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Religious Studies
Vision
Religious Studies at SMSJ aims to develop a trichotomy of RS Pedagogical Aims; Social Harmony: promoting British Values. Moral Development: conducive to local and national citizenship; and, Critical Realism: an academic approach to religious and other texts, and understanding of religious beliefs/practices with an appreciation and use of logical discourse. All the while acknowledging the reality, and validity, of faith elements within the aforementioned. As such, we draw upon a wide range of activities in our classroom practice; inspired first by Edgar Dale’s active learning model, so to experience religious discourse and engage critically within such spheres; inspired, too, by Benjamin Bloom’s taxonomy of learning objectives, so to scaffold tasks and bring both inclusivity and academic rigour to our pupils. All the while maintaining our core values: wisdom, service and hope, which make us a distinctive Christian School within the Church of England tradition.
Wisdom
By being exposed to the major 6 religious traditions of the world, through the curriculum, eons of human experiences and practices are studied and great philosophical traditions are given room to permeate into young minds. It is the hope that the Religious Studies Department at SMSJ will act as a catalyst to inspire the next generation with the wisdom shared by our common humanity. We see Critical Realism as a key role in this within the Department.
Service
Wisdom, without service, is cold and humanless; it is precisely in human interactions where wisdom is lived and given room to grow. The Religious Studies Department aims to give pupils the tools required to understand the value of service, both to the self and to the local and wider community. Thereby promoting a Moral Development conducive to British Values.
Hope
The Religious Studies Department is a department of hope; hope in our pupils’ futures and in the development of spiritual, social, moral and cultural understanding, and appreciation of cultural capital - which empower. We believe religious and non-religious views are studied with the aim of developing a Social Harmony understanding amongst our pupils. One where common values of religious tolerance, democracy, the rule of law and individual liberty can be understood within religious and non-religious traditions.