Religious Studies and Collective Worship

Religious Studies (RS) is a popular academic subject taught to all registered students. Following the Hertfordshire Agreed Syllabus ensures an academic approach in which students learn both about religion and from religion. RS contributes significantly to the school's ethos and endeavours to promote understanding and respect between all people, as well as a deeper understanding of ourselves.

Our collective worship policy reflects the values of the school, which are concerned with mutual respect, cultural diversity and social inclusion. School assemblies are theme-based and will provide the opportunity for students to:

• Reflect and actively participate
• Reinforce the values of the school community and its ethos
• Celebrate success.

Thought for the Week is an additional way in which students are encouraged to engage in thinking beyond the everyday matters to ideas of local, national or global concern, and often asks students to focus on issues relating to citizenship and relationships.

Religious Education

We believe at this school that Religious Education (RE) both supports and strengthens what we aim to do in every aspect of school life. Our caring ethos and the value which we place on the development of the whole child - spiritually, morally, socially, culturally - and intellectually is reflected in the RE curriculum.

As part of the Basic Curriculum RE must be taught to all registered pupils. As RE is not nationally determined the LEA must provide an Agreed Syllabus for us to follow. The Hertfordshire Agreed Syllabus of Religious Education 2017-2022 is used as the basis of our planning and delivery of RE at Key Stage 3. At GCSE all students will study either Full Course or Short Course Religious Studies, where they are able to explore a number of philosophical and ethical topics. AS/A2-level Religious Studies is popular in the Sixth Form and General Studies provides the necessary study opportunities for those students not opting into certificated RS courses.

Collective worship

Our collective worship policy reflects the values of the school, which are concerned with mutual respect, cultural diversity and social inclusion. Collective worship is of a broadly Christian character and includes all students unless they have been withdrawn by their parents. Collective worship will provide the opportunity for students to:

• Reflect and actively participate
• Reinforce the values of the school community and its ethos
• Worship a supreme being
• Celebrate success