Religious Studies

Whether you consider yourself a religious person or not, or whether you think religion has played a positive or negative role in history, it is clear that religion and belief have had an impact on almost every aspect of society.

Religious Studies is a highly valued subject at The Coopers’ Company and Coborn School and we are proud that our most recent Section 48 inspection judged the effectiveness of RE as ‘Excellent’. Highlights from the report include:

“Its curriculum is well thought through and academically rigorous with numerous opportunities for students to consider issues of religious, spiritual, moral and ethical concern. Its approach to curriculum development is exemplary. It is rightly recognised within the academy as a ‘flagship’ department (…) The team are confidently led by a well experienced subject leader. The team set high expectations and aspirations for RE and work closely together to develop and share approaches and resources.”

KS3

Religious Studies is a highly valued subject at The Coopers’ Company and Coborn School and we are proud that it is taught by subject specialists. In lessons, students not only examine the evolution of beliefs and practices of major world religions, but they are also encouraged to grapple with thought-provoking and challenging questions about the meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God, issues of morality and what it means to be human. Students learn about and from the complexity and diversity of religious and non-religious worldviews in local, national and global contexts, to discover, explore and consider different answers to these questions. With the knowledge and skills gained through taking part in Religious Studies, students are enabled to develop their own ideas, values and identities.

A real strength of our department lies in the regular and systematic developing of dialogue skills, which is further encouraged through embedding P4C (Philosophy for Children) lessons within the KS3 curriculum, so our students can participate positively and respectfully in our diverse society. We aim to develop students’ capability of articulating clearly and coherently their personal beliefs, ideas, values and experiences, while respecting the right of others to differ.

Course description / What will you learn about?

What will students learn in KS3?

Students have Religious Studies two hours per fortnight, with an extra hour in Year 7 dedicated to P4C*. The content taught within the KS3 curriculum is designed to promote students’ curiosity, skills of analysis and develop a deeper understanding of the world that we live in. With this in mind, our curriculum reflects the following view:

“…simply covering a greater number of religious and non-religious traditions (as inclusive as that sounds) is no guarantee of a high quality RE curriculum. This overloads the curriculum and might lead to superficial caricatures of religious and non-religious traditions […] High-quality RE curriculums capture the diversity, fluidity and complexity of global religion/non-religion in their curriculum representations. Importantly, the content is sequenced so that pupils can make sense of its complexity” – Ofsted Framework, 2021 (p12)

The content studied and skills gained at KS3 will provide a strong platform for students learning at GCSE and is sequenced as follows…

Year 7:

Old Testament (Genesis and Exodus)
Judaism
Hinduism

For a more detailed overview of what the curriculum looks like for Year 7 click on the tab below:

Year 7 CCCS Overview FINAL

*For an explanation into the nature and purpose of P4C at CCCS click on the tab below:

Introduction to P4C CCCS

Year 8:

Islam
The Life of Jesus
Jesus in Jerusalem

For a more detailed overview of what the curriculum looks like for Year 8 click on the tab below:

Year 8 CCCS Overview FINAL

Year 9:

Buddhism
Philosophy of Religion
The Shoah

For a more detailed overview of what the curriculum looks like for Year 9 click on the tab below:

Year 9 CCCS Overview FINAL

How will students be assessed in KS3?

Throughout KS3, students will be assessed in a variety of ways ranging from low stake assessments which include key term tests, knowledge recall quizzes etc to high stake assessments which will assess knowledge of a topic in its entirety, including extended writing tasks.

KS4

Religious Studies is a highly valued subject at The Coopers’ Company and Coborn School and we are proud that it is taught by subject specialists. At KS4, our students will continue to engage in a rich and meaningful dialogue about the religious and non-religious traditions that have shaped Great Britain and the world, a dialogue that is both intellectually challenging and personally enriching. They will be building on the knowledge and skills gained from the KS3 curriculum as well as deepening their understanding that religion is diverse and complex.

With a history of GCSE results in this subject well above the national average, all students will study full course Religious Studies, with four hours allocated a fortnight in Year 10 and five hours a fortnight in Year 11.

Course description / What will you learn about?

What will students learn in KS4?

KS4 follow AQA Religious Studies (Specification A). Students study in Year 10, Christianity and Islam. They will examine key beliefs within those religions such as the nature of God, creation and life after death. Students will also learn about key practices within these religions such as the different forms of worship, as well as religious contributions in supporting local and world-wide communities. In Year 11 students apply their knowledge of Christianity and Islam to four contemporary ethical themes: Peace and conflict, Religion and life, The existence of God and revelation and Crime and punishment.

For a more detailed overview of what the curriculum looks like for KS4 at CCCS click on the tab below:

KS4 Overview

For further information regarding this GCSE course please visit the AQA website below:
https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/religious-studies/gcse/religious-studies-a-8062

How will students be assessed in KS4?

Throughout KS4, students will be assessed in a variety of ways ranging from low stake assessments which include key term tests, knowledge recall quizzes, end of topic tests (using GCSE style questions) etc to high stake assessments which will assess knowledge of multiple topics in its entirety – namely in the form of Mocks.

GCSE Religious Studies (AQA) is 100% exam based and our students at the end of Year 11 will sit two papers:

Paper One: Christianity: Beliefs and Practices and Islam: Beliefs and Practices (1 hour 45 minutes)
Paper Two: Thematic Studies (1 hour 45 minutes)

To be successful in this subject students will need to be good at and enjoy:

Understanding, interpretation and evaluation of texts, sources of wisdom and authority and other evidence is key to being successful in Religious Studies. Furthermore, students will need to be able to use and apply the skills of analysis, creativity and evaluation to the content taught.

