Ark Greenwich Free School

Curriculum leaders

Ms E Connolly, Ms J Wake and Mr D MacPherson

The purpose of the AGFS Religious Studies & Philosophy curriculum is:

‘No person in the modern world can be considered educated without a basic knowledge of all the great religions of the world'. E. D Hirsch.

• To promote ambition by scholars exploring a vast and diverse range of religious non-religious thought and how it continues to play a significant role in shaping Great Britain. Scholars will have mastered theological and philosophical theories to ensure familiarity with such concepts. This will allow scholars to progress in the multiple disciplines at A-Level and beyond.
• To develop growth by learning about significant and complex ideas that may challenge their own, their families and their communities' world view.
• To encourage fellowship by fostering a respect and tolerance of new ideas especially those that may be different from their own, their families and their communities.
• To cultivate scholarship by ensuring an academic approach to the ways people throughout civilisations have made sense of 'knowledge, reality and existence'. This will be through intellectually challenging scholars by ensuring they have mastered the histories of the 'great religions of the world', the belief and practises of 'the great religions of the world' and the conclusions made in philosophical debates and approaches.

The Religious Studies and philosophy curriculum is organised by the power standards. These standards reflect the essence of the subject as an academic discipline and reflect the strands of each discipline that must be developed to achieve mastery. These threads are cross-referenced against the KS3 national curriculum, GCSE, A Level specification, and degree courses at Russell Group universities to ensure that scholars’ experience of the subject is as broad and as academically rigorous as possible,

The Religions Studies and philosophy power standards are:

• PS1 Knowledge of religions and their place within society in the United Kingdom and the world.
• PS2 Knowledge of philosophical thought and ethics in the United Kingdom and the world.
• PS3 Apply knowledge of religion, philosophy and ethics to themes and issues in society.
• PS4 Analysis of religious and non-religious thought.
• PS5 Evaluation of religious and non-religious thought to come to a purposeful judgement about themes and issues in society.
• PS6 Appreciation of the diversity of approaches within religious and non-religious thought and how this relates to disciplines across the Humanities.

Year 7:

• Module 1: Biblical Literacy- Old Testament
• Module 2: Biblical Literacy- New Testament
• Module 3: Judaism

Year 8:

• Module 1: Christianity
• Module 2: Islam
• Module 3: Hinduism

Year 9:

• Module 1: Philosophy
• Module 2: Ethics
• Module 3: Buddhism

Year 10:

• Module 1: Buddhist Beliefs and Practices
• Module 2: Christian Beliefs and Practices
• Module 3: Theme A: Relationships and families; Theme B: Religion and life

Year 11:

• Module 1: Theme C: God and revelation; Theme D: Religion, war, and conflict
• Module 2: Bespoke teaching and revision
• Module 3: Revision and public examinations

Recommended websites/ online platforms:

• Seneca KS3
• BBC Bitesize KS3

Recommended activities to complete with your child:

• Core knowledge quizzing
• Visiting religious places of significance in London such as St Paul’s Cathedral

Scholars receive verbal, self, and peer feedback every lesson through:

• Whole class feedback on common misconceptions in the read now, recall now activities and during daily review.
• Responses to whole class checking for understanding activities, such as hand signal responses, ‘heads down’ and mini whiteboard tasks.
• Teacher intentional monitoring during deliberate practice activities.

Scholars are expected to respond in the moment to this feedback to show they can correct errors and improve their knowledge and understanding.

Scholars receive written teacher feedback after each checkpoint. Scholars complete checkpoint tasks independently so teachers can review what they know and can do.

Checkpoints in Religious Studies and philosophy consist of:

• Section A: Knowledge questions
• Section B: A choice of extended writing question based on the religion/ scripture/ debate being studies

Written feedback from checkpoints will consist of:

• A score for section A and section B.
• Celebration of what has gone well.
• Identification of a high leverage target.

Scholars will complete a refinement task to show their understanding of the target and to demonstrate their capacity to improve their work. This could be achieved through redrafting a section of their work or attempting a similar task.

Success in Religious Studies and philosophy can lead to careers in: 

Advice bureaus, charities, the cival service, community development, equality, diversity and inclusion, mediating, journalism, policy, the police, psychology, politics, law, social care, and youth work. 

Through the study of Religious Studies and philosophy, scholars will be exposed to a range of culturally enriching knowledge and experiences.

Cultural capital within the curriculum:

• Our Y7 study of the bible shows all scholars, theist, agnostic or atheist, how the best-selling book in the world has impregnated its values onto wider society.
• Our KS3 study gives all scholars the knowledge and awareness to respect, tolerate and appreciate those of major world religions and beyond.

Religious Studies and philosophy's contribution to Drop Down Days and the trips and visits programme:

• Y7- Visit a synagogue
• Y8- Visit a mosque
• Y9- Visit a Buddhist temple