Religion & Society

A spirit of enquiry is central to Religion and Society at Queen Elizabeth's School. We encourage students to ask questions about belief, faith, culture and the rôle of citizens in society. Curiosity about other people fosters greater understanding of them as well as empathy and respect.

In both Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 Citizenship themes are addressed alongside religious issues, hence the name of the subject: Religion and Society. For example, in the Summer term of Year 7 boys work on the themes of democracy, justice and authority in the local area.

ICT is used throughout teaching. There are interactive whiteboards in all classrooms, and all lessons are delivered through interactive PowerPoint presentations. The internet is employed for research in Year 8 and we use DVDs, videos and music in our teaching.

At Key Stage 3, the course is based upon the Barnet Agreed Syllabus. The key concepts of Religion and Society are explored, including: beliefs and teachings; practices and ways of life and learning to respect others with different beliefs to our own. In Year 9 boys begin to study for the GCSE examination taken by all pupils at the end of Year 10.

We follow the AQA examination board's GCSE Specification B Short Course. The course combines in-depth study of a religion's key beliefs and practices with a focus on contemporary issues and religious views linked to these issues, such as the place of suffering in the world, abortion and attitudes to animals. Religion and Society is not taught in the Sixth Form.

Academic support at both Key Stage 3 and GCSE is provided through our Religion and Society clinic, a weekly lunchtime club giving one-on-one guidance to students.

There are also lunchtime clubs run by pupils, including the Christian Fellowship, Testament Club and the Jewish Society. All emphasise a social learning atmosphere, with activities that include discussion, film, games and outside speakers.

Year 7 boys visit a place of worship to help them with their website project. In the past trips have taken place to Finchley Reform Synagogue and Neasden Hindu Mandir.

QE has a strong record of success in the Barnet-wide annual competition run by the Baha'i community, which looks at topics relating to the interdependence of human beings, such as climate change.

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