Religious Education

Religious Education is an integral and rigorously taught part of the academic programme here at City. The diverse nature of the school is seen as a great asset for the department. With so many boys from different backgrounds they are able to share their ideas and experiences to enrich the learning of all.

Instruction is not in any one particular faith or belief system, but rather the aim is to open to the boys an appreciation of a range of faiths; to help them understand different customs and beliefs and to give the boys the chance to appreciate the nature and importance of religions and their profound influence on our ideas and values.

The range of study is broad. Topics in the first three years include systematic units of work examining of each of the six major world religions (Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism) as well as thematic units of work on such concepts as charity, the nature of religion, suffering, an introduction to the philosophy of religion, and inspirational figures (both historic and contemporary).

In the Fourth and Fifth Forms, boys may opt to follow the GCSE course which focuses on the beliefs and ethical values of two religions, one of which is Buddhism, the second of which is chosen by the boys. Those who do not choose this path will study instead new religious movements in the Fourth Form and contemporary ethical problems in the Fifth Form.

In the Sixth Form, the A level offered is in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics. An increasingly popular course, this is a unique opportunity for the boys to begin an enquiry into the very foundations of the subject as well as considering the way great scholars continue to shape our ideas and values. The sweep here is a broad one. Students begin with Plato, Aristotle, and Biblical creation and by the end of the course have arrived at the great thinkers of the twentieth century such as Russell, Wittgenstein, Fletcher, Ayer, Dawkins and Hick via such luminaries as Hume, Kant, Descartes, Freud, and Aquinas. A solid foundation of knowledge for any young thinker!