Birmingham Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education


Birmingham City Council \| Birmingham Grid for Learning

Birmingham Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education 2007

5. Programmes of Study
D. Key Stage 3

Foundation

Throughout Key Stage 3:

Pupils will begin to develop a more coherent view of Christianity and (an)other religious tradition(s), selecting those religious traditions on the basis of factors set out above [see Factors]. Each pupil should, broadly speaking, be able to study the religious tradition from his or her family background.

Pupils will be seeking to develop informed judgement, their aesthetic and moral sensibilities, and their dispositions. Through an appreciation of some key figures from the religious past, pupils will grow in awareness of some of the competing and deep-rooted forces and principles claiming their loyalty and commitment (The Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount are strongly advised to be taught at this key stage).

Pupils will note the light and/or dark side (if any) of some of the key christian figures and events24 and the imprint they left on contemporary life. Pupils will also consider the import of some of the outstanding figures and decisive events from religious traditions represented amongst the pupils in the classroom.

Pupils will develop a sense of the Biblical narrative(s) and from these develop their understanding of conflict and reconciliation, and a vision of how life might be lived. They will also develop their knowledge of other sacred texts. Through their encounter with texts from diverse cultures and traditions they will acquire basic interpretative skills. They will study examples in human culture, e.g. literature and films, in which religious concerns are raised and considered, directly or indirectly.

Pupils will enlarge their religious vocabulary and associated religious concepts. They will appreciate the role of religious faith and institutions in the lives of people, as religious ritual and celebrations mark important times and places, relationships and stages in life, and attempt to shape the future.

In the light of these rituals and celebrations they will consider their ultimate concern and loyalties to competing principles, their responsibilities to others, and develop a sense for the interdependence of all things and their unity.

Development of Pupils and Society:
Skills, Understanding and Application of Knowledge

I. Learning from Faith

The dispositions of pupils will be developed using the treasury of faith. Drawing on the beliefs, expressions and practical actions of religious traditions and by having regard to key questions [see: key questions in the non-statutory material], pupils at this Key Stage should grow intellectually, affectively/emotionally, and practically by being enabled to:

chart to illustrate person & social focus and link to larger version

with a personal focus

primarily, but not exclusively, cognitive

Consider reflectively and actively matters that relate to the fundamental sense, purpose and meaning of life.
Give close attention to the life-style challenging inspiration provided by Scriptures and religious traditions, events and places of religious significance.
Reflect onsome key cultural expressions of religious life - e.g. films, drama and/or the built environment, and evaluate how effectively they convey key religious ideas.

primarily, but not exclusively, affective

Begin to express important and complex human and religious affections in words or in other media.

primarily, but not exclusively, conative

Begin to deploy the characteristics of selflessness, altruism and concern for friends, neighbours and strangers, especially for those caught up in natural disasters, for those in situations of social deprivation, or for those who experience personal disabilities.
Develop a sense of responsibility for the care of animals and the environment and thus a sense of the interdependence and unity of all things.
Discern and cultivate reflectively, widely recognised values and virtues, (such as, honesty, integrity, patience, non-violence, and courage), through the study of certain heroic figures and events.

primarily abilities and skills oriented

Deploy and enhance skills to enable them to engage in inter-religious and intercultural conversations.

with a social focus

Value and use religious insights, and as a critical friend, to sustain key social institutions, such as, the family, through reflection on human relationships, marriage and human sexuality.

II. Learning about religious traditions

Pupils should be offered a holistic view of religious traditions, their beliefs, their expressions, and their practical actions. Thus pupils should be helped to develop their knowledge, their affections, their dispositions, their abilities/skills and relationships with others in society by using key questions and:

with a personal focus

primarily, but not exclusively, cognitive

Appreciating the roots and history of religious faith in Britain and the wider world.
Studying key religious beliefs and practices, the origin and context of sacred writings, persons and institutions. (The Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount are strongly advised to be taught at this key stage).
Developing an understanding of religious views on, and attitudes to, animals and the environment, and the importance and implications of studying the natural world.

primarily, but not exclusively, affective

Exploring significant and influential religious fiction, narratives, events, and places.

primarily, but not exclusively, conative

Engaging with, and questioning, events, activities and expressions, the significance of which is both religious and cultural.

primarily abilities and skills oriented

Enlarging their religious vocabulary and concepts, and using them appropriately and in the right context.

with a social focus

Studying and responding to religious positions on: human relationships, marriage, human sexuality and the family.
Learning how faith traditions have encountered, and are engaging with, each other in history and contemporary Britain.

