KS4 RELIGION & WORLD VIEWS
At KS4 students will study core Religion and Worldviews content. These lessons take place once a fortnight. Some pupils will take the AQA Religious Studies GCSE (8062) and will have this listed on their timetable as ‘Philosophy and Ethics’ which they will have five lessons per fortnight.
Whether taking the GCSE or not all pupils will have the core religion and worldviews lessons. These lessons are designed to cover key concepts and ideas that will put students in the best position to make their own informed decisions on important issues when they leave school, ranging from issues like abortion and euthanasia, the death penalty and whether it should be legal, and if war can ever be justified.
KS4 topics by year GCSE
Year 10
Term 1
Term 2
Term 3
Term 4
Term 5
Term 6
Theme B ‘Religion and Life’
The origins of the universe, including:
- Religious teachings about the origins of the universe, and different interpretations of these
- The relationship between scientific views, such as the Big Bang theory, and religious views
- The value of the world and the duty of human beings to protect it, including religious teaching about stewardship, dominion, responsibility, awe and wonder.
- The use and abuse of the environment, including the use of natural resources, pollution.
- The use and abuse of animals, including:
- animal experimentation
- the use of animals for food
Christian Beliefs
- Nature of God (omnipotent, loving, just, problem of evil and suffering)
- Oneness of God and the Trinity
- Beliefs about creation
- Beliefs about Jesus’ incarnation, teachings, miracles, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.
- Sin, including original sin.
- Salvation including law, grace, and Spirit.
- The role of Christ in salvation.
Christian Practices
- Different forms of worship and their significance.
- Liturgical and non-liturgical worship
- The role and importance of sacraments including Holy Communion and Baptism.
- Two contrasting Christian pilgrimage sites (Lourdes and Iona)
- The celebrations of Christmas and Easter.
- The role of the Church in the worldwide community
- The place of mission and evangelism.
Theme E ‘Religion Crime and Punishment.
- Good and evil intentions and actions, including whether it can ever be good to cause suffering.
- Reasons for crime, including:
- poverty and upbringing
- mental illness and addiction
- greed and hate
- opposition to an unjust law.
- Views about people who break the law for these reasons.
- Views about different types of crime, including hate crimes, theft and murder.
- The aims of punishment, including:
- retribution
- deterrence
- reformation
- The treatment of criminals, including:
- prison
- corporal punishment
- community service
- Forgiveness
- The death penalty
- Ethical arguments related to the death penalty, including those based on the principle of utility and sanctity of life.
Theme D ‘Religion Peace and Conflict
The meaning and significance of:
- Peace
- Justice
- Forgiveness
- Reconciliation
- Violence, including violent protest
- Terrorism
- Reasons for war, including greed, self-defence and retaliation
- The just war theory, including the criteria for a just war
- Holy war
- Pacifism
Revision and consolidation of content as well as mock exams
KS4 topics by year: CORE
Year 11
Term 1
Term 2
Term 3
Term 4
Term 5
Term 6
Islam Beliefs
- The six articles of faith in Sunni Islam and five roots of Usul ad-Din in Shi’a Islam, including key similarities and differences.
- Tawhid (the Oneness of God), Qur’an Surah 112.
- The nature of God: omnipotence, beneficence, mercy, fairness and justice/Adalat in Shi’a Islam, including different ideas about God’s relationship with the world: immanence and transcendence.
- Angels, their nature and role, including Jibril and Mika’il.
- Predestination and human freedom and its relationship to the Day of Judgement.
- Akhirah (life after death), human responsibility and accountability, resurrection, heaven and hell.
Islam Practices
- The six articles of faith in Sunni Islam and five roots of Usul ad-Din in Shi’a Islam, including key similarities and differences.
- Tawhid (the Oneness of God), Qur’an Surah 112.
- The nature of God: omnipotence, beneficence, mercy, fairness and justice/Adalat in Shi’a Islam, including different ideas about God’s relationship with the world: immanence and transcendence.
- Angels, their nature and role, including Jibril and Mika’il.
- Predestination and human freedom and its relationship to the Day of Judgement.
- Akhirah (life after death), human responsibility and accountability, resurrection, heaven and hell.
- Sawm: the role and significance of fasting during the month of Ramadan including origins, duties, benefits of fasting, the exceptions and their reasons, and the Night of Power, Qur’an 96:1-5.
- Zakah: the role and significance of giving alms including origins, how and why it is given, benefits of receipt, Khums in Shi’a Islam.
- Hajj: the role and significance of the pilgrimage to Makkah including origins, how hajj is performed, the actions pilgrims perform at sites including the Ka’aba at Makkah, Mina, Arafat, Muzdalifah and their significance.
