Philosophy, Religion and Ethics
Head of Department: Mr I Khan
In PRE (Philosophy, Religion and Ethics) we set out to offer students a unique experience, with an exciting innovative challenging curriculum from KS3 through to KS5. Our aim at Claremont is to cultivate empathy, confidence, and build a wide knowledge base to aid them in navigating complex moral and ethical conversations. We believe in delivering high quality teaching that helps students understand various interpretations of beliefs and cultures in our multi-faith society and their own place within it. Students are encouraged to engage in discussions involving challenges to religious views, beliefs, current controversies, and political affairs that impact religious communities and individuals globally.
Curriculum Intent
In PRE we engage with a multitude of complex ideologies and encourage students to vocalise their own understandings and opinions in an informed, respectful manner. This is incorporated into carefully planned lessons which allow students to engage in analytical debates and discussions on various topics. Curiosity is cultivated and appreciated in an accepting environment. Students are encouraged to ask questions and share their own expertise and experiences with their peers in the hope they will feel empowered by this. Discussion is not only a vital element in the process of learning but also in the exploration of religion and truth.
Key Stage 3
In Year 7 students are encouraged to participate in topics such as ‘Religious Identity’ which focuses upon what it means to believe in a faith and be able to express a faith. This topic also looks at religious and non-religious perspectives on the existence of God in the first cause argument and design argument.
We also study the ‘big six’ religions in Years 7, 8 and 9 (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Sikhi, Hinduism and Buddhism) to ground and secure knowledge from primary years.
Our KS3 curriculum also sets to challenge students on their own deductive reasoning skills. Students will be guided on building metacognitive strategies to enable meaningful and thoughtful discussions to take place with their peers in Year 8. This focuses on the big questions, within the topics ‘Philosophy’ and ‘Evil and Suffering.’ In Year 9 students begin the year looking at ‘Ethics’, and ‘The Sanctity of Life’. These topics offer students the chance to apply religious and non-religious perspectives to different circumstances and highly debated discussions within the world today.
Please click below to see our KS3 curriculum overview sheets:
Key Stage 4
In Years 10 and 11, we follow a rigorous and exciting course set out by the Edexcel Exam board specification for our GCSE content which includes the study of Christianity and Islam. Students will have the opportunity to discuss relevant hard-hitting topics that affect our current world, alongside deeper philosophical questions pertaining to the meaning and purpose of life.
Students are encouraged to recognise personal values and beliefs, whilst developing skills to help contextualise, interpret and critically analyse the expressions of religious views, resulting in a deeper philosophical and ethical awareness to the modern-day using skills built in KS3.
Please click below to see our KS4 curriculum overview sheet for GCSE RE:
GCSE RE Exam ChecklistKS4 Compulsory PRE:
In line with the statutory guidance set out by the government to ensure all students receive Religious Education throughout their schooling, students who do not study GCSE RE will receive one lesson per fortnight of PRE. This is an opportunity for students to voice their opinions and continue to examine different worldviews, cultures, and backgrounds to their own. Year 10 includes studying topics such PRE in the Media which introduces ethical questions through the medium of movies and TV series. Year 11 includes Philosophy which engages students in critical thinking which prepares them with vital skills for their further studies.
Key Stage 5
Our dynamic team is dedicated to offering a comprehensive, innovative approach to teaching Philosophy, Religion (Islam) and Ethics for our year 12 and 13 students. which follows the Eduqas exam board. The department calls upon individual expertise which allows us to deliver each section of this course from a multitude of different perspectives. Students will use all the skills acquired in KS3 and 4 to discern, question, review, challenge, compare and explore the role of religion in society, as well as questions surrounding morality and ultimate truths about purpose and meaning.
Overview
https://www.eduqas.co.uk/qualifications/religious-studies-as-a-level/#tab_overview
Enrichment
Students are offered the opportunity to visit the East London Mosque in Year 10 to broaden their understanding of the Islamic faith and have an opportunity to ask a range of questions on the practices and beliefs. Students will also be able to see how the local community use the mosque.
In Year 11, students who have chosen RE GCSE will also be given the opportunity to visit St Paul’s Cathedral. Students are given a guided tour where there are many opportunities to learn about the Cathedral and ask any questions pertaining to the faith. Students then have the chance to ask any questions they still have to a priest. Finally, students get to visit the dome of the Cathedral if they can climb the 528 stairs.
Next Steps
After you leave school, you may be thinking about going on to further studies at university or you may consider going straight into the workplace. Philosophy, Religion and Ethics is held in very high regard by many desirable universities such as Oxford and Cambridge. The critical thinking skills and the ability to empathise or consider alternative viewpoints is a valuable asset to all university courses as well as jobs.
Associated subjects/University courses: Theology, Philosophy, Religion and Ethics, Politics, Sociology, Psychology, History of Art, Classics, Medicine (ethics), History, Literature.
Linked Careers: Law, politics, travel, advertising, human resources, public services, diplomacy, publishing, journalism, teaching.