personal awareness, R.E. and R.S. address and develop particular skills in:
- Enquiry
- Expression
- Empathy
- Interpretation
- Reasoning
- Reflection
- Curiosity
- Open-mindedness
- Critical mind
- Tolerance
- Self-confidence
- Appreciation
- Commitment
R.E. and R.S. at Darland has an excellent reputation for both high standards of learning and excellent results. We have been featured in R.E. Today magazine and text books as an example of good practice in addition to raising the profile of Darland locally through active participation in a large variety of events and competitions.