Berkhamsted has some of the most advanced facilities for Religious Studies you will find anywhere: a suite of dedicated classrooms, six well-qualified staff, intranet-linked pupil PCs, data projectors in every room, and a huge resource of artefacts, books, DVDs, videos and software. All pupils take GCSE in the subject, and substantial numbers opt for A Level courses with us, with outstanding results. Our approach is academic, Christian-based and open-minded: we want you to be theologically literate, to be a thinker as well as a learner!
Year 7 – Year 9
In these years we take a reflective approach to the study of Old and New Testaments, focussing on the Controversial Christ, and on major Biblical characters and events. We also spend substantial time studying Judaism, Buddhism and Islam, and crown the course by looking at the Development of Christian Thought, a challenging approach to major aspects of the interaction of Christianity with society and science.
The GCSE Years
All pupils follow the GCSE course on Religion and Life, which is a Short Course GCSE qualification. Nearly half the pupils add to this the study of Mark’s Gospel to make up the full GCSE course. A number of pupils enjoy our occasional expeditions to the Sinai!
AS and A2
Philosophy and Ethics courses are on offer here, critically assessing the contribution of Reason and Faith to the main issues of existence, for example: God, consciousness and the soul, life after death, the meaning of language, right and wrong, ethical dilemmas. We host the Philosophy Society and offer a number of opportunities to meet Sixth-Formers from elsewhere at courses and conferences.
