Religious Studies

At Mayfield, we aim to educate and inform our pupils, to deepen their understanding of both their own faith and the faiths of others, and to provide each of them with an understanding of how religion has shaped, and continues to shape, the world in which we live. 
 
Mayfield is an inclusive community, and as such we welcome students of any or no faith. While our approach is rooted in Catholic Christianity, our students learn about the other major world faiths. We aim to provide a supportive and stimulating teaching environment where girls feel comfortable debating openly and with an enquiring spirit, in order to develop their own ideas and stances on religious, philosophical and moral questions. We aim to instil in each of our pupils the ability to listen to other people’s points of view with respect and tolerance, even if they conflict with their own. 
 
Religious Studies offers a fascinating insight into many of the fundamental problems of human existence, which people have pondered and discussed throughout history. ‘Why am I here?’ ‘Is there a God?’ ‘Why do people suffer?’ ‘How can I live a good life?’ Studying ways in which thinkers from the past have responded to these and other questions can help us to find meaning and purpose in our own lives.  Dealing with such questions is a life-long task, and there is a wealth of resources from philosophical and religious traditions to help us examine them. 

In the Lower school girls will follow the new RE Curriculum as designed by the Catholic Education Service for all Catholic Schools. The curriculum has a six-part structure, corresponding to each of the six half terms of the school year, and follows the progress of salvation history. The Autumn Term is centred around the Old Testament narrative (Creation & Covenant, Prophecy & Promise), the Spring Term focuses on the life, death and resurrection of Christ (Galilee to Jerusalem, Desert to Garden), and in the Summer Term girls will explore Church History (To the Ends of the Earth), then engage with other Christian denominations and non-Christian religions (Dialogue & Encounter). 

Within this framework students encounter diverse topics and themes. They consider different artistic interpretations of religious themes, from Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam to Les Misérables. Philosophical and ethical concepts are explored throughout the curriculum, such as the ethics of war, the permissibility of euthanasia and the challenges of Artificial Intelligence. In ‘lived religion’, girls explore the lives of those who have sought to follow Christ’s example, from St Maximillian Kolbe giving up his life for others in Auschwitz, to Desmond Tutu’s courageous pacifism. 

The six-part structure repeats for Year 7, 8 and 9, so there is much opportunity for girls to build on previous learning year by year.   
 
At GCSE we study AQA Religious Studies B. This specification focuses on the Catholic faith, and features philosophical and ethical themes surrounding Catholicism. It ensures that students have a variety of contemporary themes to explore and discuss and includes elements of music, art, architecture and drama in this study. Girls achieve very well in this subject at GCSE. 

Click on this link to see the Specification taught at Mayfield for this GCSE which all girls take in Year 11.
AQA | GCSE | Religious Studies B | Specification at a glance  

We study OCR H573 at A Level, which includes studies in philosophy of religion, religion and ethics, and developments in Christian thought. This course provides students with exciting opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of a world religion, explore philosophy of religion, and religion and ethics. We are striving to inspire students to engage in relevant topical issues and acquire knowledge and a critical understanding of major issues that are relevant in the 21st century. 

Click on this link which describes the journey students at Mayfield take in Religious Studies.

As part of the Sixth Form core curriculum all girls attend one lesson per week of “Critical Religion”. The aim of this is to allow girls to be critical and to understand the critical nature of questions of faith, ethics and philosophy. The year group are split into mixed groups and will be engaged in four short courses and one PSHE course in Year 12 and four short courses in Year 13. These courses are led by teachers from various academic disciplines on the model of the university seminar to give girls an enriching experience and chance for discussion and exploration. Examples of courses include Religion and Film, Environmental Ethics, What does it mean to be human ?  At the end of each course girls are asked to engage in a short quiz which allows them to recall, reflect and feedback to the teacher. 
 
The RS Department offers weekly clinics to support students.  A Level students attend the Candle RS Conferences in London, whilst Year 10 enjoy an annual outing to see ‘Les Miserables’. Year 9 pupils enjoy a Cross Curricular World Religions Day which includes a visit to a synagogue. 

The RS Department is accommodated in large, recently refurbished classrooms, set in the heart of the main School building. Each room has an intelligent whiteboard, DVD player, artefacts, and a wide and varied selection of reference and resource books. 
 
Many of our RS A Level students go on to study Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies at Oxbridge and other Russell group universities. Some choose to carry on their studies into Masters and Doctorate degrees, whilst others have chosen a career in teaching, research or business.