Religious Studies
Why is the subject important?
The religious studies curriculum equips students with a strong command of explicit knowledge surrounding the main faiths around the world. This is important because around 84% of people globally identify with a religious group, therefore we must ensure our students understand the beliefs and practices of all people.
The Key Stage 3 curriculum will equip students with the key theological understanding of the 5 main religions: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. Once students have a strong theological understanding of the 5 main religions, they will put these theological understandings into practice. They will examine religious and non-religious perspectives on contemporary issues such as medical ethics, war, justice and the treatment of animals. This will begin to teach them where their own ethical opinions come from, beginning to understand their own views on the world around them.
Our curriculum meets the needs of the locally agreed syllabus for religious studies.
The curriculum is designed to build and develop skills within our students, such as critical thinking and reasoning skills. We want our students at Trinity Academy Grammar to leave school being able to understand the world around them and being able to articulate their views in an educated manner.
Year 7
What will I be studying?
- Christianity
- Islam
- Judaism
Career Links
- Understanding the importance of respecting and tolerating different faiths in the world of work
- Charity work (link to religious missions)
- Religious travel (link to pilgrimage)
- Industries linked to religious ceremonies (weddings and funerals)
How will I be assessed?
All students will complete the below in Year 7:
- Weekly Quizzes – in lesson your teacher will tell you which box to revise for the following week.
- Big Test – this will include 10 questions with 4 multiple-choice answers. These could be from any part of that term’s Knowledge Organiser and will always include 3 re-test questions from previous terms/years.
- Formal assessment – you will receive two of these a year, both worth 40 marks. They will include multiple-choice questions, source-based questions, and essay questions reliant on the knowledge you have learnt in your RS lessons until that point.
Which websites should I use to support my learning?
BBC Bitesize Key Stage 3 Religious Studies
Year 8
What will I be studying?
- Sikhism
- Hinduism
- Life and Death (comparison of various religious beliefs)
Career Links
- The wellbeing industry (linked to yoga and mindfulness in Hinduism)
- Business ethics – the importance of treating people and animals well
- Floristry (linked with baptism and funeral ceremonies)
- Palliative care workers
How will I be assessed?
All students will complete the below in Year 8:
- Weekly Quizzes – in lesson your teacher will tell you which box to revise for the following week. Make sure you revise from your Knowledge Organiser for these quizzes.
- Big Test – this will include 15 questions with 4 multiple-choice answers. These could be from any part of that term’s Knowledge Organiser and will always include 3 re-test questions from previous terms/years.
- Formal assessment – you will receive two of these a year, both worth 40 marks. They will include multiple-choice questions, source-based questions, and essay questions reliant on the knowledge you have learnt in your RS lessons until that point.
Which websites should I use to support my learning?
BBC Bitesize Key Stage 3 Religious Studies
Year 9
What will I be studying?
- Buddhism
- Ethics
- Community & Society
Career Links
- Analysing jobs that Buddhist followers can do whilst maintaining their beliefs
- Career paths for people passionate about their faiths
- The judicial system
- The role of the armed forces in maintaining peace
- Careers in the media
- Careers in the community
How will I be assessed?
All students will complete the below in Year 9:
- Weekly Quizzes – in lesson your teacher will tell you which box to revise for the following week. Make sure you revise from your Knowledge Organiser for these quizzes.
- Big Test – this will include 20 questions with 4 multiple-choice answers. These could be from any part of that term’s Knowledge Organiser and will always include 3 re-test questions from previous terms/years.
- Formal assessment – you will receive two of these a year, both worth 40 marks. They will include multiple-choice questions, source-based questions, interpretation-based questions, and essay questions reliant on the knowledge you have learnt in your RS lessons until that point.
Which websites should I use to support my learning?
BBC Bitesize Key Stage 3 Religious Studies
Years 10 and 11
What will I be studying?
Students at GCSE follow the AQA Religious Studies: Short Course. This counts as half a GCSE. There is an option for students to choose RS in one of the option blocks and to convert this short course into a full course (so it will count as a full GCSE rather than half a GCSE).
Short course units:
- Christian Beliefs
- Muslim Beliefs
- Relationships & Families
- Peace & Conflict
Full course units (along with the short course units):
- Christian Practices
- Muslim Practices
- Crime & Punishment
- Religion & Life
Career Links
- Charity work
- Careers linked to religious ceremonies
- The medical industry
- The judicial system
- The armed forces
- Animal welfare
How will I be assessed?
- Students are assessed within the mock series twice per year.
- This assessment will always be a past paper, approved by AQA and the corresponding mark schemes used to feed back to students.
- These assessments will inform students’ current and predicted grades, which are updated every other term.
- Students may also be assessed within the classroom, using shorter papers or specific exam-style questions. These can also be used to inform students’ current and predicted grades.
- Independent practice of exam-style questions is commonplace within GCSE classrooms, to build students’ resilience and independence ready for public examinations.
Which websites should I use to support my learning?
Where possible, students should purchase the following revision guide from amazon.co.uk AQA GCSE (9-1) Religious Studies A: Christianity & Islam