- Jihad: different understandings of jihad: the meaning and significance of greater and lesser jihad; origins, influence and conditions for the declaration of lesser jihad.
- Festivals and commemorations and their importance for Muslims in Great Britain today, including the origins and meanings of Id-ul-Adha, Id-ul-Fitr, Ashura.
Theme A ‘Relationships and Families’
- Human sexuality including: heterosexual and homosexual relationships
- Sexual relationships before and outside of marriage
- Contraception and family planning
- The nature and purpose of marriage
- Same-sex marriage and cohabitation
- Divorce, including reasons for divorce, and remarrying
- Ethical arguments related to divorce, including those based on the sanctity of marriage vows and compassion
- The nature of families, including:
- The role of parents and children
- Extended families and the nuclear family
- The purpose of families, including:
- Procreation
- Stability and the protection of children
- Educating children in a faith
- Contemporary family issues including:
- Same-sex parents
- Polygamy
- The roles of men and women
- Gender equality
- Gender prejudice and discrimination, including examples
Revision for exams
Exam period
Exam period
Year 10
Term 1
Term 2
Term 3
Term 4
Term 5
Term 6
Unit 1: How do we make ethical medical decisions?
- What is medical ethics and what do we mean by ending a life?
- Dan James case study and Euthanasia
- Personhood – what does it mean to be a person? When does life begin?
- Abortion – pro-choice and pro-life
- Anti-vaxxers and why people hold this view
- Genetic engineering, what is morally acceptable? Is it playing God?
- Fertility Treatment
Unit 1: How do we make ethical medical decisions?
- What is medical ethics and what do we mean by ending a life?
- Dan James case study and Euthanasia
- Personhood – what does it mean to be a person? When does life begin?
- Abortion – pro-choice and pro-life
- Anti-vaxxers and why people hold this view
- Genetic engineering, what is morally acceptable? Is it playing God?
- Fertility Treatment
Unit 2: How should we respond to crime?
- Why do we obey rules?
- What is meant by crime and deviance?
- Who creates and who benefits from the law?
- Who commits crime?
- What are the aims of punishment?
- Attitudes towards capital punishment
- Attitudes towards forgiveness
Unit 2: How should we respond to crime?
- Why do we obey rules?
- What is meant by crime and deviance?
- Who creates and who benefits from the law?
- Who commits crime?
- What are the aims of punishment?
- Attitudes towards capital punishment
- Attitudes towards forgiveness
Unit 3: Why are Human Rights important?
- Freedom of expression
- UN Declaration of Human Rights
- Human rights in the UK
- Women’s rights and the fight for equality
Unit 3: Why are Human Rights important?
- Freedom of expression
- UN Declaration of Human Rights
- Human rights in the UK
- Women’s rights and the fight for equality
Year 11
Term 1
Term 2
Term 3
Term 4
Term 5
Term 6
Unit 1: How has secularisation changed family life?
- How have attitudes changed over time?
- What is a marriage, its purpose, and the structure of a family?
- What is the purpose of sex and how have attitudes or views towards sex changed over time?
- Views and attitudes to LGBTQ in relation to sex and relationships
- What is contraception and what are modern attitudes to its use
- What is adultery and extra-marital sex?
- What is divorce and what are the reasons for it, as well as how attitudes have changed in the past 100 years.
Unit 1: How has secularisation changed family life?
- How have attitudes changed over time?
- What is a marriage, its purpose, and the structure of a family?
- What is the purpose of sex and how have attitudes or views towards sex changed over time?
- Views and attitudes to LGBTQ in relation to sex and relationships
- What is contraception and what are modern attitudes to its use
- What is adultery and extra-marital sex?
- What is divorce and what are the reasons for it, as well as how attitudes have changed in the past 100 years.
Unit 2: Can war ever be justified?
- What reasons are there that people justify war?
- What is the Just War Theory as proposed by Aquinas?
- What are nuclear weapons and the dangers of them?
- What is the true meaning of Jihad and what are holy wars?
- Is it possible for war to be ethical?
- What is pacifism?
- Case study research of pacifism in war, looking at the story of Desmond Doss.
Unit 2: Can war ever be justified?
- What reasons are there that people justify war?
- What is the Just War Theory as proposed by Aquinas?
- What are nuclear weapons and the dangers of them?
- What is the true meaning of Jihad and what are holy wars?
- Is it possible for war to be ethical?
- What is pacifism?
- Case study research of pacifism in war, looking at the story of Desmond Doss.
Unit 2 continues into term 5 until exam period fully starts
Exam period
Unit 2 continues into term 5 until exam period fully starts.
Exam period
Key Contact
If you would like any more information about this subject, please contact:
Connor Tharme at connor.tharme@thebicesterschool.org.uk