IWEF follows the Living Difference III Hampshire agreed Syllabus, a popular and exciting syllabus that allows the student to explore important and relevant concepts such as ‘identity’, ‘suffering’, ‘peace’ and ‘community’ at first from their perspective and then expanded to a religious/spiritual perspective.

The main purpose of Key Stage 3 Religious Education at the Isle of Wight Education Federation is to introduce children and young people to what a religious way of looking at and existing in the world may offer in leading one’s life, individually and within society. The federation recognises and acknowledges that the question as to what it means to lead one’s life with a faith can be answered in a number of different ways. These include the idea that to live a religious life means to subscribe to certain beliefs; the idea that to live a religious life means to adhere to certain practices; and the idea that to live a religious life is characterised by a particular way of interacting with the world: with a particular kind of awareness of and faith in the world and in other human beings.

Studying Religious Education will encourage the student to challenge pre-existing ideas and beliefs, to learn to justify their opinions and to develop the skills that enable them to tackle ‘Big Questions’ with confidence, courage and integrity. Religious Education gives the students to discuss topics that may be considered ‘taboo’ in some subjects; recent examples have been the overturning of ‘Roe VS Wade’ in the US, ‘BLM’, the war in Ukraine, and gun violence in schools. A conceptual approach to religion allows the student to frame the concept within their own experience and broaden it so that they can see it from a different perspective. This will create relevancy and with any luck an interest and an interest to learn more.

The RE department at the Isle of Wight Education Federation is committed to producing broad minded, confident and respectful thinkers. The one hour a fortnight at Key Stage 3 for year 7 and the 2 hours a fortnight for years 8 and 9 will equip the learners to go to other subjects and seek connections to the wider world and to use their transferrable thinking skills in other classrooms.

Religious Education shall be delivered as a discrete lesson and will cover: discussion, written work, short films, Philosophy for Children activities, reasoning tasks and group/peer work-there will be a distinct focus on questioning and justification. Lessons and resources will be prepared by an RE specialist and delivered by dedicated Humanities teachers. Teachers are free to plan their own lessons, as long as the unique LDIV pedagogy is followed. The four Golden ‘thread’s (community, belonging, special and love) run throughout this carefully thought through curriculum and continue from the studies in Primary.

The intention behind the teaching of Religious Education at the Isle of Wight Education Federation is to embed essential critical thinking and questioning through philosophical and ethical concepts- religious education is approached from a conceptual and holistic manner in order to allow our students to learn about religion, from religion and to develop an understanding and an appreciation of their position in such a diverse world. What the student learns in RE should be applicable to outside the classroom-transferrable to other subjects or just for general interest.

The main religion studied will be Christianity as it reflects the Christian nature of the UK and the primary schooling of most students on the Island. They will look at the concepts of community and identity, belief and lack of belief. They will also understand the concept of love in action by looking at inspirational Christian figures. The concept of God will be looked at from a philosophical angle, readying the student for the higher order thinking and evaluative skills needed for GCSE. They will also continue their studies of Christian beliefs and practices at GCSE.

Students will also study Islam, not just as it is the second largest religion in the world, but because much can be misunderstood and the source of much prejudice if solely viewed through the lens of the media. Students will learn about Muslim identity, community through the study of Malala Yousafasai and how her identity has changed over the years. In year 8, Students will also look at the role of Ummah in greater detail and the burden/ privilege of Jihad through the study of the 5 Pillars. In year 9, they will also have the opportunity to explore the Islamic attitudes towards war- holy war or lesser jihad?

The third main religion will be Buddhism as it offers an interesting and engaging contrast to the two Abrahamic faiths, the role and status of Buddha is an interesting comparison to God, Jesus and Muhammed (PBUH), as is their devotional practices and eschatological beliefs. In year 8 students have a deep dive into 3 complex Buddhist concepts: anicca (impermanence), Sangha (community) and metta (kindness). Buddhism is also studied at GCSE and A level.

There will also be opportunities to discuss other faiths and secular positions in two specially designed units on ‘morality’ where the student is introduced to Humanism and ‘new religions’ where the student will learn some alternative religions as well as look at some cults and sects- this will all be connected to the over arching question about how religion is changing in modern society. Part of the Religious Education GCSE will also include non-religious/atheist/humanist perspectives on issues on life and death.

In Year 9, students will be given the option to choose to study RE at GCSE, and the topics chosen (particularly in year 8 and 9) reflect some of the key themes at GCSE: good and evil, capital punishment, abortion, euthanasia, peace, prejudice and discrimination. Lessons and resources that are planned will include up to date current affairs and key arguments from the past.

