To engage, inspire, challenge and encourage pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to answer challenging questions, explore different religious beliefs, values and traditions. Students will develop a more rigorous understanding of the numerous religious traditions, beliefs and practices that are followed in our multi-cultural city of “peace and reconciliation”. We want them to know how religious education promotes discernment and enables pupils to combat prejudice, preparing them for adult life, employment and life-long learning.

Aims

1. To further develop the knowledge and skills required to understand and engage with the beliefs and practices of people from a variety of religious traditions (Christianity and other principal religions and value systems represented in Great Britain) in an authentic way
2. To acknowledge and where possible make use of the various backgrounds and world-views of the students
3. To provide opportunities to encounter and explore a variety of ultimate questions and truth claims that the students see as relevant to their own lives.
4. To encourage dialogue and reflection through the study of religion

Each of these aims contributes to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural education of pupils. They reflect the aims of the Coventry Agreed Syllabus (Revised 2008)

Objectives

We plan to meet these aims by:

• Developing, implementing and reviewing schemes of work that,
  • meet the demands of the Coventry Agreed Syllabus and reflect current developments in religious education
  • provide a variety of learning experiences to meet the needs of all students
  • provide challenge and clear progression
  • make explicit reference to current developments in education (e.g. KS3 strategy)
  • make explicit links across the curriculum (e.g. literacy, Citizenship Education, numeracy)
• Building links with members of a variety of traditions and their communities
• Supporting teachers in the development of their subject knowledge
• Promoting an ethos of mutual respect by,
  • conducting lessons in a secure, supportive and disciplined manner
  • Ensuring equal opportunities
  • setting an example
• Long, medium and short term planning that exploits opportunities to relate content to the experiences of young people where appropriate
• Using an introductory Year 7 scheme of work in RE that explores young people’s questions and sets the tone for religious studies at FPS
• Provision of GCSE and A level religious studies, both of which provide many such opportunities
• Using a variety of strategies, such as stilling and hot-seating
• Creating an inspiring and comfortable environment
• Developing an ethos of mutual respect
• Developing relationships with ‘insiders’ of religious traditions through visits etc.