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Religious Education

Staff

  • Mrs B Hearty (HOD)
  • Miss F Goddard
  • Mrs H Killick (Chaplain)
  • Mrs S Lyon
  • Miss R Murphy
  • Mr G Sowney (Chaplain)
  • Mr J Stokes
  • Mrs S Toye

Religious Education is at the heart of the curriculum in Lagan College and is a core subject for all students at Key Stage 3 and at Key Stage 4 and the most popular A Level choice for our 6th Form students.

Key Stage 3

R.E. in Junior School is a lively subject that allows pupils to explore all aspects of religious faith. The curriculum is designed to meet the needs of all children and takes account of the different cultural backgrounds that the College welcomes. In Year 8 our focus is on Christianity, we explore aspects of Christian revelation, and look at the practical lives of Christians and how they challenge injustice in the modern world. A highlight of the year is our visit to Christian churches across Belfast and the subsequent project.

In Year 9 we begin to explore other world faiths with a particular focus on Islam. We visit Islamic Centre and students analyse wider issues of prejudice and discrimination. In particular, we look at the life of Martin Luther King and his non-violent campaigns for equal rights in the USA. We look at parallels with society in Northern Ireland and the continuing challenges of racism and sectarianism.

In Year 10 we look at Judaism in detail and the roots of Irish Christian faith in the life of St. Patrick. A significant part of Year 10 is spent preparing our students for the demands of GCS, we look at the death and resurrection of Jesus and begin to explore Christian ethics and how we make moral decisions.

Key Stage 4

GCSE Religious Education

We study the CCEA specification Unit 5 in Mark’s Gospel in Year 11. In Year 12 we study CCEA Unit 6 in Christian Ethics. The RE department has a proven track record of outstanding academic achievement at GCSE consistently performing above the Northern Ireland average for grammar schools and every member of our department has experience marking at GCSE and A Level.

Unit 5: Christianity through a Study of the Gospel of Mark (50%)

Unit 6: An Introduction to Christian Ethics (50%)

Useful websites for GCSE:

https://ccea.org.uk/key-stage-4/gcse/subjects/gcse-religious-studies-2017

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/examspecs/zm2s8xs

 

OCN Religious Studies NI – Level 2 Certificate

The OCN NI Level 2 Certificate in Religious Studies is designed for learners who wish to develop knowledge and understanding in Religious Studies in order to make sense of religious choices people make in today’s society. It is intended that learners will develop empathy, respect and awareness of other religious beliefs and cultural diversity.

The course is made of 9 units that examines the areas of addiction, charity, exploring personal identity and faith, life and death issues, exploring religious traditions within their own community, researching the life of a famous person of faith, marriage and divorce, prejudice and discrimination and examining world faiths.

Pupils will complete 9 units in total; 5 in Year 11 and 4 in Year 12.

Each unit is assessed by the classroom teacher and pupils build up a portfolio of evidence.  An external moderator from OCN will then carry out a further assessment.

There will be no examination.

Useful websites for OCN Religious Studies here

Post 16 Study

A Level Religious Studies

This is one of the most popular A Levels in our 6th Form and our results are consistently above the Northern Ireland grammar school average.

AS Religious Studies

  • Unit AS2: An Introduction to the Acts of the Apostles (20%)
  • Unit AS 4: The Origins and Development of the Early Christian Church to AD 325

A2 Religious Studies

  • Unit A2 2: Themes in the Selected Letters of St. Paul (30%)
  • Unit A2 4: Themes in the Early Church and the Church Today (30%)

Useful websites for A Level Religious Studies here

The RE Department also offers a single period RE seminar once a week to all our 6th Form students. In Year 13 the programme looks at issues of diversity in the world and in Year 14, explores the challenges of leadership. We have developed close working relationship with community youth organisations, religious leaders and peace organisation such as the Corrymeela Community.

Extra-Curricular Activities

  • Habitat for Humanity Fundraising

Career Pathways

  • Ministry
  • Youth Work
  • Social Work
  • Teaching
  • Medicine
  • Law