A winning combination – joint workshops
Here at SMA we are currently studying AQA for KS5 Religious Studies and decided to link up with another local faith school that are using the same board. Within the new syllabus there are two examinations each divided into two components. We have held at our school workshops for both Notre Dame and our students on topics including the Ontological Argument and the Natural Moral Law. Notre Dame will be hosting the next workshop which will cover topics from Component Two of the syllabus.
Annual School Trip
In Year 12 and 13 Religious Studies we allow our students to pick where they would like to go on their school trip. The trip can be to Rome (Vatican City and catacombs), Paris (Notre Dame and Louvre), and Spain (final part of Santiago de Compostela) or Poland (Concentration Camps and Salt Mines). This year our students choose Poland as they felt it was somewhere you need to visit at least once in your lifetime. From the trip our students reflected on their experience by teaching lessons to KS3 RS classes and delivering whole school assemblies.
Special Places of Worship
As part of Year 8 in Religious Studies the students learn about special places of worship. Two of these places are the Synagogue and the Mosque, therefore each year we take all of Year 8 to visit Childwall Synagogue and Al Rahma Mosque in Toxteth. The boys learnt how different faiths use their places of worship and the symbolism of the furniture. They compared and contrasted with church services.
When asked to reflect on their experiences this is what they said about the Mosque;
- ‘It was so peaceful’.
- ‘Islam’s values are very similar to Christian ones’.
- ‘I liked how we got to try on different clothes’
When asked to reflect on their experiences this is what they said about the Synagogue;
- ‘It is the most beautiful building I have ever seen’.
- ‘I liked the speaker, he explained the torah and other artefacts really well’.
- ‘Going on these trips will help me do well in my test’.