AMBITION – We want our students to want to learn more about the world and immerse themselves in new cultures. We want to them to be fearless when approaching new concepts and challenging ideas.
SUCCESS –  Students will celebrate success and show resilience to challenges. They will be successful learners who enjoy learning and achieve excellence. Success could also be understood when an interest in religions and cultures continues outside of school.
PROGRESS – Students will study an extensive and broad curriculum which enables them to make progress confidently by challenging them with ambitious content.
INSPIRATION – Students will investigate key events, key ideas and figures within religions which inspired change and have shaped the modern world. They will aim to be responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society.
RESPECT – Students show respect for our classroom environment and for the diverse range of cultures and backgrounds we study. They will challenge misconceptions and promote respect for all.
EQUALITY- Students are given the same opportunities. The RE curriculum ensures every student receives high quality adaptive teaching which challenges discrimination and issues from the past and present in a sensitive and supportive manner.

How does learning develop over the five years?

Year 7:

In year 7 students will continue building on their knowledge of the ‘golden threads’ (community, belonging, special and love) as these concepts are woven throughout the RE curriculum. They will explore the idea of identity from a religious and non religious perspective and link it to the ideas of community and belonging. They will then build on the concepts by looking at love; through the Golden Rule as demonstrated by Marcus Rashford and Martin Luther King. The theme of special continues as in term three, the students will look at why people do and don’t believe in God and explore the idea of ‘belief’ and ‘proof’

Year 8:

Year 8 will continue to develop their understanding of these threads by linking community, belonging, special and love to more subject specific studies of religion, namely the Buddhist understanding of change, community and love and the Islamic understanding of community, struggle and duty. They then will spend the third term exploring more philosophical concepts around good and evil, miracles and God.

Year 9:

Year 9 recognises the mature outlook of students as they begin to make their choices for GCSE. The golden threads are still present as they learn about the controversial and often divisive issues of abortion, euthanasia and capital punishment. We look at these topics from a human right and legal perspective-should the law dictate what i can do with my body, or is it my human right to do as I please? The second term covers issues of war, peace and pacifism and asks the question whether it is braver to seek war or seek peace. The last term will look at how religion has changed, from traditional stereotypes to new forms of worship and belief.

Year 10/11:

We follow the WJEC/Eduqas specification route A that covers three components: component 1: Philosophical, ethical and religious issues: looking at religious and non religious issues such as good and evil, the purpose of punishment, whether marriage is out of date and divorce really means a fresh start. Components 2 and 3 are the specialist studies of Christianity and Buddhism-looking at their unique and distinctiveness, look at the life of Buddha .the origination of Christianity and the specific practices that portray their belief.

How is the timetabled curriculum supplemented or enriched by other approaches to learning?

Religious Education is such a broad subject and questions so many areas that a student will find interesting to pursue. The curriculum is supported with frequent references to current affairs and cross curricular links, for example when Year 9 learn about human rights and genocide in Religious Education, they are leaning about the Holocaust in History.

In what ways does our curriculum help to develop students?

• Cultural diversity and identity: We look at different cultures and religions and the unique interpretations of the Golden thread-students will appreciate the diversity of attitudes towards ethical issues, moral dilemmas, and concepts like community, identity and God.
• Physically and mentally healthy lifestyles: we look at meditation techniques and discuss the importance of being aware of discrimination, eliminating prejudice and treating people with fairness and respect.
• Community participation: an awareness of the importance of interfaith dialogue and the importance of being a responsible member of one’s community.
• Careers and enterprise: the department has developed links with universities and employers.
• Technology and the media: students are encouraged to develop their research skills when learning about current affairs.
• Creativity and critical thinking: Students are encouraged to ‘think outside the box’ and not to take things at face value and to challenge ideas and beliefs. Students are used to Socratic questioning and are expected to justify their answers and opinions.

What forms do assessments take? What is the purpose of assessment?

At Key Stage 3, students’ progress and understanding will be assessed through discussion and questioning, written assessments and peer assessment.

At Key Stage 4, progress and knowledge will be assessed through rehearsal exams, timed essays, peer and self assessment and discussion. All students will develop listening and debating skills, they will be able to analyse and judge arguments and explain and support their opinions with evidence and justification. Skills gained in Religious Education at Key Stage 3 and 4 will prepare students for the academic rigour of humanities GCSE and A level subjects. The skills at Religious Education are transferrable and the knowledge and vocabulary gained will support and enhance any subjects studied alongside or thereafter.

How do we know if we have a successful curriculum?

• Student Voice will provide information on the success of the curriculum.
• Assessment data will provide information on progression.
• Pupils will choose RE as a GCSE option and will show progress on a lesson by lesson basis.
• Pupils will also be engaged and enthusiastic about thier learning within RE and can confidently and accuratley articulate their understanding.

How do we support ‘High Attaining’ pupils?

We always teaching to the top, scaffolding down to those who need extra support. This way our expectations are clear for all. We provide intervention strategies for students who are targeted to achieve the highest grades. Targeted questioning in class to push and extend the knowledge of those who are high attaining