This resource provides a quick and easy map of your child’s curriculum journey in English. 

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible”. Dali Lama

Philosophy, Religion & Ethics (PRE) is a modern academic exploration into some of the world’s challenging questions about life. Students have the opportunity to explore a range of philosophical concepts across both religious and non-religious belief systems. This subject provides students with the opportunity to develop a passion for gaining new knowledge. PRE contributes to the Christian character of the local area of Salford which it serves and it enables students to ask questions about their own faith and the beliefs of others that they study alongside. It helps students to appreciate the rich and diverse society that we live in.

Philosophy, Religion & Ethics allows all students to: 

• Do what matters most – by challenging injustice, defending the rights of others and developing positive attitudes of respect towards everyone.
• Be yourself, always – by showing tolerance and respect for others beliefs, cultures and opinions.
• Show they care – by developing empathy and compassion for others and the world around them.
• Succeed together – by communicating effectively and enhancing their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

Year 7 

It is important to have solid foundations on which to build and develop curriculum knowledge for all of our students, in order to consolidate the learning that students have experienced at Key Stage 2. In Year 7, students will deepen their philosophical questioning and understanding of God as encountered and taught by Christians, Muslims and Jews.

Topics covered include:

• World Religions timeline
• Identity and Commitment
• Belief about God
• Indian Subcontinent Religions

Through these topics students will develop their understanding of the history of religion and how religion has influenced the society that they live in today.

Year 8

In Year 8, students will have the opportunity to ask deep and often searching questions about their own faith and beliefs, and the beliefs and opinions of others regarding philosophical questions such as, ‘what gives us meaning and purpose?’ and ‘what happens to us when we die?’

Topics covered include:

• What is Humanism?
• Beliefs about life after death
• Religion and spirituality
• Religion, crime and punishment

Through these topics students will explore many different world views and build up the knowledge and understanding of Christian beliefs, teachings and approaches to ethical issues. They will make links within religious beliefs and develop their own creative perspectives on spirituality. 

Year 9

In Year 9, students will continue to develop their understanding of philosophical questioning and their exploration of ethical issues. Inspiring them to learn from the

Topics covered include: 

• Introduction to philosophers
• Inspirational religious individuals
• Exploring the holocaust – survivor stories
• Religion and medical ethics

Through these topics students will continue to develop essential skills in PRE of analysis, interpretation and evaluation. A number of key philosophical and ethical questions will be discussed such as: why do humans suffer? When does life begin? and Do we have a right to clone humans?

Key Stage 4 RS

In Year 10, students can opt to take GCSE Religious Studies. In this subject, students will consider atheist, agnostic and theist approaches to belief and practice along with considering a range of ethical situations and philosophical ideas. Issues will be considered from a range of different faiths and secular perspectives, but will focus on Christianity, Judaism and atheist approaches.

Students will develop their knowledge and understanding of the philosophical and ethical issues through a range of discussions, debates, arguments presented by different religious and non-religious groups. Students learn to write constructive and challenging responses. They are asked to think deeply about their own values and the values of others. Religious Studies at key stage 4 intends to equip students with the skills they need to make informed moral and ethical choices about important ethical issues. It will allow them to gain a comprehensive understanding of the Christian teachings, beliefs and practices and enable the students to appreciate the views and opinions of people whose beliefs and values differ from their own. 

The exam is split into three components and the students will study the following:

Component one: Religious, philosophical and ethical studies in the modern world (50% – 2hr exam)        

Issues of relationships                                                                 

Issues of life and death                                                                     

Issues of good and evil                                                                           

Issues of human rights

Component two: Christianity  (25% – 1hr exam)

Christianity: Beliefs and teachings                                                        

Christianity: Practices

Component three: Islam  (25% – 1hr exam)

Islam: Beliefs and teachings                                                             

Islam: Practices

In each component there are different types of questions on the examination paper to assess the two different assessment objectives. The assessment objectives are referred to as A01 (demonstration of knowledge and understanding) and A02 (analysis and evaluation skills) in the specification. The two different assessment objectives test different dimensions of your religious knowledge and understanding. In the GCSE examinations, each assessment objective is worth 50 per cent of the total mar

From studying Philosophy, Religion and Ethics GCSE, you can go on to study Religious Studies A-Level or a connected subject, such as sociology . This can lead to studying all sorts of subjects at University or onto exciting art based apprenticeships. For example:

• Theology;
• Religion, Society and Culture;
• Mission and Ministry.

Check out the range of apprenticeships here.

Studying Philosophy, Religion, Ethics can lead you to a wide variety of careers, such as:

• Religious leader;
• Youth Worker;
• Teacher.

Have a look at the national careers website to see what careers are available with philosophy, religion and ethics qualifications.

The Curriculum Overview provides information as to how the curriculum is sequenced to enable students to build their knowledge and skills towards ambitious endpoints in each subject area. Click the picture to enlarge it and read more. Each terms’ learning is complemented by a knowledge organiser. 

Check them out