Religious Education

Religious Education Department Mission Statement

We aspire to be a community where people can know and encounter Christ more clearly; both academically and personally. We aim to express our faith and personal beliefs while encouraging and respecting the beliefs and values of others. We promote Serviam: developing our gifts and talents for the good of others so that our students can confidently and securely put their faith into action.

Religious Education Department Aims

• To engage in a systematic study of the mystery of God, of the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, the teachings of the Church, the central beliefs that Catholics hold, the basis for them and the relationship between faith and life;
   
• To enable pupils continually to deepen their religious and theological understanding and be able to communicate this effectively;
  
  
• To present an authentic vision of the Church’s moral and social teaching to provide pupils with a sure guide for living and the tools to critically engage with contemporary culture and society;
  
  
• To give pupils an understanding of the religions and worldviews present in the world today and the skills to engage in a respectful and fruitful dialogue with those whose worldviews differ from their own;
  
  
• To develop the critical faculties of pupils to bring clarity to the relationship between faith and life, and between faith and culture;
  
  
• To stimulate pupils’ imagination and provoke a desire for personal meaning as revealed in the truth of the Catholic faith;
  
  
• To enable pupils to relate the knowledge gained through religious education to their understanding of other subjects in the curriculum.

"My daughter is enjoying her RE at school  - particularly the exercises in Black History month. I'm really impressed by the Religious Literacy subject offering too. Such a great idea."  Parent

Introducing our Our R.E Team

Kerry Connor – Assistant Headteacher Personal Development and Catholic Life Ethos 

I undertook a Bachelor of Divinity (BD Hons) at Heythrop College, a specialist Theology and Philosophy college of the University of London and a PCGE at Edge Hill University. I specialised in biblical languages and philosophy of religion. My dissertation focused on Jewish and Christian responses to the Holocaust.

I have been teaching since 2005. After starting my teaching career in Liverpool I moved to Ursuline High school in 2014. I particularly enjoy teaching the Catholic Christianity component of the GCSE course as I love exploring faith through discussion and debate.

Dr Sulumenty Odhiambo – Head of Faculty

I hold a Doctor of Education degree from University College (UCL) a Masters in Education, PGCE-RE from Liverpool Hope University; Bachelor of Philosophy degree from Urbaniana Pontifical University; BA (Hons) Theology for Ministry, Diploma in Missiology and Certificate in Counseling Skills from Middlesex University. In addition I’m a member of Chartered College of Teaching with Certificate in evidence-informed practice, an experienced examiner, both at GCSE and A levels and a member of the Catholic Schools Inspectorate team. 

I have been teaching at Ursuline High School since 2005. I particularly enjoy teaching Catholic Christianity at the GCSE level, Ethics and Development in Christian Thoughts at A level, and enthusing KS3 students with inquisitive minds. 

Dr. Sr. Elizabeth  Revai Mudzimu – Key Stage 3 Co-ordinator

I undertook a Bachelor of Religious studies from University of Zimbabwe and my dissertation was on Johan Baptist Mertz’ s political theology and how it can inform the Catholic Church in Zimbabwe to respond to issues affecting people. I also did a bachelor’s in education with the University of Zimbabwe where my dissertation focused on the impact of Formative assessment. I have Masters in Religious Studies with the University of Zimbabwe, my thesis focused on how the sisters of my congregation enhance a Theology of Development in their mission work.  I also studied a PhD in Social Sciences and Religion with the University of Groningen, The Netherlands where my focus was on the strategies that the Zimbabwean women use to navigate their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights at the backdrop of Catholic teachings on Sexuality and African Cultural practices.

I taught for 3 years at the University of Groningen and 12 years in High Schools.

Ronan Preastuin – Key Stage 4 Co-ordinator

I have a BA in Philosophy from Milltown Institute, Dublin and a National Professional Diploma in Teaching from Dublin. Additionally, I completed BA Theology modules in 2021 with the Priory Institute, Dublin.

I have been teaching for 6 years and previously worked in Learning support. I enjoy creating and sharing engaging resources for our GCSE course.

James Roberts – RE Teacher, Head of Year 9

I undertook a Bachelor of Arts (BA Hons) at St Mary's University, Twickenham, where I also completed my PGCE. I specialised in Catholic Theology and Biblical Study. My dissertation focused on the Von Balthasar's Theology of Holy Saturday and different interpretations of the Catholic Doctrine surrounding Christ's Descent into Hell.

I have been teaching since 2017 and joined Ursuline High in 2020. I teach KS3-5, including the Philosophy of Religion component for the OCR Religious Studies A Level.

Na En Park – RE Teacher

I completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies and Theology at Cardiff University developing research in many fields within religion; for example, I have researched and written about the six major world religions, minor world religions, philosophical, ethical, theological and doctrinal work. I specialised in doctrinal studies and theology; my dissertation focused on how the beatitudes of the New Testament relates to contemporary society. I have also completed a PGCE at the Institute of Education, UCL.  

I began teaching in 2022 and the area I enjoy teaching most is the ethics A-level course as I can help students unpick key and critical concepts of religion and life at a deeper level. 

Religious Literacy Lessons in Year 7 and Year 8

Critical thinking skills underpin our religious literacy scheme. Using literature and biblical passages, our students explore, question, discuss, and celebrate different faiths and religions. By linking the study of religious literacy to engaging works of literature, we make it clear that religions are living traditions and informed by their contexts. Through the power of literature, our Year 7 students will learn to respect others' religious and cultural differences and contribute to a cohesive and compassionate society. Our religious literacy scheme will promote the importance of learning about religion as one dimension of cultural competence and multiculturalism in our diverse and pluralist local community. 

Understanding religions allows us to understand the ideas that have shaped our world and thoughts. At all stages of education, literature courses rarely involve the study of the Bible, despite the fact that its influence on the English language and its literature is matched only by Shakespeare. With proficient biblical awareness, students will be able to understand essential religious references in seminal texts. In schools and modern academia in general, the study of the Bible is often restricted to religion or theology departments. However, we believe studying The Bible and religious ideas is essential as it helps us understand the concepts and stories that have shaped our world and thoughts. This is why the unit is delivered in conjunction with our English department.

In Year 7, our students complete a short story unit in the autumn term and study stories written by Leslie Marmon Silko, Leo Tolstoy, and Chinua Achebe. In the spring term, they will complete a religious poetry unit and analyse the works of John Donne, Christina Rossetti, Philip Larkin, and Maya Angelou. While in the summer term, they will explore Sita Brahmachari's novel Tender Earth through the prism of religious ideas. 

In Year 8, every student will complete a biblical stories unit in the autumn term and study Cain and Abel, The Tower of Babel, The Story of Job, and Lazarus. In the spring term, they will complete a parables unit and study the parables of The Weeds Amongst the Wheat, The Ten Virgins, The Lost Coin, and The Rich and Man Lazaras. In the summer term, they will explore the life and writings of St Angela and St Ursula. 

R.E in the Curriculum

KS3 SOL 22-23

KS4 SOL 22-23

KS5 SOL 22-23

Results

You can see the results of our students via the links below.

GCSE Results 2022
A Level and Vocational Qualifications Results 2022

Destinations of students

Ursuline alumnae Emma (2018) studied BA Philosophy at Oxford Brookes and an MA in Law at University of Law.

Ursuline alumnae Niamh (2019) and studied Religion and Theology at Cardiff. 
Niamh is also completing a Masters in Religion at King’s College London.