Religion and Ethics

Miss J Pilley

Curriculum Intent 

By the end of their all-through education, a student of religious studies at Harrogate High School will have experienced a wide range of religious perspectives and critical thinking opportunities, through promoting British values, encouraging a love and joy of RE and enabling students to express and justify their opinions in the face of adversity.  

Our department mission is to engage pupils in systematic enquiry into significant human questions which religion and worldviews address, so that they can develop the understanding and skills needed to appreciate and appraise varied responses to these questions, as well as develop responses of their own. 

 Each unit focuses on a philosophical question across KS3, such as ‘Is death the end’ or ‘Why is their suffering’?, which involves looking at both religious and non-religious perspectives around the topic and helping students by looking at all the different perspectives and make judgements on how far do they agree with the statement in question.  

Etymology is also embedded into all lessons to enhance students keyword and literacy understanding, to help them be able to write like a theologist better. Independent Practice is also embedded in every lesson to help students retain valuable information from their studies and be able to apply it in both their written work and in everyday life. 

Links to CARES values 

Courage: Engaging in discussions and accepting challenges to misconceptions. 

Aspiration: Striving for mastery and improvement through reflection and feedback. 

Respect: Valuing diverse perspectives and showing empathy in sensitive historical contexts. 

Equality: Exploring a wide range of religious and non-religious perspectives to enable students to create a balanced, undistorted view of the world we live in.  

Self-Control: Demonstrating resilience and independence in learning 

Links to British Values 

Religious Studies provides a context to understand, discuss, and apply the British values of democracy, rule of law, liberty, mutual respect and tolerance through the study of different faiths and beliefs. Religious Studies encourages critical thinking about religious teachings and societal norms, fosters social cohesion by promoting understanding of diverse cultures and beliefs, and emphasizes the importance of individual rights, including the freedom of religion.   

Links to Careers 

Careers that are linked to studying Religious Education are: 

Publishing and Media 

Public Sector: E.g. Civil Service 

Law and Advocacy 

Community and Social Services 

Heritage and Tourism 

Business 

Enhanced Provision 

The RE department provides opportunities to enrich the students understanding of different faiths through trips to visit different religious sites across Yorkshire and bringing in speakers of different faiths to enhance their understanding of different perspectives on a wide range of philosophical and ethical topics. This provides our students with experiences of Religious Education both within the classroom and outside it.  

Learning Journey 

Link to document  - RE

Ks3 Curriculum overview 

Link to Document - RE

Ks4  

Curriculum  

overview 

Link to document - RE