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Religious Studies at Abbs Cross is about teaching tolerance and understanding. It’s about preparing students and giving them the skill to flourish as able and qualified participants of a multi-cultural, multi-faith society.

Our expectations are to equip all students of Abbs Cross Academy with clear knowledge of religion and the differing opinions in society. We encourage them to share their own opinions and reflect on other opinions in society. As we recognise the need for a real grasp of the world and opinions around us. We hope that through the persistent questioning and development of critical skills through the analysis of evidence, the students of Abbs Cross Academy understand the importance of religion in their future lives. This will then enable them to become active citizens in society, contributing to their communities in a positive way. Every student at Abbs Cross Academy sits a GCSE exam in Religious Education at the end of Year 11.

As a department and faculty, we draw on a rich variety of experiences and views to support a coherent and collegiate approach to teaching and learning, fostering a spirit of enquiry and continual improvement.

KS3

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Judaism

Hinduism

Christianity beliefs

Jesus of Nazareth

Sikhism

Christianity practices

The life of Muhammad

Buddhism

Islamic beliefs

The big questions

Non-religious views

Islamic practices

 

The big questions

Relationships and families

KS4

We find it essential for pupils to learn about the community they live in and we therefore implement compulsory Religious Studies throughout the school until Year 11.  It is taught in year 9 for 2 hours per week and then in year 10 and 11 once a week. Students follow the new AQA Religious Studies A specification and study and compare the two religions: Christianity and Islam.

The aim of GCSE Religious Studies for pupils to leave Abbs Cross School with a deeper understanding of two major religions and their impact on the world. Pupils gain a greater understanding of the belief systems, practices and their role in wider society. This is achieved by studying their perspectives of life on this planet, attitudes towards crime and punishment, beliefs on the role of the family and views towards peace and conflict.   

Themes

Christianity

Islam

Religion and life

Christian beliefs

Islamic beliefs    

Crime and punishment

Christian practices

Islamic practices

Relationships and family

 

 

 

Peace and conflict

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Year 11 is used to revise GCSE content.

Component 1: The study of religions: beliefs, teachings and practices

  1. Islamic Beliefs and teachings
  2. Islamic Practices
  3. Christian Beliefs and teachings
  4. Christian Practices

How it is assessed:

  • Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • 96 marks, plus 6 marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG)
  • 50% of GCSE

Questions: Each religion has a common structure of two five-part questions of 1, 2, 4, 5 and 12 marks. Each religion is marked out of 48.

Component 2: Thematic studies

  1. Relationships and families
  2. Religion and Life
  3. Peace and Conflict
  4. Crime and punishment

Theme A: Relationships and families.

Theme B: Religion and Life.

Theme D: Religion, peace and conflict.

Theme E: Religion, crime and punishment.

How it is assessed:

  • Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • 96 marks, plus 3 marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG)
  • 50% of GCSE

Questions: Each theme has a common structure of one five-part question of 1, 2, 4, 5 and 12 marks. Each theme is marked out of 24.

GCSE Results 2022

Congratulations to the Year 11 students on achieving 68% grades 9-4.

GCSE Results 2023

Congratulations to the Year 11 students on achieving 72.3% grades 9-4.

Extra Curricular/Clubs

Debate club

Useful Links

Below are some RE websites to support interest and learning:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zb48q6f

https://senecalearning.com/en-GB/blog/gcse-religious-studies-revision/

https://revisionworld.com/gcse-revision/rs-religious-studies

https://cafod.org.uk/Education/Secondary-and-youth-resources/GCSE-Religious-Studies