The Emmanuel College vision statement declares that “The objects for which the Tyneside City Technology College was established in 1989 was to promote and provide for the advancement of education with a broadly based Christian ethos by means of a City Technology College for the education of both sexes providing a Christian Religious Education with a daily Christian assembly and the teaching of Biblical values and morality.”

It is also recognised that other faiths are represented within the local community, the two major faiths being Judaism and Islam.

The RE department seeks to uphold the aims of Emmanuel College and to provide a syllabus, which is in line with the legal requirements of the Education Reform Act, by providing a course that is largely biblically based and is related and applied to contemporary life.

The RE syllabus aims to introduce students to Judaism, Christianity and Islam through the study of the Bible and to stimulate a clear progression of theological thought as students move from one year into the next.

In Years 7 and 8 students are introduced to the bases for monotheism, centred as they are on the text of the Old Testament providing a solid concept of the character of God, the experience of great Biblical characters, and the history of the Children of Israel as they live amidst and alongside the developing and diverse religious and social cultures of Ancient History (Egypt, Babylon, Palestine and Rome). Complementing this historical and theological study is the analysis of the human character and its responses to the spiritual.

In Years 9-11, running alongside the GCSE RE Programme of Study, the course focuses on the life of Christ, His relationship to the Jewish tradition, His teaching and His mission, as well as delivering the ethical component of the examination syllabus which encourages students to draw links between faith and morality in modern contexts.

At A Level students follow the Edexcel Specification with focus on The Fourth Gospel and Christianity, thus building upon a clear understanding of the Christian message and its impact upon the heritage of British and European society.

Sixth Form Philosophy, Theology and Ethics, taken by all students, builds upon the central understanding of monotheism and its expression in Judaism, Islam and Christianity, to expand into a more detailed consideration of atheism, secular humanism, hedonism and polytheism and their various implications for the ethical decisions which man is called to make. Combining philosophy, theology and ethics, the course considers how the distinctive doctrines of various World Views shape the lifestyle of their adherents, prompting students to decide, define and discuss their own personal developing view of faith and action.

Course Outline/Overview

Key Stage 3

Year 7: God as Creator and Sovereign

• Almighty
• Eternal
• Triune
• Holy
• Loving and Beneficent
• Seeking Relationship
• Creator of Order, Pattern and Laws, of nature and for humanity

Years 7-8: Man as His creation, loved, but fallen; other world views

• Special and Unique
• Placed in a context of relationship with God, symbolised by marriage
• Free to Act, Created to Worship
• Fallen and Judged
• Seeking God v Seeking Self
• From Theocracy to Idolatry
• Disparate and Regionalised
• Self-regulating ‘human’ Law-making
• Post-Biblical evidences of revolution, empire-building, nationalism, totalitarianism and global security measures
• The development of ideas and practices culminating in the establishment of the Jewish Faith (Judaism)
• The development of ideas and practices culminating in the establishment of the Muslim Faith (Islam)
• The role which the Old Testament plays in preparing the scene for the Birth of Christ and the Christian Faith

Key Stage 4

GCSE Syllabus: AQA Religious Studies 3061/AQA Religious Studies 4061

All Students take GCSE Religious Studies

Years 9-10: God as Redeemer (Mark’s Gospel)

• God’s Eternal Plan, prophesied and realised
• God’s Justice, Love and Mercy
• Christ as presented in Mark: His teachings, actions and mission

Years 10-11: God as Sustainer (Mark’s Gospel and ethical considerations)

• The Resurrection, Appearances and Ascension of Christ and the advent of the Holy Spirit
• Christian Regeneration
• Christian Discipleship
• Christian Living in a Modern Culture
• Prayer, the Bible and Guidance
• Major Life Issues, including media influence on our understanding of these issues
• Family
• Birth and Death
• Prejudice
• War
• Human Rights
• Global Conservation
• Justice
• Money, Poverty and the Poor

Key Stage 5

A-Level Syllabus: EDEXCEL

Years 12 – 13 A Level Religious Studies

A-Level study allows in-depth examination of scripture and the development of Christian thought. Students have the opportunity to ask questions which they perceive as being fundamental to their understanding of the nature of God and His expectations of His people. Students study John’s Gospel and the development of Christian thought.

Over the two years students will study for the Edexcel GCE Religious Studies Specification 8560 and 9560. This course is split into four separate units:

• Unit 1: Foundations
• Unit 2: Investigations
• Unit 3: Developments
• Unit 4: Implications

Units 1 and 2 are taken at the end of Year 12 and Units 3 and 4 at the end of Year 13.

Each of the units is equally weighted. The AS is the first half of the GCE course and contributes 50 per cent of the total Advanced GCE marks. The A2, the second half of the Advanced GCE, comprises the other 50 per cent of the total Advanced GCE marks.

Sixth Form Philosophy, Theology and Ethics

Philosophy, Theology and Ethics is an externally validated course (AQA) and has proven extremely valuable to students as they prepare for tertiary level study. Topics studied include:

• Unit 1: World Views on Religion
• Unit 2: The Nature of Philosophy
• Unit 3: Liberty and Censorship
• Unit 4: Work and Rest
• Unit 5: Family Roles and Responsibilities
• Unit 6: Medical Ethics
• Unit 7: Punishment and Crime
• Unit 8: Personal Morality