Key Stage 4
At Key stage 4, pupils continue to deepen their knowledge and understanding through the study of Catholic Christianity and Judaism, alongside philosophical and ethical questions.
The curriculum includes Catholic beliefs and teachings, Catholic practices, sources of wisdom and authority, forms of expression, philosophy and ethics, and relationships and families in the twenty-first century.
Pupils encounter important sources of Catholic authority including Sacred Scripture, the Magisterium and the Second Vatican Council, while developing their understanding of Catholic beliefs about the Trinity, Incarnation and Paschal Mystery, the sacraments, prayer and Catholic Social Teaching.
They also explore significant philosophical and ethical questions, including arguments for the existence of God, revelation, evil and suffering, marriage, family and contemporary moral questions.
Through this curriculum, pupils are increasingly expected to bring together knowledge from different areas of study, explain Catholic teaching accurately, interpret sources of wisdom and authority and construct well-reasoned theological and philosophical arguments.
All pupils follow the Edexcel Specification A GCSE Catholic Christianity syllabus comprising of three papers:
- Paper 1: Catholic Christianity
- Paper 2: Judaism
- Paper 3: Philosophy and Ethics – Catholic Christianity
Religious Formation has 10% curriculum time in KS4 based on 5 x 1-hour lessons a fortnight. End-of-unit assessments take place across the areas of study to monitor pupils' knowledge, understanding and progress and to identify areas requiring further teaching or consolidation.
Further information relating to the specification can be found here: https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/religious-studies-a-2016.html