Religious Education

Why study religious education?

Religious education (RE) teaches us not only about different religions and worldviews but also about important issues that shape the world we live in. We also spend time learning about how we have come to know about the religions and worldviews that exist in the world.

The main question we ask is: What does it mean to be a person of faith?

To help us answer this question we explore the key beliefs and practices of the main world religions, as well as examining alternative worldviews and religions. Non-religious beliefs are included, for example when we study humanism.

We learn about and discuss moral and ethical issues, including both religious and non-religious points of view on these issues.

Religious education helps us to learn more about our own beliefs as well as the beliefs of others, and this teaches us about the diversity of belief and practice that exists in the world. Religious education promotes mutual respect and understanding between different cultures and communities in the world, as well as in our local area more specifically.

Religious education in key stage 3

* Sikhi is also known as Sikhism.

** Rastafari is also known as Rastafarianism

Religious education in key stage 4

Examination Board: Eduqas
Specification Name: Religious Studies
Link: RE

This course involves:

• A study of ethical issues—life and death, good and evil, relationships and human rights
• A study of Christianity—key beliefs and how people worship
• A study of Buddhism—key beliefs, how people worship in this fascinating Eastern religion

Exemplar learning programmes and Memory Mastery pages

More about religious education at Ridgeway

* This Spotlight feature was originally published in 2022–23. Some of the details about curriculum content may no longer be up to date.