Information Book Just for Starters - Stockport Grammar School

RELIGION & PHILOSOPHY
We aim to:
• Promote empathy with and understanding of faith perspectives
• Examine the validity of religious truth claims
• Allow pupils the opportunity for spiritual development
• Enable pupils the opportunity to address the “big questions” concerning the purpose and
value of human existence, the nature and role of moral codes and whether death is the
end
Do I need to have a religious belief?
There is absolutely no reason for students of religion to be religious. All that is asked is
that pupils adopt an open mind and attempt to appreciate the subtleties, nuances and
intellectually demanding nature of the concepts contained in religious beliefs and practices.
What is Religion and Philosophy in the Lower School like?
All pupils will learn about the major world religions in the course of their Life Studies lessons.
The emphasis on Christianity, Islam and Judaism is deliberate and reflects the demographic
amongst the school intake. Moral issues form a large part of class discussion and pupils
are encouraged to appreciate the difficulties to be found in making value judgements,
particularly regarding contemporary ethical issues.
What happens further up the school?
At GSCE the department follows the OCR specification B syllabus in Philosophy and
Applied Ethics. Pupils are required to sit four examinations, each lasting one hour. There is
no coursework element to the GCSE. This course enables pupils to examine fundamental
questions concerning the nature of their existence and makes no assumption concerning
faith background. Indeed, the atheist’s position is welcomed as just as valid as that of the
theist. What is demanded is an ability to construct well-reasoned arguments to support your
view and a willingness to challenge the often unthinking acceptance of the consensus.
In the Fourth Year, pupils focus on philosophical issues such as the nature of God, religion
and science, good and evil and death and the afterlife. Pupils are encouraged to discuss
and challenge conventional wisdom whilst developing their own skills of expression and
evaluation. In the Fifth Year, religious studies students examine ethical issues such as equality
and medical ethics, human relationships, poverty, wealth, peace and justice. This provides
an opportunity to apply philosophical and religious teachings to a variety of ethical and
contemporary issues, all of which have relevance in our every day lives. At A level, the
department offers Religious Studies which again follows the Philosophy and Ethics options
as well as Philosophy which is taught as a distinct subject. Both courses allow pupils to
consider a wide range of philosophical and ethical topics, ranging from war and euthanasia
to the nature of the world around us.
Fifth Year pupils visit Auschwitz on a Religious Studies trip to Poland.
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