KEY STAGE TWO
National Curriculum Years 3, 4 ,5 ,6, or ages 7-11
Two factors are borne in mind in this Stage in independent junior and
preparatory schools: the needs of those pupils who will leave at 11 to
senior schools, and those who will leave at 13 after Common Entrance. The
Syllabus in this age range satisfies the needs of both.
The same six Components apply as in KS1,
and now the emphasis should be increasingly placed upon understanding and
evaluative skills, especially in the application of knowledge to a contemporary
context.
Attainment Levels 2-5 would normally apply in this age range. Assessment
should now be through the same variety of means as for other comparable
subject disciplines. Pupils' level of response should be related to clear
criteria devised within participating schools, in accordance with levels
given in this Syllabus.
Cross-curricular work, for example with History, Classics, Music and
English, is to be encouraged.
| Theme A: |
The Way of God in the Old Testament |
The integrity of the Old Testament is respected by Christianity, Judaism
and Islam, but this Syllabus theme represents a Christian perspective in
particular. Alternative views may be studied under Another Religion, Theme
D.
Those who are preparing pupils for the Common Entrance Examination at
13 will recognise here an amalgamation of CEE Syllabus Religious Studies,
Section 1, parts 2 and 3, to which they should also refer.
| Beliefs: |
God as initiator of the covenant; God as Creator and
Saviour. |
| Celebrations: |
Jewish festivals of Passover, Pentecost,
Tabernacles; the Sabbath; other Torah festivals -
New Year's Day and the Day of Atonement;
circumcision and redemption of the firstborn;
pilgrimage. |
| Ethics: |
Concept of covenant with obligations, e.g. Noah,
Abraham, Moses; the Commandments; sacrifice;
obedience as grateful response to salvation;
knowing right from wrong; law and freedom;
responsibility.BR> as Helper. |
| Origins and Founders |
Stories of Abraham's call, covenant and the binding
of Isaac; Jacob and Joseph; Moses' call, the
plagues, the Exodus events up to the death of
Moses; contemporary Ancient Near Eastern life and
archaeology; time-line. |
| Sacred Texts |
writing;
ideas of 'miracle'; scriptures as written
'treaty'.
|
| Worship |
the Tabernacle; the priesthood; sacrifice;
expressions of faith in prayer; symbolism and ritual;
worship uniting words and action - the Shema. |
| Theme B: |
Way of God in the New Testament |
Those preparing pupils for the Common Entrance Examination should be
aware that this Theme amalgamates the Section 2, parts 6(a), (c), (e),
& (f) to which teachers of CEE are referred for further details.
| Beliefs: |
Jesus as God's representative; Jesus as Lord; the
resurrection and after-life. |
| Celebrations: |
Baptism and Confirmation; Advent; Christmas;
Epiphany; Lent; Holy Week; Easter; Ascension;
Communion. |
| Ethics: |
repentance and forgiveness; living in God's
Kingdom; responses of people, including in the
Passion Narrative, to truth; trust and commitment;
self-sacrifice; sharing; responsibility; changing
behaviour; contemporary examples of these;
Christian attitude to death and dying; responsibility
for the environment. |
| Origins and Founders |
taken from Mark's Gospel, the following stories: John
the Baptist; Jesus' Baptism and Temptations; Jesus'
healings; Jesus' parables; the events of Holy Week
in detail; the message of God's Kingdom. |
| Sacred Texts |
the Structure of the New Testament; the importance
of the Gospels; Christian use of the whole Bible; the
historical background to the New Testament,
especially the Gospels in their Palestinian setting. |
| Worship |
the Church's response to Jesus' message today as a
form of worship, e.g. confronting racial prejudice, the
handicapped and needy, the sick and lonely;
Sacramental and non-sacramental worship; church
buildings; private devotion; pilgrimage (e.g. Lourdes,
Walsingham). |
Pupils would benefit from having the opportunity to visit and study
a Parish church as part of this course in KS2 (the same applies to Theme
C).
| Theme C: |
The Church in Britain |
| Beliefs: |
The Holy Spirit; the Church universal; salvation
through Christ. |
| Celebrations: |
Pentecost; the origin of some Christian festivals in
pagan practice; believers' baptism. |
| Ethics: |
conversion and change; love; the just war and
aggression; non-violence and peace; examples of
these in the lives of saints, martyrs and famous
Christians through the ages in Britain and elsewhere. |
| Origins and Founders |
Peter and Paul; stories of church founders in Britain;
the conversion of the English; King Alfred; monastic
movements before the Conquest. |
| Sacred Texts |
the Bible languages - Hebrew and Greek;
translations into Latin and then Anglo-Saxon;
respect for the message requires translation -
compare Jewish and Muslim ideas here; the
Lindisfarne Gospels and other examples of Anglo-
Saxon Christian literature and poetry. |
| Worship |
the early church in Acts; early churches in Britain;
monasteries; clergy and laity; cathedrals; the Lord's
Prayer in Anglo-Saxon. |
| Theme D: |
Another Religion |
A larger proportion of time should be spent on this Theme than in KS1.
For some pupils the Religion covered here will inevitably differ from that
covered in KS1, but where possible the same Religion should be studied.
Schools may wish to introduce a third Religion in KS2 alongside the required
other one. However, this would only normally be to illustrate or to provide
examples. Also, when selecting from the possibilities listed below, celebrations
are often likely to be taught in more detail than beliefs. This
Syllabus does not allow time for a full treatment of two
other Religions.
