DEPARTMENT LEADER: Mrs K. John
Religion, ethics and philosophy at MCS provides each pupil with opportunities to:
- Engage with fundamental questions – so appreciating the human and religious questions that are raised by life and its experiences, and through which meaning, significance and value are gained.
- Explore religious beliefs, teachings and practices – so acquiring knowledge and understanding of religious stories, sacred texts, lifestyles, rituals and symbolism that offer insight into the fundamental questions of life.
- Express personal responses – so gaining the skills to be able to relate the things studied and discussed to their own experience, and to develop their own personal thinking, evaluating and responses to beliefs, teachings and practices, and fundamental questions.
Key Stage 3
At Key Stage 3, learners think for themselves to develop an understanding of life and the world around us. Learners think creatively and ask deeper and more challenging questions. Knowledge of religion and the impact that religion and religious ideas have locally, nationally and globally fosters greater understanding of the significance of religion and its importance in promoting social cohesion, stability, global citizenship and sustainability.
Year 7 – Introduction to religion
Year 8 – Signs and symbols. Introduction to religion, Hinduism, religious rules. Forgiveness, pilgrimage, sacred text.
Year 9 – Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Crime and punishment.
Key Stage 4
NCFE Equality & Diversity
The Equality and Diversity course is an interesting course that aims to introduce the issues around stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination, to identify the basic rights that all people should enjoy and the shared values people have. The course examines the responsibility that each person and organization have in ensuring that barriers to participation in society are removed. Learners study the various laws which affect equality and diversity, and how workplaces have to take account of them.
Learners study three units:
Unit 1: Equality & diversity in society
Unit 2: Equality & diversity in the community
Unit 3: Equality & Diversity in the workplace
Extra-Curricular
We are regularly visited by the GSUS Live team. GSUS live is a mobile education unit which is a multi-media classroom in a lorry trailer. It tells the story of three teenagers facing real-life issues in their lives, and how they get inspiration from the Bible to deal with their problems. Using touch-screen computers, students interact with fictional characters through animations, instant chat, short educational films and music videos. They explore the themes of fear, forgiveness and rejection.
The department also runs drop in sessions at lunchtimes and after school to support learners with their studies.
Meet the team
Mrs John studied Religious Studies and Sociology at the University of Gloucestershire, where she also completed her P.G.C.E. in secondary education.
Mrs John worked at Bettws high school in Newport for 11 years before taking up the position of head of R.E. at Morriston in 2006. Mrs John teaches in key stage 3 and 4 and is a form tutor to 10M. When not teaching, Mrs John can be found walking her dog in the countryside and reading.
Mrs Jones has been a teacher at Morriston Comprehensive for twelve years as an English teacher and over the past few years has also become a member of the RE department. She has enjoyed teaching a range of year groups and loves to start pupils’ Morriston journeys in year 7 learning about Infant Baptisms, the Indian festival of light, Diwali and having Philosophy for Children discussions. She also enjoys helping and supporting KS4 pupils through their qualifications in ‘Equality and Diversity’. Outside the classroom, Mrs Jones has been a Head of Year and is currently the school’s Senior Mentor for the PGCE student teachers. In her spare time, she enjoys crafting with flowers and loves growing and caring for plants.
Ms Butt has taught in Morriston Comprehensive for almost 34 years. She is Second in English and Literacy co-ordinator for the school. She leads Media Studies at A Level and has also taught History. At Swansea University, she studied both English and History for her degree. This year, she has joined the R.E Department and is delighted to be teaching Year 8 as she also studied R.E at A Level herself and loves teaching lots of different subjects and topics.