Religious
Education Religious
Education Religious Education

Why Study Religious Education?

Religious Education at Beaulieu aims to develop students who are religiously literate, reflective, and able to engage respectfully with diverse world views. Through RE, students learn to question, debate, critique, and articulate their own beliefs while understanding the mystery of God, the teachings of the Catholic Church, and the relationship between faith and life.

At Key Stage Three, pupils study key Catholic teachings, Scripture, the life of Jesus, the sacraments, and Catholic Social Teaching. They also explore major world religions, recognising shared ethical values across traditions. Critical thinking, reflection, and understanding how religious ideas connect with modern culture are central skills. At Key Stage Four, students follow the Diocese-approved GCSE course, deepening their knowledge of Catholic Christianity and Judaism while developing theological reflection and ethical reasoning.

The curriculum follows diocesan guidance and the Source to Summit Religious Education Directory at KS3, ensuring broad coverage of Catholic belief while fostering respect for other religions. Students grow in faith through prayer, worship, and engagement with the school chaplaincy. In Sixth Form, pupils can study A Level Religious Education and participate in weekly philosophical sessions that encourage reflection and personal growth.

Overall, RE seeks to form compassionate, morally grounded young people who respect human dignity and contribute positively to a diverse society.

Year 7

The directory outlines a model RE curriculum based on six branches, one for each half-term: Creation & Covenant; Prophecy & Promise; Galilee to Jerusalem; Desert to Garden; To the Ends of the Earth; Dialogue and Encounter. Year 7 focuses on God’s revelation as it unfolds through salvation history, Scripture (especially Creation stories), the Trinity, Incarnation, and the Eucharist. Pupils also engage with other faiths through dialogue and encounter. Throughout, Catholic Social Teaching—particularly human dignity, stewardship, solidarity, and the common good—supports pupils in linking belief to action. The aim is to develop religious literacy, spiritual reflection, ethical thinking, and understanding of religious commitment.

Year 8

In Year 8, students explore themes of sin, suffering, hope, and redemption. They study the Fall and the difference between original and personal sin, then examine God’s promise of a new covenant fulfilled in Jesus. Through Jesus’ teachings, miracles, and encounters with the marginalized, pupils learn about the Kingdom of God and what it reveals about human dignity. Reflection on the Passion and Resurrection helps them understand Christian hope and God’s victory over death. Throughout the year, Catholic Social Teaching—especially human dignity, solidarity, justice, and the preferential option for the poor—guides students in applying faith to real-world moral issues.

Year 9-11: (GCSE)

The Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies Specification A course requires an in-depth study of two religions, Catholic Christianity and Judaism. The Catholic Christianity unit (Paper 1) explores core beliefs and teachings (Trinity, Creation, Incarnation, Paschal Mystery), practices (Sacraments, worship, pilgrimage, social teaching), sources of wisdom and authority (Bible, Magisterium, Vatican II), and forms of expression (church architecture, sacred art). (Year 10) 

The Judaism unit (Paper 2) similarly covers fundamental beliefs (God's nature, the Covenant, Shekhinah), sacred texts (Torah, Talmud), and practices (Shabbat, festivals, life cycle ceremonies like Brit Milah). (Year 9) 

Paper 3 is the Philosophy and Ethics paper, which covers two main topics: arguments for the existence of God (such as cosmological, design, and arguments from revelation and miracles) and religious teachings on relationships and families in the 21st century, which includes topics like sexual relationships, marriage, divorce, and gender equality. (year 11) 

The qualification aims to develop students' knowledge, critical thinking, and ability to construct well-argued, informed responses to fundamental questions of belief and morality in a pluralistic society. 

Year 12-13: (A Level)

The Sixth Form is an exciting environment for the study of Religious Studies. This is a popular A Level covering units in Philosophy of Religion, Ethics and Developments in Christian Thought, which often surprises students in how the tone and content differ from KS3 and GCSE.

Students study the foundations of Western thought in Plato and Aristotle, the theories underpinning common ethical worldviews, and contentious theological issues: Christian Anthropology, Secularism and Humanism, Gender and Theology and Liberation and Oppression in Religion. Our students leave us as learners for life, philosophically, ethically and theologically literate, more developed as intelligent individuals, equipped for the pluralistic worlds of Higher Education and employment.

The ND Hour

The ND Hour is named after Saint John Henry Newman and Dorothy Day.  Newman argued that all learning and engagement with life’s experiences can transform us and better prepare us for the adventures of this world. In this course, students and staff explore certain areas and topics of our shared existence. We look to deepen what Newman calls our “disposition” for learning, becoming better human beings who serve others in love (as did Day) on our journey through this world.  The focus is on intellectual and holistic personal development so that students leave Sixth Form as learners for life, in possession of a more thought-through, consistent and critically evaluative worldview.