Progression routes & career opportunities

Employers recognise the valuable and transferable skills that come with studying Religious Studies. Additionally, UCAS states that…

“Knowledge of other cultures and world religious beliefs can be useful in many jobs where you are working with the public or communities. These include counselling and social services, marketing, sales and advertising, catering and hospitality, leisure, sport and tourism, retail sales and customer services, education and training, medicine and nursing, and service sector roles.”

KS5 - A Level

At KS5, our students will continue to engage in a rich and meaningful dialogue about the religious and non-religious traditions that have shaped Great Britain and the world, a dialogue that is both intellectually challenging and personally enriching. They will be building on the knowledge and skills gained from the KS4 curriculum as well as deepening their understanding that religion is diverse and complex. In light of this, whilst we owe it to our students to teach the specification, ensuring that all points are covered so they have all the content necessary for their exams, we are not an exams factory. Where appropriate, any opportunities to build on knowledge and go beyond the specification are encouraged in our department.

We are fortunate at The Coopers Company and Coborn School that our A Level course is taught by dedicated and enthusiastic subject specialists. We encourage our students to develop their dialogue skills and ability to think critically. We have a good intake of students, many of who have chosen to pursue an undergraduate degree in the field of religion, theology, philosophy and/or ethics.

The content studied and skills gained at KS4 will provide a strong platform for students learning at A Level, however if students did not study GCSE Religious Studies at their school, they are required to have a Grade 6 in either English Language or English Literature.

Course description / What will you learn about?

What will students learn in KS5?

KS5 Students have Religious Studies ten hours a fortnight, five lessons per teacher. KS5 students will follow the OCR Religious Studies specification (H573). Our students will have Religious Studies ten hours a fortnight and as the course is taught by two members of the department, the time is split evenly throughout the year.

“This qualification is designed to develop a greater understanding and appreciation of religious beliefs and teachings, as well as the disciplines of ethics and philosophy of religion. Learners will develop their skills of critical analysis in order to construct balanced, informed arguments and responses to religious, philosophical and ethical ideas. OCR’s A Level Religious Studies course aims to engage learners thoroughly and develop an interest in Religious Studies which extends beyond the classroom and can be applied to the world around them.” – OCR A Level Religious Studies H573 Specification (Version 1.4 Feb 2021)

Our A Level course is divided into three components, which will be taught throughout Year 12 and 13. Please see information below regarding what is covered in each component.

Philosophy of Religion:
Ancient philosophical influences, the nature of the soul, mind and body, arguments about the existence or non-existence of God, the nature and impact of religious experience, the challenge for religious belief of the problem of evil, ideas about the nature of God and issues in religious language.

Religion and Ethics

Ethical theories such as Utilitarianism, Situation Ethics, Kantian Ethics and Natural Moral Law theory. The application of these ethical theories to two contemporary issues (business ethics and euthanasia), ethical language and thought, debates surrounding the conscience and sexual ethics.

Developments in Christian thought

Christian beliefs, values and teachings, their interconnections and how they vary historically and in the contemporary world, sources of Christian wisdom and authority, practices which shape and express Christian identity and how these vary within a tradition and significant social and historical developments in theology and religious thought.

For access to our A level flyer regarding information about the nature of the course click on the tab below:

For access to our overview of what the curriculum looks like for KS5 at CCCS click on the tab below:

Curriculum map for A Level

For further information on the OCR specification, click the link below:
http://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/242913-specification-accredited-a-level-gce-religious-studies-h573.pdf

How will students be assessed in KS5?

Throughout KS5, students will be assessed in a variety of ways ranging from low stake assessments which include knowledge recall quizzes, writing an essay for a topic etc to high stakes which includes writing multiple essays in exam conditions – namely in the form of Mocks.

A Level Religious Studies (OCR) is 100% exam based and our students at the end of Year 13 will sit three papers:

Paper One: Philosophy of Religion H573/01 (2 hours)
Paper Two: Religion and Ethics H573/02 (2 hours)
Paper Three: Developments in Christian Thought H573/03 (2 hours)

To be successful in this subject students will need to be good at and enjoy:

Progression routes & career opportunities

Employers recognise the valuable and transferable skills that come with studying Religious Studies. Additionally, UCAS states that…

Religious Studies A Level Curriculum Map

The Coopers’ Company & Coborn School, St. Marys Ln, Upminster, RM14 3HS

Tel: 01708 250500 Email: info@cooperscoborn.org.uk Directions: Click Here

The Coopers’ Company and Coborn School is a company limited by guarantee, and an exempt charity, registered in England and Wales under company number 07547060.
The registered address is: St Mary’s Lane, Upminster, Essex. RM14 3HS

Religious Studies

Whether you consider yourself a religious person or not, or whether you think religion has played a positive or negative role in history, it is clear that religion and belief have had an impact on almost every aspect of society.

Course description / What will you learn about?

How will students be assessed in KS3?

The Coopers’ Company & Coborn School, St. Marys Ln, Upminster, RM14 3HS

The Coopers’ Company and Coborn School is a company limited by guarantee, and an exempt charity, registered in England and Wales under company number 07547060. The registered address is: St Mary’s Lane, Upminster, Essex. RM14 3HS

The Coopers’ Company and Coborn School is a company limited by guarantee, and an exempt charity, registered in England and Wales under company number 07547060.
The registered address is: St Mary’s Lane, Upminster, Essex. RM14 3HS