Religious Studies

At Golborne High School, the ambition of RS is to inspire pupils to explore faiths, worldviews, and ethical issues with openness and respect, preparing them to be thoughtful, responsible and future-ready individuals.

Questions are encouraged above all things, as curiosity and passion underpin everything we achieve in RS at KS3 and GCSE at KS4. While the KS3 RS curriculum is largely informed by Wigan SACRE’s Local Agreed Syllabus, we hope to approach standard topics in ways that engage pupils whilst developing essential empathetic, problem-solving and academic skills.

We also go beyond the 'Big Six' religions, by engaging with minor world religions such as Jainism, non-religious worldviews such as Humanism and by allowing pupils to think deeply about ethical issues and to encourage the highest ambition for all pupils in our classrooms. Topics which are 'up for discussion' include the environment, how to know right from wrong, euthanasia and abortion.

Pupils enjoy the opportunity to improve their articulacy through structured debates, and benefit greatly from discovering points of view alternative to their own.

At KS4, pupils discover more about the intricacies of Christianity and Buddhism as well as a variety of themed studies through the rigorous AQA Religious Studies GCSE programme.

These choices of religion and theme allow pupils to explore the practical applications of religion such as ethics surrounding crime and punishment, questions about the existence of God or even the nature of our society. These selections permit pupils to prepare for a vast assortment of careers including law, healthcare, medical or business ethics or further study of Philosophy and Ethics at A Level, degree level and beyond.

Religious Studies continues to enjoy success through Year 11 outcomes, with 35% of pupils achieving grade 7+. Our subject is a popular choice and is valued academically both within school, and at college and university level.

What makes us unique in our approach to RS, is our dedication to beginning with solid factual foundations of the six major world religions, before building upon these roots by tackling a wide variety of ethical topic explorations. Ethical debates and deep thinking continue throughout KS3, preparing pupils for a GCSE in our subject or for decision-making and moral choices in the wider world if their interests lie outside of religious and cultural study. By designing the RS Curriculum in this way, we are proud to say that RS is at the forefront of delivering Golborne High School’s curriculum aims:

• Prepared for the Future
• Lifelong Leaners
• Responsible Citizens