Ethics

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. ”

Department Vision Statement/ Curriculum Intent

The studies in Ethics have a strong cross-curricular intent to encourage the relevance and development of moral character traits valuable for students overall well-being and fostering their mindset of excellence for this and other subjects.

In Ethical studies, students explore religious cultures to understand various perspectives and become aware of beliefs and lifestyles around the world, nonetheless, to develop a sense of tolerance towards 'unknown' and 'different'.

In this context, we follow Kent Agreed Syllabus for RE 2017-2022 guidelines and discuss chosen questions such as "Is religion a power for peace or a cause of conflict in the world today?", "What is so radical about Jesus?" or "How does it feel to be a teenage Buddhist in the UK today?" (see below). Prior to exploring these suggested questions by Kent RE Syllabus, the Ethics curriculum covers studies of key beliefs, practices, symbols, places of worship, moral codes and holy scriptures in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism. Still, it is not limited to only these religions, and any discussions will include non-religious views and sometimes philosophical theories, such as utilitarianism and virtue ethics. "Should happiness be the purpose of life?", "Why is there suffering?", "Moral dilemmas", "Family life and values" are themes students will contemplate by expressing their own opinions based on moral evaluations of given examples. Boosting students' knowledge of human worldviews diversity today should enable them to be open-minded, develop respect towards 'different', and at the same time encourage resilience to express their independent opinion. Both moral character development and fostering critical thinking are explicit aims of Ethical studies. Students will learn how to form proper arguments from premises to conclusions into a logical structure, hence, increase certainty in their own beliefs and evaluations (skills relevant for all future GCSE's essays).

The Ethics Department Team in The Malling School puts great efforts into delivering high standard lessons by creating a relaxing, fun, engaging atmosphere where students gradually gain confidence to share their opinions, communicate their visions, solutions and reach conclusions as an outcome of class teamwork.

 

 YEAR GROUPS

Year 7 - KS3

TERM

Term 1

TOPIC

Judaism/Christianity
Judaism/Christianity: Students will learn key beliefs, practices, symbols, places and locations of worship, read the stories and moral codes from traditional scriptures, and discuss about their historical and contemporary meaning in the UK today.

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


TERM

Term 2

TOPIC

“Does living biblically mean obeying the whole Bible?”

Students will explore the need for religious believers to subscribe to scriptural literalism. Students will explore rules given in scripture and assessing whether believers do and should follow these teachings.

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


TERM

Term 3

TOPIC

“What is so radical about Jesus?”

Students will consider how the teachings of Jesus compare to the views of contemporary society. In particular, students will examine Biblical teachings on gender and poverty.

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


TERM

Term 4

TOPIC

Islam
Islam: Students will learn key beliefs, practices, symbols, places and locations of worship, read the stories and moral codes from traditional scriptures, and discuss about their historical and contemporary meaning in the UK today.

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


TERM

Term 5

TOPIC

Islam/Buddhism

Students will learn key beliefs, practices, symbols, places and locations of worship, read the stories and moral codes from traditional scriptures, and discuss about their historical and contemporary meaning in the UK today.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


TERM

Term 6

TOPIC

Buddhism

Students will learn key beliefs, practices, symbols, places and locations of worship, read the stories and moral codes from traditional scriptures, and discuss about their historical and contemporary meaning in the UK today.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


Year 8 - KS3

TERM

Term 1

TOPIC

Hinduism

Students will learn key beliefs, practices, symbols, places and locations of worship, read the stories and moral codes from traditional scriptures, and discuss about their historical and contemporary meaning in the UK today.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


TERM

Term 2

TOPIC

Sikhism

Students will learn key beliefs, practices, symbols, places and locations of worship, read the stories and moral codes from traditional scriptures, and discuss about their historical and contemporary meaning in the UK today.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


TERM

Term 3

TOPIC

“Do we need to prove God’s existence and religious beliefs?” / Religious and non-religious views

Students will discuss four traditional arguments for God’s existence and discuss about the nature of mysteries
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


TERM

Term 4

TOPIC

“Why is there suffering? Are there any good solutions?”