Areas of Study

A. Cultivating Spiritual Aspirations and Moral Dispositions:

"A disposition is a prevailing quality of character marked by an inclination, or will,
to act in a particular way or by a tendency to a certain kind of action."

In the course of their study of the religious material and resources pupils will be seeking to cultivate their spiritual aspirations and moral dispositions which should not be isolated from religious understanding. Within the religious context the virtuous nature of these dispositions depends precisely on the condition of the sense of life as a life lived before God or out of a duty to the Divine, or in anticipation of the dissolution of the self in nirvana. To treat the development of dispositions as purely an exercise in self-development, or alternatively as desirable behaviour from the viewpoint of the interest of society, is (from a theological perspective) to exacerbate the deepest problem of the human condition, and in the words of St Augustine, to turn these virtues into ‘splendid vices’.

Therefore, to convey the sense of religious life in religious education it is necessary to show the inextricable link between the religious understanding and the dispositions. It is believed that through an active engagement with religious material and resources, employing key questions, and the use of imaginative empathy, exemplars and experimental modeling, (as well as other means) the dispositions will emerge and grow. Social structures are developed through the links created between people across space and time. For the purposes of this syllabus the dispositions have been agreed to be:

RT = a specified religious tradition or believers of a specified religious tradition
L.f.F. = Learning from Faith
L.a.R.T. = Learning about Religious Traditions

	Spiritual and Moral Dispositions	Some suggested Key Questions at this stage are:
	Being Imaginative and Explorative	L.f.F.: How can we imagine the world and life being different? Are there limits? Why or why not? L.a.R.T.: How have (RT) imagined the origin of the world and life in it?
	Appreciating Beauty	L.f.F.: Is beauty ‘skin deep’ or beyond appearances? L.a.R.T.: How have (RT) recognised, interpreted and spoken of beauty?
	Expressing Joy	L.f.F.: Is joy a choice or a feeling? L.a.R.T.: How do (RT) express joy?
	Being Thankful	L.f.F.: For whom/what are we grateful? L.a.R.T.: How do (RT) demonstrate gratitude?
	Caring for Others, Animals and the Environment	L.f.F.: Why and how should we care for the various life forms and the physical world? L.a.R.T.: To whom do (RT) say the planet belongs? Why?
	Sharing and Being Generous	L.f.F.: Why should we share with others? L.a.R.T.: How do the believers of (RT) share and show generosity?
	Being Regardful of Suffering	L.f.F.: How do we cause/contribute to suffering? L.a.R.T.: How have (RT) responded to suffering?
	Being Merciful and Forgiving	L.f.F.: Should we forgive everything? L.a.R.T.: How do the believers of (RT) seek and offer forgiveness?
	Being Fair and Just	L.f.F.: Does justice /fairness for me get in the way of justice/fairness for others? L.a.R.T.: What do the believers of (RT) mean by justice and fairness?
	Living by Rules	L.f.F.: Why should we follow rules? L.a.R.T.: Who/what should make ‘the’ rules?
	Being Accountable and Living with Integrity	L.f.F.: Who judges our integrity? L.a.R.T.: What does it mean to live with integrity? Why do (RT) think integrity is important? How do they show this?
	Being Temperate, Exercising Self-Discipline and Cultivating Serene Contentment	L.f.F.: How do I know if I am self-disciplined and content? L.a.R.T.: How do the believers of (RT) develop self-discipline and contentment?

