• Do ghosts exist ?

• Should prisons be cold, horrible, miserable places or reasonably comfy ones ?

• If a woman is carrying an unborn child who would be seriously handicapped, should she have an abortion ?

• Should British soldiers be fighting in Afghanistan ?

• Are there such things as miracles ?

• Can a parent bring up a child in any way the parent wishes ?

• Should it be a crime to call someone else a racially offensive name ?

• If there is a Heaven, and it’s for Christians, is there any room in it for a good, kind person who is not a Christian ?

• If there is a God, why does He (She?) allow earthquakes to kill people ?

• If a member of your family is in a coma and doctors say he/she will not regain consciousness, should you turn off life support ?

……then RS may well be for you.  RS is not just for those with a religious faith, and is certainly not a course designed to convert anyone to anything.  It takes a Christian perspective as a starting point, but touches on other faiths and on Atheism.  It asks you to think, question, doubt, listen, discuss, reason.  It tackles – as you will note from the above list – a range of issues, social, political and ethical, most of which actually have no simplistic answer. 

In Years 10 and 11, RS is taught in one double period per week. Students follow the Edexcel “Religion and Life” course.  This gives a Short Course GCSE qualification graded A*-C.  Pass rates in recent years have consistently been 100%, with more than 80% Grades A*-B.  Sometimes stronger candidates may turn it into a Full Course by adding an extra “Religion and Society” unit.