Religious Studies

Mr Ian Guest is Head of Department; The other member of the department is Miss Sophie Collis who has been at Sheffield Springs Since September 2007.

The department is well resourced with internally produced work booklets and information sheets, interactive white boards, a cross section of a number of modern text books and a video library of relevant films, TV programmes and documentaries to stimulate interest and discussion.

In RS we use a thematic approach to religion at KS3 concentrating on Christianity with each theme and at least one other major world religion.

Themes in Y7
Beliefs - an exploration of the personal beliefs of students and others around them. 
World Religions - an introduction to the main aspects of the six major world religions.
Founders of Religion - an exploration of the charismatic nature of the religious leadership of Jesus, Moses and Muhammad.

Themes in Y8
Places of Worship - an exploration of religious buildings and their use.
Festivals - an exploration of a variety of festivals from different religions including why and how they are celebrated.
Sacred Texts - an introduction to the world's major sacred texts and a closer exploration of what is in the Bible and how it is used.

At KS4 students study the WJEC Religious Education Entry Level course and the WJEC Religious Studies GCSE course which are issues based courses looking at a variety of social, spiritual, moral and ethical issues from the point of view of Christianity and islam.
Students not only learn about religion but learn from religion and an emphasis is placed upon tolerance of others' beliefs and opinions, developing values and developing an understanding of what it means to care for others and to care for the world.

The issues in Y9
Is it Fair? - issues of injustice and unfairness, justice and equality in today's world.
Our World - exploring creation and issues of pollution and conservation and using the earth's resources responsibly.
Identity and Belonging - issues of community and one's place in society.

The issues in Y10
Relationships - issues of love, sex marriage and divorce.
Looking for Meaning - issues of life an death, the existence of God and the purpose of life.
Religious Expression - exploring faith and issues of expressing one's faith.
Religion and Conflict - exploring the rules of war, issues of peace, forgiveness, conflict.

The issues in Y11
Religion and Medicine - issues of medical ethics and the sanctity of life.
Suffering and Evil - exploring the problem of evil and how people deal with suffering.
Authority - Religion and State - issues of law and order in religion and society.

At KS5 the RS department is involved with the extended project which is a UCAS recognised qualification equivalent to an AS level and is especially designed to develop research, writing and presentation skills at Level 3.