Philosophy and Ethics
Curriculum aims of the subject
In Philosophy and Ethics, we aim to allow every student the opportunity to explore the range of religious and spiritual
expression in the modern world. Students are given the skills and autonomy to draw their own conclusions about
religious, philosophical and ethical issues. We encourage all students to question and challenge beliefs in a tolerant and
respectful manner so that they are able to engage effectively in philosophical enquiry. We want all our students to
develop their own beliefs and values, and so our curriculum is based around enquiry and dialogue and not apologetics.
The subject at KS3
The Agreed Syllabus for Norfolk is followed in the Academy. Students in Year 7 begin by touring the 6 major world
religions, securing a sound understanding of the main values and beliefs and how these compare and contrast. From
this solid base of knowledge and understanding, we move on in Year 8 to look at the implications of the religious life
looking at expressions of faith such as pilgrimage and also working in tribes to build their own religions and ultimately
deciding on the role and function of religion in society and evaluating whether or not it is still a valuable asset to a
society. Finally, in Year 9 we turn to look at the challenges facing religion today and philosophical responses to this. We
consider the problem of evil and suffering in the context of the Holocaust. In addition to this, students consider the
challenge of science to religious belief and how this has been address by some key religious and philosophical thinkers
and how, in a more secular age, we might find morality without the use of religion by looking at different moral and
ethical philosophies. Throughout each phase of Key Stage 3, students are encouraged to consider and build their own
personal values and creeds.
The subject at KS4
Students may choose to continue with Philosophy and Ethics as a one year GCSE course. The course followed at the
Academy is AQA B in Religious Studies. We study Unit 2 (Religion and Life Issues) which deals with a range of ethical
issues from War to Euthanasia, drawing our own conclusions about them and considering the views of religious people
such as Hindu’s and Christians. In addition to this, we study Unit 4 (Religious Philosophy and Ultimate Questions) which
looks at philosophical questions raised by belief such as the existence of God and the issue of life after death. Again,
students are encouraged to develop their own opinions and the skills required for effective defence and argument of
these views, they will also consider the views of religious people and atheists on these questions.
All students in Key Stage 4 are required, by law, to follow an accredited short course GCSE in Religious Studies. The
course followed at the Academy in Edexcel Religion and Society. All students study this course through the PD
programme. During the course we consider the importance of the Justice system in the UK, human rights, voting and
the impact of drugs and alcohol on society amongst other similarly relevant topics. Students have the opportunity to sit
the examination at the end of Year 11 in order to achieve the short course qualification.
The subject at KS5
The OCR course in Religious Studies is currently offered at AS and A2 Level. The units studied as part of this course are
Philosophy of Religion and Ethics. The Philosophy of Religion side of the course asks students to develop their skills of
philosophical enquiry, argument and literacy looking at a wide range of philosophical issues such as the existence of
God and the foundations of philosophical thought in Ancient Greece. Students will also consider key issues surrounding
epistemology and how this might relate to phenomena such as religious experience and miracle. As part of the Ethics
unit, students consider a range of ethical theories, both religious and secular and apply these to a range of ethical issues
such as genetics and the right to a child. At A2 this is developed by looking at issues such as business ethics as well as
further ethical theories as proposed by thinkers such as Confucius and MacIntyre.
Main SMSC links and how you promote British cultural values
SMSC runs throughout every aspect of Philosophy and Ethics as students discover and develop their own responses to
religious, philosophical and ethical issues through enquiry, discussion and collaborative work. The emphasis on
tolerance which is made clear in every part of our syllabus promotes key British Values. These are also promoted
through specific areas of study such as the justice system, the importance of rights and the need for respect for others.