Religious Studies is taught throughout West Hill Park in various ways from Nursery to Year 8. Christian beliefs and values are central to the ethos of the school and this is reflected throughout all departments as well as in our daily life. It is hoped that this ethos will allow children to develop the skills that are vital to their success, happiness and understanding in a multi-cultural society, both in the present and their future. Whilst West Hill Park is not a church school, we have many links with the local Parish church. The annual carol service is held in St. Peter's and the children visit the church on different occasions through the year.
In years 3-8 the children all have two 35-minute lessons and generally they will be taught in mixed ability sets, although this changes as they progress through the school and approach Common Entrance and Scholarship. In years 3, 4 and 5 the children will study Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Sikhism, although the emphasis will be upon Christianity. The scheme of work develops from learning about the basic stories in these religions in year 3 to a more in depth study of belief and practice as they progress into year 5.
From year 6 through to year 8 the children will be working towards either Common Entrance or Scholarship exams and will therefore follow the topics that form part of the ISEB Religious Studies Syllabus.
The Year 6 children will follow a scheme of work based on elements of Christianity. This allows them to build on their knowledge acquired in previous years and covers the main features of Christian belief and practice.
In years 7 and 8 the pupils will not only study texts from the Bible but they will also look at; the background to these stories, the teaching which can be developed from them, the effect that they have on modern day life and modern interpretations and ideas about them. They will study important characters from history who have had a profound affect on peoples lives and they will look at various ‘Contemporary Issues.'
Those who are in the Scholarship form will cover the Common Entrance Syllabus in greater depth throughout the Removes and Uppers years. In addition to this, specific scholarship questions from the papers of all schools will be discussed and answered. After the pupils have completed their Scholarships there is further scope for diverse study and as a result we will then look at current moral and ethical issues as well as various religious topics as they are presented in the newspapers.
A subject specialist teaches the majority of RS in a lively and vibrant way. The department is well resourced and the use of artefacts and the interactive whiteboard help to bring the subject to life visually. We hope that by the end of their time at the school the children will have a good knowledge and understanding of religious belief and practise and the ability to make reasoned and informed judgements about religious and moral issues. It is also hoped that they will regard RS not as something studied twice weekly but as a living subject that is an integral part of the lives of millions of people around the world.