Statutory PRE occurs through:

Year 7 & 8: Through weekly PRE lessons.

Year 9:

1.  Optional GCSE PRE
2. Lecture on Harry Bibring by Michael Bibring
3. Form times: Spring 1 (human responsibilities & values), summer 2 (sources of wisdom)
4. Creativity & culture curriculum: term 1 - one hour lecture featuring sources of wisdom and term 4 six hours ‘Responsibilities and Values, myself and others’.
5. PRE drop down days: Spring 1 (The Holocaust), Summer 2 (Medical ethics)

Year 10:

1.  Optional GCSE PRE
2. Ethics & debate week
3. Form times: Spring 1 (The Holocaust), Summer 2 (medical ethics)

Year 11:

1. Optional GCSE PRE 

A Level:

1.  Optional A Level PRE
2. Sixth form lecture programme

In year 7 students study three topics.  Expressions of faith in summer, meaning and purpose in spring and ethics/values in the autumn. Students begin the year by being taught the concept of world view and being asked to analyse and express their own. These are introductory units to Religion, Philosophy & Ethics that give students a flavour of what PRE is like in high school.    This gives them a grounding for year 8.  

The design of year 8 follows a similar path to year 7.  Expressions of faith in summer, meaning and purpose in spring and ethics/values in the autumn.  Students are exploring ideas and concepts in more detail and complexity from year 7.This gives them a grounding for the year 9 introductory course as well as the Core PRE programme that all students do.  

In year 9, we study four topics  in the autumn and spring terms- truth, knowledge and meaning; religion, identity and resistance; and, reading sacred scriptures,. These topics give students the critical thinking skills that they will need to succeed at GCSE. We still want to develop the breadth of the curriculum at the start of year 9 so therefore we begin the full GCSE toward the end of the spring term. We begin with Christian beliefs as it gives them the foundations they will need for paper 3 (Philosophy, Ethics & Religion)

In year 10,   they complete the Christianity paper, the Islam paper (paper 2) and in March they begin their Philosophy, Ethics & Christianity paper (paper 6).  We begin paper 6 half way through year 10 as the paper is not only more demanding in terms of higher order skills, but also students have to have a basic understanding of Christianity before they can delve into Philosophy & Ethics.

In year 11,   they will complete the last two units of the Philosophy Religion & Ethics paper (paper 6). They then begin their revision of all three exams from the middle of March.  This gives them the opportunity to review material from all three papers as well as to prepare for as many exam questions as possible.  By the end of year 11, students have a detailed grasp of Christianity, Islam and four philosophy & ethics topics which then give them the foundations for A Level (we also OCR at A Level)

Most (but not all) students who study A Level PRE have previously studied GCSE PRE with the same exam board.  The GCSE has given the students the foundations that they will then build on at A Level.

In year 12 students study for paper 1 (Philosophy) & paper 2 (Ethics).  Each paper is taught by a separate member of staff. By teaching Philosophy & Ethics in year 12, we engage the students early and their passion for the subject grows further.  This also ensures that we have just one paper (Developments in Christian Thought paper 3) to complete in year 13, therefore giving time for revision.   In addition, this allows them to understand the concepts which are developed by thinkers covered by the DCT paper.

By the end of year 12, students have a secure knowledge of Philosophy & Ethics, some of which they will use when completing paper 3 (Developments in Christian Thought). This exam is taught in year 13 as it involves the use of primary sources as well as higher order thinking skills. Students finish the delivery of the paper by mid March, which gives roughly eight weeks in lessons to revise material and plan for potential exam questions.

By the end of year 13, students have a secure knowledge of Philosophy, Ethics & Christianity, which many of them go on to use at the Undergraduate level. 

GCSE

Examination Board: OCR

A Level
Examination Board: OCR

Formal Assessment 

Outlined below is the department formal structure for monitoring students progress.  In addition to this, we employ a number of assessments for learning processes including retrieval and interleaving throughout the year.

There are numerous religious and cultural societies in the school. These clubs include Jewish Society, Islamic Awareness Society, Sikh Society, Hindu Society and Christian Union. There is also a Philosophy Society run by sixth form students.

The department organises a number of annual trips as follows (from September 2022):

• Year 7 visit to Watford Synagogue
• Year 8 visit to Watford Gurdwara
• Year 9 trip to the Imperial War Museum
• Year 9 talk by Michael Bibring, son of Harry Bibring
• Year 10 visit to Watford Mosque and St Mary’s Church
• Year 10 in-class visits by local Imam and Vicar
• Years 9 – 12 residential to Paris (bi annual)
• 6th form A Level seminar with Birmingham University

PRE Reading List 

A dedicated interfaith website gives information about our numerous faith societies at Watford Grammar School for Boys as well as how students an practice their own faith at school:

​Faith @ WBGS Website

Support for Year 12 Students

How should you be spending your free periods?