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RELIGION

Departmental Staff

Mrs Paula Coleman (Head of Department)

Mrs Deirdre Gilvary

Miss Lisa McCartney

Mrs Sarah Lagan

Mrs Maria Quinn

Miss Ann-Marie Rafferty

Miss Hannah Litter

Miss Shannon McCann

Mr Mark McGuigan

Mr Michael Donnelly

School Chaplain Fr Slater

Departmental Aims

 

To develop and strengthen in each pupil a personal relationship with God, in partnership with their home and parish. To foster knowledge, understanding and practice of the teaching and tradition of the Roman Catholic Faith. To deepen each pupils’ sense of belonging to a faith community and to encourage their full participation in its life and liturgy. To encourage an appreciation of each pupil’s own dignity, uniqueness and self-worth, as human beings created in the image and likeness of God. To help each pupil to develop an informed conscience and an appreciation of their responsibility for their actions and choices. To enable pupils to become more familiar with scripture as the inspired Word of God, to be lived out in their daily lives. To afford opportunities through charity work for the Gospel to become a living reality. To instil attitudes of respect for, and acceptance of, all persons as members of God’s family, regardless of religion, social position, race, age, education etc. To nurture student’s self esteem in order to promote successful learning and personal development. To ensure pupils are provided with the opportunities to reach their highest possible standards, both academically and spiritually.

Key Stage 3 Curriculum (Year 8,9 and 10)

The KS3 curriculum for Religious Studies seeks to provide a continuation from the primary school curriculum, examining many areas at a deeper level. Within the three-year programme for secondary schools key areas are returned to each year, e.g. the Bible, the Eucharist, the Church, the person and work of Jesus; but are dealt with at a successfully higher level or from a different perspective. The starting point for KS3 Religious Studies classes is the experience of students. This enables them to come to a deeper meaning of the significance of the events that happen to them every day. They are encouraged to reflect on the challenge of the Christian message and are helped to consider how they can modify their attitudes and behaviour in the light of the teaching of Jesus. Throughout the Fully Alive Series, the programme for KS3, one of the strategies that we use to help students reflect upon and understand the deeper meaning of their experience is storytelling. Prayer in its many different forms, traditional, liturgical, silent and spontaneous are explored. We foster in students an attitude of prayer - as awareness of God's presence, the ability to be silent; to reflect and to listen to God and an awareness of the fact that God is always listening to them.

 

 Key Stage 4 Curriculum (Years 11/12)

 

CCEA Specification.

 

In Year 11, students study Christianity through a study of Mark’s Gospel. They are expected to have a thorough knowledge of the background to the Gospel and the passages specified for the themes in the syllabus.

 

Students will study the following:

·         The Person of Jesus

·         Jesus the Miracle Worker

·         Parables and The Kingdom of God

·         Suffering, Death and Resurrection of Jesus

·         Discipleship

         

        

In Year 12 students study ‘An Introduction to Christian Ethics’.

 

Students will study the following topics:

·     Personal and Family Issues

·     Matters of Life and Death

·     Developments in Bioethics

·     Contemporary Issues in Christianity

·     Modern Warfare

 

Examination Structure

Candidates must complete one written paper from each section of the two- part course. Each written paper is worth 50% of the total marks for the course and lasts one hour and 30 minutes. Pupils will complete Paper 1 at the end of Year 11 and Paper 2 will be completed at the end of Year 12.

 

 

Provision at Key Stage 5 (Year 13/14)

 

We follow the CCEA Specification at AS and A level, studying the ‘Gospel of St Luke’ and ‘An Introduction to Islam.’

 

Luke

·         Understanding the Gospel of Luke

·         Key narratives in Luke’s Gospel

·         The Kingdom of God in the parables and miracles in Luke’s Gospel

·         Key themes in Luke’s Gospel

·         Other aspects of human experience

 

Islam

·         The life of Muhammad

·         The Qur’an

·         The Five Pillars of Islam

·         Worship and the mosque in Islam

·         Other aspects of human experience

 

Assessment

 

AS Two externally assessed written papers, 1 hour 20 minutes each.  Each paper is worth: 50% of AS. Both papers comprise 40% of A level.

 

A2 Two externally assessed written papers, 2 hours each. Both papers comprise remaining 60% of A level.

 

 

Useful Websites

The following websites may prove useful in the study of the Religion Programme at KS4.

 

GCSE and AS & A2 Level

www.ccea.org

Pope John Paul II Award.

 

This Award is open to all Post 16 pupils. The Award was created to commemorate the late Pope John Paul II who was so committed to young people and who had such belief and confidence in them. It will allow young people to understand that

religion and faith are not just for learning, nor are they a list of rules, but that they are for living. Pupils will complete the Award over 18 months, and will partake in Parish and Social activities in order to achieve the Award. Pupils will attend an Awards ceremony in St Patrick’s Cathedral Armagh at the end of the programme.

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