RS
RS Curriculum Vision
Religion is both a source of comfort and conflict around the world. In C21st Britain we live in a diverse society where a wide range of faiths share the same communities. It is our belief that understanding and dialogue are the key to challenging conflict and prejudice and in Religious Studies we seek to promote this understanding through our study of diverse faiths. Over the course of Key Stage 3 students will explore all of the major world religions, learning both the key tenets and practices of the faith and about the lives of their followers, and the part religion plays in these. They’ll explore festivals and moral guidance and, along the way, be introduced to a diverse range of different cultures, ideas and values. In Religious Studies we seek to go beyond teaching students about the tenets of different faiths to explore philosophical and ethical questions around life, death and the meaning of faith itself.
In Year 7 students are taught RS in their mixed-subject ‘Humanities’ class which provides a broad introduction to the study of humanities and includes history, geography, religious studies and some combined cross-disciplinary units. By working as a team to deliver our innovative year 7 curriculum students receive extensive support from a single teacher as they transition from primary school. They are also introduced to these new disciplines in a way that helps them to understand the connections between them; that, in Humanities, we explore how people have created their world and how they, in turn, have been created by it. From year 8 students are taught in form groups. The lessons focus on building cultural understanding and dialogue and discussion about contemporary faith issues, as well as building an understanding of different cultural values and religious practices.
Religious Studies is part of the core curriculum at John Mason School but does not promote any particular faith. During their time at John Mason students will explore a range of range of different faiths and cultures with a view to celebrating diversity and understanding how different people celebrate both religious and non-religious festivals.
Parental right to withdrawal
In the UK parents have the right to withdraw their children from RS on the grounds that they wish to make their own provision. This right extends to withdrawing from a part of RS. The alternative is the responsibility of the parents. Students over the age of 18 have the right to withdraw themselves from RS. Withdrawal from RS must be communicated in writing to the Deputy Headteacher.