Head Teacher Helen Key
The ‘formal’ curriculum for Beliefs & Ethics at Chailey School is designed to be engaging, challenging, wide-ranging and preparing our students for success in the modern world.
Disadvantaged students are placed considerately on seating plans, prioritised for feedback, focussed upon in faculty meetings and for any interventions, particularly at Key Stage 4. Disadvantaged students are prioritised for extra-curricular activities and opportunities including educational visits.
We meet the needs of SEND students through considerate personalisation of learning.
All students receive beliefs and ethics education in accordance with the East Sussex Agreed Syllabus 2022 and many take a full GCSE examination at the end of Year 11. We recognise that nurture in a religious faith is the responsibility of home and church. While parents/carers have the right to withdraw their child from these lessons we believe that this diminishes the wholeness of a student’s education and development of knowledge, understanding and tolerance.
The intent of the curriculum in Beliefs & Ethics aligns with the overall curriculum intent of Chailey School
By the end of Key Stage 3, students are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the 6 main world religions, including diversity within and between these traditions and be able to apply key religious concepts and beliefs to a range of moral and ethical issues. They should be able to formulate and express and justify their own views on these topics.
By the end of Key Stage 4, students who take the subject at GCSE level are expected to know the key teachings and beliefs of Christianity and Buddhism and be able to apply them to a range of ethical issues.
To achieve this, the curriculum in Beliefs & Ethics is planned in coherent sequences of lessons – knowledge, skills and understanding will be built on and applied in a cumulative manner.
Assessment, testing of knowledge, skills and understanding, and effective feedback on this in will support this – further details of this can be found in the school’s and subject’s Feedback Policy.
Beliefs & Ethics contributes to the school’s ‘informal’ curriculum – the experience and opportunity for students in Beliefs & Ethics is not just about set of exam results, very important though those may be.
Key opportunities for this in are seen in the use of artefacts, video clips and images which give the students the opportunity to see and experience the real life application and importance to religious believers beyond their own social opportunities.
At both key stages there is a focus on including religious believers and speaker to discuss their personal views and ideas with students in Question & Answer sessions.
Beliefs & Ethics also contributes to the development of cultural literacy by focusing on key religious concepts and different cultural practises & expressions of these.
All subjects at Chailey School contribute towards building the character and values of its young people
This is achieved through curiosity and exploration of their own ideas on ‘big questions’ about faith and morality through a support and tolerance of others and awareness of diversity within the religions and among their peers.
Head Teacher Helen Key