Religious Education

The Religious Studies Department aims to promote the academic excellence of every pupil in a caring and highly enjoyable environment which is sensitive and responsive to individual needs, aspirations and talents.

Religious Studies provokes challenging questions about the ultimate meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God, self, the nature of reality, issues of right and wrong, and what it means to be human.

Religious Studies enhances pupils’ awareness of religions and beliefs, teachings, practices and forms of expression, as well as of the influence of faith on individuals, families, communities and cultures.

Staff endeavour to use a wide variety of engaging teaching methods and stimuli in order to generate interest and enthusiasm across all year groups.

The Religious Studies Department in Fivemiletown College aims to develop pupils both as individuals and as contributors to society in the 21st century.

Mrs Glenda Jones is Head of the Department

Aims of the Department

To help pupils learn about, understand and be able to evaluate religious and relational insight, experiences, beliefs, practices and concepts.

Key Stage 3

Year 8

The Bible: A look into, arguably, the most influential text in the history and development of Western culture. Its importance historically and to particular groups, what it contains and a brief history of its development into the book most people would recognise today. It also provides an awareness of the original languages and the development of different translations.

Uniqueness and creation

Key Bible characters and many contributors to faith in a global context

Year 9

Who was Jesus?: An introduction to the life and times of the most debated and influential person in history. Pupils will be introduced to the culture and politics of the Ancient Near East during the 1st Century AD under Roman rule.

The miracles and parables of Jesus

Forgiveness and reconciliation through an explorative study of the life of Corrie Ten Boom ( Second world war case study )

Year 10

Love in Action - A focus on slavery: An introduction to William Wilberforce and the abolition of the slave trade. An in-depth look at modern slavery and how it impacts and relates to Western lifestyle.

Jesus and Others: A reflection on Jesus’ teaching and how it informs thinking on important social issues such as ethnic minorities and immigration, poverty, sectarianism, the elderly, disability and prisoners.

Easter: Studying the origin, religious significance and meaning of the trial, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and its relevance today.

Addiction: A study from the perspective of how society has been affected by what people consume. Prohibition and drug use and abuse.

The challenges of adolescence.

Key Stage 4: GCSE

CCEA Full course

Completed

Year 11 – 50% External written exam 1 hour 30 minutes

Year 12 – 50% External written exam 1 hour 30 minutes

Assessment

Content

Unit 4 - Christianity through a study of the Gospel of Matthew

Unit 6 - An Introduction to Christian Ethics