Buddhism
| Beliefs |
The Ti-Lakkhana (Anicca, Dukkha, Anatta); The Four
Noble Truths; Samsara; Triratna (Three Jewels) -
Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha; Kamma; Nibbana. |
| Celebrations |
Festivals of Vesak and New Year - their origin, form
and purpose; important rites on Buddhist path of life. |
| Ethics |
Eight-fold path, Five precepts and Ten precepts of the
layman and the monk; karma. |
| Origins and Founders |
Gotama; King Ashoka; Hinayana and Theravada
Buddhism; spread across Asia. |
| Sacred Texts |
Tipitaka (3 baskets) - Suttas and Dhammapada in
particular; Jataka Stories of the previous lives of the
Buddha. |
| Worship |
Meditation; the role of the Laity; The Sangha
Community; images and offerings to monks; types of
temple; puja. |
Hinduism
| Beliefs |
The Trimurti - images of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva;
other Gods and Goddesses (Ganesha, Parvati, Kali
and Durga); the Avatars of Vishnu, particularly of
Krishna and Rama; Karma, Maya, Moksha, Samsara,
Nirvana. |
| Celebrations |
Holi, Diwali - origin, form and purpose; Samskaras
from the Laws of Manu: "Naming" and "Sacred Thread". |
| Ethics |
Karma, Dharma and Samsara; permissible behaviour
in the Dharmashastras; Maya; Artha, Kama, Dharma,
Moksha; Ahimsa; the four Ashramas; the Varna
system. |
| Origins and Founders |
The Aryans and the Vedas; development of the
Trimurti; tales of Vishnu's Avatars: Krishna in the Gita,
Rama in the Ramayana; some reference to modern
movements and leaders (e.g. Gandhi and Krishna
movements). |
| Sacred Texts |
Extracts from Vedic Scriptures: Srti - Vedas,
(Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads); Sriti - Epics
and Puranas; use and contents. |
| Worship |
Puja in the Temple and in the home (e.g. Sraddha);
The Mandir in India and Britain; The Brahmin class -
their role in society and in work; pilgrimage to Varnasi. |
Islam
| Beliefs |
Allah; Tauhid (the absolute authority of Allah); Adhan -
the call to prayer and its contents; Shirk - the basic sin. |
| Celebrations |
Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr; Hajj and Eid-ul-Adha; Maulid-
ul-Nabi and Lailat-ul-Qadr; First of Muharram; how and
why celebrated; Aqeeqa and Bismillah. |
| Ethics |
Ummah; Halal and Haram in diet and other areas of
life; Zakat and Sadaqah - responsibility for others; the
role of women; Khalifah. |
| Origins and Founders |
Stories of Muhammad; leaders and scholars over the
centuries; the right-guided Khalifs, leading to the
Sunni/Shia separation; Makkah and Medina, cities of the
Prophet. |
| Sacred Texts |
Qur'an its revelation and compilation; Muslim use and
respect for it; Arabic; Sura I (al-Fatiha) - its use and
meaning; Hadith - important stories of the Prophet. |
| Worship |
Wudu and Salat; Du'a; Mosque, Imam and Muezzin;
the Ka'ba - its significance; the Hajj - a guide to its
details and significance. |
Judaism
| Beliefs |
The One God; creation; covenants; Shema; what is a
Jew? |
| Celebrations |
Shabbat; Brit Millah; Bar/Bat Mitzvah; Pesach; a
selection from: Rosh Hoshanna, Yom Kippur, Sukhot,
Hanukka, Purim, Shavuot; some home rites. |
| Ethics |
The Ten Commandments; Family and Community life,
including Kashrut and the role of women; support for
the State of Israel; Jewish Welfare agencies;
Tsedakah and Gemilat Hasadim.; care for the world
(Bal Taschchit). |
| Origins and Founders |
Reminder of stories from Theme A; famous Jewish
lives throughout the centuries; Progressive and
Orthodox movements; the spread of world Jewry. |
| Sacred Texts |
The Jewish Bible: Torah, Nevi'im, Ketuvim; some
examples of stories and passages from these;
inspiration of the Torah, including the importance of
Hebrew; the Talmud - how traditional interpretations of
the Torah's message developed and were written
down. |
| Worship |
Synagogue; prayers; Torah-reading; Rabbi and Cantor
(Hazzan); ritual dress and symbols; psalms, Amidah,
Shema, Brachot, Kaddish, Aleynu; a simple guide to
the Sabbath service; the Western Wall. |
Sikhism
| Beliefs |
Supreme being's many names e.g. Akal Purakh,
Satguru (True Guru) Satnam (whose name is truth),
Waheguru; reincarnation; the ten Gurus as one in
spirit. |
| Celebrations |
Vesak; Amrit ceremony; Sikh Divali; Naming rites;
some Gurpurbs; panj piare and admission to
Khalsa; marriage (Anand) and death rites. |
| Ethics |
Seva; Kirat Kama, Vand Chakna; Haumai - the basic
sin; the 5Ks; the Khalsa requirements; Gurmat and
Gurmukh. |
| Origins and Founders |
Some stories of Gurus, Sikh migration and settlement
e.g. in Britain. |
| Sacred Texts |
Guru Granth Sahib; Mul Mantar; Treatment of
scriptures; Akhand path; Vak; Granthi |
| Worship |
Personal devotion: Japji, Rahiras and
Sohilla; Gurdwara (including personnel:
ragi, granthi); Anand, Ardas, Kirtan and
Nam Simran; Mul Mantar; Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple),
Amritsar; Langar and Karah Parshad; the Sangat;
Nishan Sahib |
The Revd Peter Jackson
Chaplain and Head of Religious Studies, Harrow
School
Next... or go back to the Contents