/ Religious and non-religious views

Students will develop an account of some of the evil and suffering faces by and caused by humanity and to think about the suffering of life in a way that are not frightening and part of life
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


TERM

Term 5

TOPIC

“Should happiness be the purpose of life?” Religious and non-religious views

Should happiness be the purpose of life? Students will consider what makes a happy life and how different faiths have suggested this is possible to attain. Students will also consider what a valid purpose in life would be.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


TERM

Term 6

TOPIC

Moral dilemmas/ “Does religion help people to be good?” Religious and non-religious views

Students will analyse various religious moral codes and discuss about current moral dilemmas from religious and non-religious point of view
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet

Year 9 - KS3

TERM

Term 1

TOPIC

Christianity & Islam /“Being a teenage Christian/Muslim in Britain today”

Students will explore what life is like in modern Britain for those of faith, examining current ethical dilemmas and issues around integration and discrimination.

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


TERM

Term 2

TOPIC

Buddhism and Sikhism / “Being a teenage Buddhist/Sikh in Britain today”

Students will explore what life is like in modern Britain for those of faith, examining current ethical dilemmas and issues around integration and discrimination.

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


TERM

Term 3

TOPIC

“Is religion a power for peace or a cause of conflict in the world today? Religious and non-religious views”

Is religion a power for peace? Students will consider teachings from different faiths surrounding war and peace. Students will also assess the actual practices of faith groups in relation to war and peace.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


TERM

Term 4

TOPIC

 “Should religious buildings be sold to feed the starving?”

Are buildings needed for Worship? Students will explore the purpose and structures of faith buildings and pilgrimage to them. Scripture and practice around how to worship will be examined to answer the key question.

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


TERM

Term 5

TOPIC

Family life and values in religions (comparative studies)

Students will explore religious beliefs and practices that shape families’ lives in religious and non-religious communities. We will talk about the LGBTQIA rights in the UK and around the world today.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


TERM

Term 6

TOPIC

“How can people express spiritual through the arts?”/ Religious festivals.

Students will learn from different religious and spiritual ways of life about the concepts of worship, meditation, and celebration, considering a diverse range of views about questions of expression and meaning in relation to spirituality and faith.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet

Year 10 KS4 - EXAM BOARD - EDEXCEL

TERM

Term 1

TOPIC

Theme A: Living together in the UK

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklets (Essay workbooks)

PowerPoint Presentations on Microsoft Teams Citizenship Group

TERM

Term 2

TOPIC

Theme A: Living together in the UK

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklets (Essay workbooks)

PowerPoint Presentations on Microsoft Teams Citizenship Group

TERM

Term 3

TOPIC

Theme B: Democracy at work in the UK?

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklets (Essay workbooks)

PowerPoint Presentations on Microsoft Teams Citizenship Group

TERM

Term 4

TOPIC

Theme C: How the law works?

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklets (Essay workbooks)

PowerPoint Presentations on Microsoft Teams Citizenship Group

TERM

Term 5

TOPIC

Theme D: Powers and Influence

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklets (Essay workbooks)

PowerPoint Presentations on Microsoft Teams Citizenship Group

TERM

Term 6

TOPIC

Theme E: Taking Citizenship action

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklets (Essay workbooks)

PowerPoint Presentations on Microsoft Teams Citizenship Group

Year 11 KS4

There is no SOW for year 11 as this is a Revision Year before the final exam. The purpose of the revision process is to emphases the pinnacles of Citizenship studies and to indicate parts of the subject content that require further teaching under a new perspective and more detailed explanation. The class will face frequent assessments of comprehension, application, and evaluation of their knowledge gained in two years, enabling them to be prepared holistically for the final exam.

Resources: Citizenship Edexcel Student Book, Citizenship studies Revision guide and workbook, Curriculum Booklets.