Religious Education

Our Vision

Extend and deepen their knowledge and understanding of a range of religions and worldviews, recognising their local, national and global context. Building on their prior learning, they learn to appreciate religions and worldviews in systematic ways. They should draw on a wide range of subject specific language confidently and flexibly, learning to use the concepts of Religious Study to describe the nature of religion. They should understand how beliefs influence the values and lives of individuals and groups and how religions and worldviews have an impact on wider current affairs. They should be able to appraise the practices and beliefs they study with increasing discernment, based on analysis, interpretation and evaluation, developing their capacity to articulate well-reasoned positions. Students will acquire a religious and cultural literacy, which will enable them to engage fully in British culture, society, literature and the arts. Students will have developed an understanding practically of how to show appreciation for the diverse range of religions and cultures present in our school, local and national community. At OHA, we follow the Thurrock Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education.

At Key Stage 3 students, cover theological theories on what a religion is, knowledge of different world religions, as well as the role of religion within British society. At Key Stage 4, students will learn about the beliefs and practices of Christianity and one other religion and will study ethical concepts.

In all lessons taught within the Religious Studies department, there are key aspects that are present. There is a clear focus on knowledge retention, though the use of “Knowledge Retrieval”, where students are presented with questions from their previous lesson and last term. This will help to embed the key knowledge that they need in their long-term memory. By presenting students with the “Bigger Picture,” students are able to understand why studying religion still has importance in the modern world.

During our Religious Education lessons, students will gain confidence in their knowledge of Religious Studies and be able to verbally, and in written form, explain their ideas in detail, as well as justifying their points with well-selected evidence. Students will also have an appreciation for the beliefs of others and why religious tolerance has such an important role to play in society today.

We see our key objectives as:

• Understanding a range of religions and worldviews;
• Building on prior learning and retaining knowledge to help them achieve in formal assessments;
• Understanding how beliefs influence the lives of individuals and groups;
• Throughout study of RE, we will help students develop their understanding of the OHA core values of respect and courage.

As a department, we believe that RE is important to a student’s programme of study for a number of reasons:

• It helps students with their own personal development by helping them assess their own views and compare these to the views of others.
• It gives students insight into the diverse beliefs and opinions of people today.
• It challenges stereotypes, promotes cohesion and tackles extremism.

Learning Journey

Key Stage Three Programme of Study

Key Stage Four Programme of Study

Names and email addresses of key post-holders:

Mrs Chapman                                   Curriculum Leader for RE – chapmanj@oha.swecet.org