Religious Studies
We live in a world rich in cultural variety. In Religious Studies the girls explore different beliefs and ways of life and the ideas that lie at their core.
In Years 7–9 the girls study different religions and begin investigating ethical theory, values and ideas, focusing in Year 9 on the human capacity for evil and religious and secular responses to it. This encourages the students to question their own values and beliefs, which in turn will enable them to make more informed life decisions in our rapidly changing world.
At GCSE the girls follow the EdExcel specification. The GCSE allows students to gain an overview of the Christian and Buddhist traditions, explore philosophical arguments and examine different responses to a range of ethical issues.
The A level course (Theology, Philosophy and Ethics) builds on the work of the GCSE but is more philosophically based and studied in greater depth. The course begins by examining the key ideas of Plato and Aristotle and their impact on religious thought. Over the two year course the students will be exposed to some of the most significant thinkers and ideas of the last two-and-a-half millennia. Ethical theory, issues and practice are likewise studied again with considerable depth.