	Spiritual and Moral Dispositions	Some suggested Key Questions at this stage are:
	Being Modest and Listening to Others	L.f.F.: Do I/we make time to listen? L.a.R.T.: How do the believers of (RT) show that other people matter?
	Cultivating Inclusion, Identity and Belonging	L.f.F.: How can we ensure that everyone experiences a sense of inclusion? L.a.R.T.: How important is a sense of belonging to believers of (RT). How do they show that belonging is for all?
	Creating Unity and Harmony	L.f.F.: What does the sense of unity and harmony cost? L.a.R.T.: How do believers of (RT) create a sense of unity and harmony?
	Participating and Willing to Lead	L.f.F.: Am I/are we setting a good example for others to follow? L.a.R.T.: What makes a good leader? From where does religious authority come and how can you recognise it?
	Remembering Roots	L.f.F.: Am I/are we proud of my/our past? Should I/we be? L.a.R.T.: How does religious history help to shape the present and the future?
	Being Loyal and Steadfast	L.f.F.: How willing am I/are we to make sacrifices? L.a.R.T.: How do the believers of (RT) show their loyalty/make sacrifices?
	Being Hopeful and Visionary	L.f.F.: Do I/we really believe that I/we can make a difference? L.a.R.T.: How do the believers of (RT) express their hopefulness?
	Being Courageous and Confident	L.f.F.: What, if anything, should scare me/us? L.a.R.T.: How have the believers of (RT) shown courage?
	Being Curious and Valuing Knowledge	L.f.F.: Is curiosity a good thing? L.a.R.T.: How do the believers of (RT) show they value knowledge and what do they mean by ‘know’?
	Being Open, Honest and Truthful	L.f.F.: Is truth ever too challenging? Can we ever know the whole truth? L.a.R.T.: How do the believers of (RT) identify and understand the concept of truth?
	Being Reflective and Self-Critical	L.f.F.: Can self-doubt help or hinder? L.a.R.T.: When and why do the believers of (RT) take time out to be reflective?
	Being Silent and Attentive to, and Cultivating a Sense for, the Sacred and Transcendence	L.f.F.: Where and when does silence happen for me/us? L.a.R.T.: How do the believers of (RT) practice and develop their contemplation?

B. Selected religious material:

To make progress in the process of achieving the attainment targets of RE, pupils during this key stage should be taught using appropriate key questions and the various aspects of religious traditions, namely their:

Beliefs, especially those central to the religions in question, and beliefs about the divine, people, the past and future, the natural world.
Key figures and institutions.
Literature: Stories, poetry, prayers, wisdom literature, hymns/carols.
Celebrations, rituals, - [sacraments, hymns/carols, prayers] - symbols, artefacts and language.
Cultural expressions in the arts, i.e. those which have religious import (In music, art, sculpture, dance, drama, design of buildings).
Actions, with examples of what members of the religious faiths have done and are doing to help others or to care for the world about them.
Ethics, laws/rules that govern behaviour.

These will be selected from:

Christian traditions, (The Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount are strongly advised to be taught at this key stage) [see religious traditions: Christianity].
Religious traditions represented in the classroom [see religious traditions : Bahá'í; Buddhism; Hinduism; Islam; Jainism; Judaism; Rastafarianism; Sikhism].
Resources from diverse religious traditions that help to deepen and broaden the spiritual and moral dimension, e.g. by choosing material from different parts of the world and also encountered in Birmingham and Britain.
Resources that make links with other areas of the curriculum.
Resources that reflect the interest and choice of pupils.
Resources that promote a positive appreciation of, and care for, others.
Resources from the daily life and experience of pupils in the classroom, from contemporary culture, and generally from what is to be found in the immediate neighbourhood and community, e.g. films, buildings, people, together with resources from the wider world which may be accessed through Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

C. Using Clusters:

The dispositions may be clustered to reveal 1. their interdependence and 2. the different configurations in which they may be encountered within the varying cultures and civilisations. Any clustering will also take into account the ages, aptitudes and family background of the children in the school (see advice on clustering). Teachers may choose to cluster the dispositions outlined above into six basic clusters. Thus one might cluster the dispositions in one of the following ways:

Example 1:

1 – 4 as developing creativity (How should we imagine and express what matters?)

5 – 8 as developing compassion (How and why should we care?)

9 – 12 as developing choice (What should we stand for?)

13 – 16 as developing community (How and where should we contribute and relate to others?)

17 – 20 as developing commitment (What ventures should we undertake?)

21 – 24 as developing contemplation (How do we come to understand what matters?)

Example 2:

[24, 21, 7, 12] as being attentive (How can we learn about what lies beyond the limits of our world?)

[1, 13, 9, 22] as being receptive (How can we learn to receive without abusing the gift?)

[17, 23, 14, 18] as learning from the past (How can the past live and enlarge the present?)

[19, 20, 15, 1] as looking to the future ((What dare we hope for?)

[5, 16, 10, 11] as recognising inter-dependence ((How do we learn that others rely on us and we on them?)

[3, 4, 8, 6] as responding and developing (What can we do to develop fully as persons?)

Postscript to Key Stage 3:
Year Nine

Schools can comply with the legal requirements to provide all registered pupils with Religious Education by providing access to discrete courses or units leading to recognised qualifications as approved by Birmingham SACRE. Schools that do intend pupils to follow such a certificated GCSE course in Religious Education during Key Stage 4 may choose to introduce pupils to this course of study during year 9.