At the core of Catholic education lies the Christian vision of the human person. This vision is expressed and explored in a Religious Education curriculum which is rooted in excellence, that is knowledge rich and effectively sequenced; where students are encouraged to engage in a deep academic and theological engagement with faith and where we can hand on the moral and spiritual frameworks of the Church to each learner.
Religious education also seeks to present an authentic vision of the Church’s teachings, traditions and 2000-year-old history enabling pupils to continually deepen their understanding of the faith and be able to communicate it effectively.
We aim to produce religiously literate and engaged young people who have the knowledge and skills to reflect spiritually about their own faith, the faith of others, as well as non-religious views, as we recognise that our community is diverse in belief and values. In a multi-faith society, it is essential to equip our students with knowledge and understanding of other major beliefs. This will enable them to grow in understanding and respect for our global human community; all equally made in the image and likeness of God.
Every engagement with a young person is an invitation to recognise the holy ground on which we stand as educators. Pope Saint John Paul II said Theology is the “core of the core subjects” in a Catholic school. As such, here at St. Peter’s High School, Religious Education is at the very heart of our mission and vision.
Religious Education Teachers
Mr McDonald - Head of Religious Education
Mrs Parsons - Head of Key Stage Three Religious Education
Miss Peters - Teacher of Religious Education (ECT+2)
Mrs Roberts Moore - Teacher of Religious Education and Head of Year 10
Mr Chambers - Teacher of Religious Education and Head of Year 9
Mr Harvey - Teacher of Religious Education
Key Stage 3
At KS3, the RE department follows a nationally developed framework called The People of God – Called to Serve which is deliberately mapped against the Religious Education Curriculum Directory for Catholic Schools and Colleges in England and Wales (2012). Students acquire knowledge and understanding through study, discussion and reflection. This leads them into critical reflection on their own experience and an appreciation of the Christian message. The People of God framework helps them to focus on understanding who God is, how to live as a people of God and the challenges of being the people of God. It also enables them, through the study of other faiths, to appreciate the common human quest for meaning, truth and happiness and God at work in human lives.
Key Stage 4
All students study a full course Religious Education GCSE. The exam specification is AQA Religious Studies B: Catholic Christianity.
Structure:
- Two exams, both of which are 1 hour 45 minutes long
- The first paper is Catholic Christianity (worth 50%)
- The second paper is two thematic studies and Judaism, beliefs and practices (worth 50%)
During the two-year course, students will have assessments at the end of each module, including mocks, to develop their GCSE skills.
For more information on the curriculum at KS4, use the links on this page for GCSE.
Key Stage 5
We offer A-level Edexcel Religious Studies, which has three components – Philosophy of Religion, Study of Religion and Religious Ethics. It is exam based. It is very popular and many of our students go on to university to study Philosophy, Theology and other related disciplines.
Sixth Form General Religious Education
So, what is this programme about? The programme is an informal course about the Christian faith and its relevance for life today. It gives space to share ideas, explore beliefs, and think about questions that really matter. It is an opportunity for students to reflect on a variety of issues and current affairs linked to religion, morality and spirituality. It is time for the opening up of discussion, where all persons are respected, become more informed, share and justify opinions, and take the opportunity to reflect, challenge ideas and debate. For some students it may well be a challenging journey because over the year the students will progress through many topics. It is usually at the end of the year, when students look back, that they can see how far they have travelled - intellectually, emotionally and spiritually.
The spiritual journey is something that embraces the whole of our life as a person; this programme, which consists of a series of lectures delivered to Year 12 and 13 over the course of the academic year, aims to allow students to focus on how human experiences have the potential to help us grow internally, so that externally we are there for others in many ways.
