As a Catholic school we greatly value the formal teaching of Theology and it forms an integral part of the curriculum.
In Years 7 to 9 the girls follow a bespoke Theology course created by the department with the aim of fulfilling the requirements of the Curriculum Directory of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, the mission of a Catholic school in general and a Company of Mary Our Lady school in particular. The overarching themes of each year are;
Year 7: I am made in the Image of God
Year 8: The Way the Truth and the Life
Year 9: Here I am Lord, Send Me.
All students study the full GCSE in Religious Studies which is taken at the end of Year 11. There are two examination units.
Component 1: Study of Religion; For this examination girls are expected to have in depth knowledge of two world faith. They will study Catholic Christianity and Islam. In both religions they will explore the beliefs, teachings and practices of each faith.
Component 2: In this component, the students explore four themes which will require girls to understand Catholic social teachings as well as other Christian and secular points of view. The themes include Marriage and the Family, Religion and Life, The Existence of God and Religion, Peace and Conflict.
The resources obtained for use in the department and those produced ‘in-house’ explicitly treat Catholic beliefs and attitudes and highlight similarities and differences with other Christian denominations, allowing the department to remain faithful its task of educating students about the beliefs and values espoused by the Company of Mary and Catholic Church at large.
