Welcome to Religion & Worldviews

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In our department, we are passionate about making the world a better place and ensuring that our students leave us with the right tools, knowledge and qualifications to improve our society. All students will study Religion & Worldviews in Key Stage 3 and 4, with some choosing to also study GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics) and then A Level Sociology and A Level Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics). 

In a diverse society like 21st-century Britain, it is more important than ever to understand the worldviews of others. In this video, renowned sociologist of religion Grace Davie explains why religious literacy so crucial to us today.

 

Religion and Worldviews Curriculum Intent:

The purpose of Religion and Worldviews is to provide pupils with the core knowledge and skills to play an active, responsible, and effective role in both their community but also wider society. The focus of the RW department is to make sure pupils have a depth of knowledge across major religious and non-religious viewpoints. The aim of this is to develop pupil’s critical thinking skills and equip them with the knowledge and the tools they will need to make their own philosophical and ethical judgements in their lives both in school, and when they’ve left school. After completing their studies in religion and worldviews students should leave as experts with a detailed knowledge of the beliefs and ideas they have studied.

Having studied religion and worldviews students will be prepared to succeed when they go into the wider world, they will:

  • Have clear knowledge of core religious ideas and practices they will encounter in their life as well as non-religious worldviews.
  • Be equipped with the critical analysis skills to encourage independent thought about topics that will impact their future lives.
  • Be expert written and oral communicators with the ability to communicate with a range of people from all backgrounds and cultures.
  • Be responsible citizens and make a positive contribution to society.
  • Have developed their empathy to help them better understand the thoughts and feelings of others and enhance their emotional maturity.

Our Department is made of dedicated specialists:

  • Connor Tharme, Head of RS and Sociology, specialising in Religion & Worldviews and Philosophy & Ethics. Mr Tharme studied Philosophy and Religious Studies (BA) and Religion (MA) at the University of Kent.

  • Kirsty Wilson, specialising in Religion & Worldviews and Sociology. Mrs Wilson studied Sociology at the University of Leicester.

  • Tara Yarker, specialising in Religion & Worldview and PSHE. Mrs Yarker studies Sociology at the University of Nottingham.

Why Religion & Worldviews? 

In 2020, we changed the name of our subject from Religious Studies to Religion & Worldviews to reflect the way that the world and our society is changing. Understanding and reflecting on religions is still absolutely central to our subject, but we will be incorporating other non-religious worldviews like humanism into our teaching to reflect the diverse nature of 21st century Britain. 

If you would like more information on why many departments are making this change, please see the report from the Commission on RE. 

What do we teach?

In Years 7, 8 & 9, students will have 2 hours per fortnight of Religion & Worldviews. We study three units per year, all focused on a key learning question. Through these units, we will study the six world religions – Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism – as well as non-religious worldviews like humanism and ethical veganism.

 

 September – December January – April                        May– July 
 Year 7  How do people demonstrate their faith? 

This gives an insight into the six world religions through the examples of food, clothing, behaviour, charity and celebrations, as well as giving students a chance to reflect on their own beliefs. 

 Why are Biblical figures important today? 

This introduces students to the key figures of Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus and Paul, as well as their impact on modern society. 

 Why should we care about the environment? 

This focuses on the challenges facing the environment, how different religions and worldviews have responded to this and what we can do to help. 
Year 8  Was the Buddha right about suffering? 

Students will investigate the life and teachings of the Buddha, different Buddhist teachings about suffering and reflect on how we can cope with suffering in our lives. 

 How do different people experience inequality and what can we do about it? 

This will investigate the role of privilege in our lives, as well as different movements that seek to improve equality in the UK and the world today. 

 Why is India important? 

This introduces students to the history of Britain’s relationship with India, as well as the impact of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism on the world today. 
Year 9 
 What are alternative worldviews? 

This will introduce students to a range of different worldviews ranging from humanism and environmentalism to more controversial religious movements like scientology. 

 What do you believe about the universe? 

This focuses on the big questions and is an introduction to philosophy and ethics. Students will reflect on the origins of the universe, the afterlife, morality and free will. 

 What do Muslims believe? 

Students will learn about the origins, teachings and beliefs of the second-largest religion in the world, from the life of the Prophet to the Five Pillars. 

 

Students will be asked to complete weekly quizzes for homework on ePraise and will complete one formative assessment (an extended piece of reflective writing) and one summative assessment (a formal test) for each topic. These will be used to help us identify each student’s strengths and areas for development and will be the basis for the school’s CAP reports.

Key Stage 4

Students will be able to study GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics) as an option in Year 10 and Year 11. We follow the AQA specification, which allows students to study Christianity and one other religion in depth, along with several important themes which include topics such as abortion, euthanasia, the meaning of life, war and peace, crime and punishment, racial and gender equality and sexual relationships.

All students in Key Stage 4 will have one hour per fortnight of Core RW. As with Core PE and Core PSHE, this will contribute to their personal development and is not an assessed course. This will help them continue to develop the core RW skills outlined above, focusing particularly on Christianity, humanism and their own beliefs. We will look at a wide range of ethical and philosophical questions as part of Core RW, including attitudes towards abortion, euthanasia, war, sex, science, the existence of God, the afterlife and animal rights.

Key Stage 5

In the Sixth Form, students are able to study A Level Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics) and A Level Sociology. For more information on these subjects,

please visit The Bicester Learning Campus Sixth Form page. 

How can parents help? 

Having their parents actively involved in their education can benefit young people enormously. Please remind your children to complete the weekly quizzes and revise for their assessments – this will make the information we get from them much more useful and allow us to adjust our teaching to support them more effectively. Please also discuss what your child has been learning about in Religion & Worldviews and be ready to debate with them! Open discussions about why you hold the beliefs you do – about anything from religion to politics to the best football team – can also really help them develop their own reflection and critical thinking. 

Please do encourage your children to be curious! Students who read widely, watch documentaries and ask questions are more likely to succeed. Encourage them to think critically about the information they receive – does it come from a biased source? Why does this person believe the things they do? What evidence do they draw on? 

If you have the chance to take them to museums or sites of historical interest please do so! Some fairly local suggestions include: 

  • The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford 
  • The Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford 
  • The Natural History Museum, Oxford 
  • The British Museum, London 
  • The Science Museum, London 
  • The Museum of Natural History, London 
  • Stonehenge, Wiltshire 

We would also highly recommend visiting places of worship and having a good look around. These can be a great way to gain insight into a religion and learn more about a different worldview. 

If you have any questions or if you’ve had any great discussions at home, please do get in touch! 

Throughout our lessons we will regularly return to the concept of kindness and how being kind can impact on every element of our life. Please do discuss this with your child, but for us being kind means: 

  • Listening carefully to what other people have to say (and not just waiting for our turn to speak) 
  • Being able to disagree with someone else’s view without being cruel 
  • Showing compassion and empathy for other people, trying to understand how they might be feeling in any given situation 
  • Thinking carefully about the language we use and making sure we show gratitude 
  • Doing our best to avoid causing frustration or problems for other people 
  • Being kind to ourselves, as well as others and remembering that everyone we encounter (including ourselves) is a human being with value and worth