Religious Studies
Department Ethos
Never stop asking ‘why?’ It is a fascinating question, and often the hardest to answer. Other subjects are very good at ‘how?’ or ‘where?’ ‘when?’ or even ‘who?’ In the Religious Studies Department ‘why?’ is our speciality, although we are very good at the other questions too!
At Cams Hill School the Religious Studies Department seeks to develop the enquiring mind, both to enthuse pupils and to stretch their abilities to engage with the world around them through an enquiry based methodology set out by the Hampshire Agreed Syllabus.
Religious Studies aims to challenge pupils by asking demanding questions such as: ‘What is the value of a human life?’ ‘Why am I here?’ ‘What beliefs do you have and can you justify them?’ ‘Why do some people use their beliefs to promote a better world?’ And ‘Why do others work to the detriment of it?’ By basing our lessons around concepts and contextualising them within religions and situations in the world around us we can help pupils decode the wider world, building a strong personal world view, whilst developing useful and transferrable skills.
“Religious Studies is really good because we get to learn about other religions and their beliefs. We always get a chance to say how we feel and argue points.” – Year 11 Pupil
“I like Religious Studies because of the way that the teachers work the lessons. They make it interesting and engaging, making me want to learn.” – Year 10 Pupil
RS Curriculum Content
Religious Studies at Key Stage 3
Our aim in Key Stage 3 Religious Studies is to explore a range of religious traditions to build a strong subject knowledge of key religious ideas and concepts. In year 7 students will learn concepts important across religion such as truth, experience, law. They pick up the golden thread concepts from KS2 such as community, belonging, special and love. In Year 8 pupils start learning about three major world religions; Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. In year 9 they begin to engage in thematic studies and moral and ethical issues and debates, drawing on the layers of knowledge built up in earlier years. They examine questions such as ‘where does morality come from?’ and ‘Is all life sacred?’.
Classes in Key Stage 3 are taught in groups of 30 pupils. In Year 7, pupils are taught in tutor groups, then in Years 8 and 9 are taught in mixed groups within a year half.
All our Key Stage 3 lessons follow the Hampshire Agreed Syllabus for Religious Studies – Living Difference.
Religious Studies at KS4 (Core Provision)
RS is a compulsory subject and all students must have one hour a week of RS at KS4. At Cams Hill this is taught under the title ‘Social and Personal development’. Students complete their core RS provision alongside their Sex, Relationships and Careers lessons. Year 10 begin looking at issues around contraception, sexuality and marriage from a range of differing worldviews. In year 11 their RS units consist of examining human rights issues such as religious freedom, persecution, prejudice and discrimination.
Religious Studies at KS4 (GCSE Option)
Some of our students chose to study the GCSE in Religious Studies alongside their core RS provision. The two main religions studies are Buddhism and Christianity. As well as learning beliefs and practices students also study ethical issues such as crime and punishment, war and peace, medical ethics and environmental sustainability.