Religious Education

Welcome to the Religious Education Department

The Religious Studies department is a successful and innovative department, which is committed to raising the achievement of all of our students. The Department currently consists of two specialist members of staff. The team is committed to excellent learning and teaching and consistently endeavours to find new ways to engage and inspire our students. Within the department, we place a strong emphasis on collaborative working - sharing ideas and resources.

The Religious Studies Department follows the Carmarthenshire Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education. All students study Religious Education in Years 7 – 9 and then RE is offered as an option at GCSE and A level.

Key Stage 3

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Key Stage 4

Religious Studies

Astudiaethau Crefyddol

Which teacher(s) should I see if I want more information about the course?

Mrs. Giles or Miss. Jenkins

What course will I be following?

GCSE Religious Studies (WJEC)

Religious Studies Specification

What kinds of things will I study?

GCSE Religious Studies is an exciting course which offers a broad study of religion. You will get to investigate questions such as “why does evil exist?”. You will study topics that explain the diversity of life and religion in the modern world, improving your philosophical thinking skills and enhancing your ability to think outside of the box. Being able to understand contemporary ethical and religious issues such as medical ethics and religious fundamentalism is also integral to the course. You will also develop your communication skills and learn to clearly express your views and increase your confidence.

During the two year course a number of options are studied:

Year 10: Unit 1 - Christianity, Islam and Philosophical Themes. You will study Christianity and Islam and their core beliefs, teachings and practices. As well as issues of Life and Death from a Christian, Islamic and non-religious point of view. You will also explore the concepts of Good and Evil from a Christian and Muslim point of view.
Year 11: Unit 2 - Christianity, Hinduism and Philosophical Themes. You will look in detail at Christianity and Hinduism core beliefs, teachings and practices. Relationships from a Christian and Hindu point of view are explored as well as Human Rights from a Christian and Hindu point of view.
You will engage with a range of religious, personal, social, ethical, moral and philosophical issues and the varying attitudes of religion to them e.g. The life of Jesus, What it means to be a Christian, Muslim or Hindu, Pilgrimage, the Existence of God, the problem of evil and suffering in the World, War and Conflict, Pacifism, Capital Punishment, Relationships, Human Rights, Euthanasia, Abortion and many more!

How will my work be assessed?

You will be required to demonstrate your ability to:

Describe, explain and analyse, using knowledge and understanding.

Use evidence and reasoned arguments to express and evaluate personal responses, informed insights and differing viewpoints.

This will be done via two written papers. One at the end of Year 10 and one at the end of Year 11.

How can I progress my learning in this subject after Year 11 and is this the course for me?

Are you interested in exploring some of the world’s most important moral and philosophical issues through debate and discussion with your peers? Do you like exploring different beliefs and cultures? If so, GCSE Religious Studies could be an ideal course for you. Religious Studies is a fascinating and complex, cross-curricular subject with direct relevance to the world we live in.

It is a qualification highly valued by universities and employers alike, across a broad range of subjects and careers.

The skills you will gain by studying Religious Studies are well-respected by colleges, universities and highly sought after in many jobs eg. critical thinking and the ability to interpret information, formulate questions and solve problems, teamwork and communication, the ability to construct a reasoned argument, empathy and the ability to understand people and take on board others' views and the ability to think for yourself.

If you enjoy your experience with Religious Studies at GCSE, you can further develop your knowledge and skills by studying A-Level RS with us here in the Sixth Form at Dyffryn Taf.

Religious Studies complements many other subjects. The Russell Group of Top Universities has made it clear that RS provides ‘suitable preparation for university’ and Oxford and Cambridge include it in their top level list of ‘suitable Arts A levels’.

Key Stage 5

At A level pupils study Philosophy of Religion, Ethics and Hinduism. Achieving a B grade in GCSE English would be advantageous in order to meet the challenge required for this A level subject.

Please click on the button below for more information.

Religious Studies a level

Extra Curricular

In years 10 or 11 pupils have the option of a study visit to Italy. Pupils visit sites in Rome and Sorrento along with visiting the historical sites of Herculaneum and Pompeii in Naples.
Sixth form London trip where we visit the Bhaktivedanta manor (ISKCON) and the Swaminarayan temple as part of the Hinduism course. We also visit the Imperial War museum.
Since 2017 the department has arranged a collection for Carmarthen foodbank (Trussell Trust) each Christmas.
2019 marked the first year the department entered pupils for the Spirited Arts and Poetry competition
Each year the RE department arranges for two sixth form pupils to take part in the government-funded Lessons from Auschwitz Project, organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust.