Ethos of the RE Dept within St Joseph's College
Within St. Joseph’s College we value Religious Education, as an integral aspect of the total education of our students. The aims of R.E. are based upon the overall aims of the school and are rooted in the school’s Mission Statement….
“to develop the Catholic attitudes and practices in our pupils and provide a rich learning environment to enable them to fulfil their personal and academic potential in a caring and supportive atmosphere.”
In Religious Education we aim to help pupils discover God, by appreciating the faith they have and helping it to grow and mature in light of the Gospel.
The RE Dept provides opportunities to freely celebrate, participate and reflect upon the Eucharist, liturgy and Prayer.
We help develop skills to enable our pupils to understand, appreciate and come to terms with the beliefs of other faiths, whose representatives are full members of our society; And we help pupils understand the religious responses to moral problems which they may encounter.
KS3
Year 8, Year 9 and Year 10 students follow the “Fully Alive” Programme.
Year 8
- Introduction to RE at St Joseph's College
- Bible: Old and New Testament
- The Seven Sacraments and their meaning to us
- Exploring Mass as a Sacrament
- Introduction to World Faiths
- Background to the life and time of Jesus
- Passion, Death and Resurrection
- Life and Ministry of Jesus
- Easter and Pentecost
- The Life of the Saints in the 21st Century
Year 9.
- Introduction to World Faiths
- Judaism and Buddhism
- The Ten Commandments - Are they still relevant?
- Conflict and dealing with it
- The Orthodox Church
- Martin Luther
- The World we live in - Is it Our Responsibility?
- God and the Universe
- Jesus and the World around him - A Role Model
- Christianity today - Luke the Evangelist
- Pentecost and the Gift of the Holy Spirit
Year 10
- Introduction to World Faiths
- Islam
- Hinduism/Sikhism
- St Paul
- Christianity Comes to Ireland
- Beatitudes and Knowing my Value
- Jesus and Attitude to others
- Prejudice and Discrimination
- The Life of Modern Day Saints
- Introduction to St Marks Gospel
Assessment at KS3
Students complete a variety of assessments throughout KS3. These include written examinations, projects, presentations, self and peer assessments etc.
KS4
At GCSE the RE Dept follow the CCEA GCSE specification and offer OCN Religion also.
In Year 11 we study Christianity through a study of the Gospel of Mark. This exam is taken at the end of Year 11.
In Year 12 we study An Introduction to Christian Ethics. This exam is taken at the end of Year 12.
Each written paper is worth 50% of the overall qualification and each written paper lasts 1 hour 30 min.
There is No Controlled Assessment in RE GCSE
For more information on CCEA GCSE RE Specification: www.ccea.org.uk
Extra Curricular within RE Dept
- Reflection Day for Year 12 Students
- Prayer sessions with School Chaplain
- Visits from local Church Groups
- Reconciliation Services with individual classes
- Armagh Diocesan Retreat Team
- Participation in local Church Events
- Host Annual Parish Carol Service
- GCSE Revision classes
