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Religious Education

Our ambitious and inclusive curriculum is designed to empower our students to become life-long learners and successful global citizens.

Through a well-sequenced curriculum, we intend to embed knowledge and skills that challenge all learners. In the Religious Education curriculum we utilise three key disciplinary lenses; a theological lens, a philosophical lens and a social science lens, to broaden students' understanding of the world and teach them to consider and respect the views and opinions of others. Students learn the key principles of world religions and then apply this understanding to a broad range of challenging concepts. For example, students will learn about Christian, Hindu and Islamic beliefs in Year 7 and then explore the topic of afterlife from different religious perspectives in Year 8, considering each Religions' response through a theological, philosophical and social science lens. 

All students continue to study core Religious Education at Key Stage 4, where students develop their understanding of ethical and moral issues such as euthanasia and abortion. 

If students choose to study GCSE Religious Studies, they will compare Islamic and Christian belief systems and develop their understanding of how each religion views marriage, family, death, crime, peace and conflict. 

Development of Religious literacy is important so that children and young people can confidently engage in balanced and well-informed conversations about religion and beliefs. The language of argumentation in RE is particularly important, so providing students with a broad range of phrases such as ‘credible’, ‘compelling’, ‘significant’, ‘questionable’, ‘dubious’ & ‘illogical’ should lead to more complex and fruitful debate in the classroom.

To embrace our Society -centred key aim, our curriculum has been designed to reflect our locality and the diversity of the local Hounslow community, allowing our students to engage with religions, outside their own. We strive to promote the Hestonian Values, such as kindness and equality, and mutual respect for each other as they debate controversial issues within a safe environment, encouraging our students to become more tolerant and responsible citizens within society.

To raise aspirations and allow our students to make informed decisions about their future, we provide subject specific careers education. Students learn how the knowledge and skills they are developing in their Religious Education lessons can be applied to careers such as Law, Journalism or Politics. 

Our Curriculum Maps outline our curriculum design and the development of knowledge and skills from Years 7-11. The curriculum is adapted to support and challenge students with different starting points, whilst remaining ambitious for all.