"What do you need RE for?" - Well, firstly, Belmont is a non-denominational school. As such we have not had "RE" since at least 1991 (even before Mr Sutherland's time!). Secondly, the curriculum area of Religious & Moral Education and our courses in RMPS help young people to develop skills in: analysing and evaluating different points of view; problem-solving and decision-making; applying philosophical principles from a range of belief systems; communicating coherently; understanding cultures and beliefs (including their own!) and constructing reasoned arguments based on evidence. If you can think of a job, career, relationship or lifestyle that these skills are not useful for, please let us know!
"But I'm an atheist! I don't believe anything!" - Wrong. Atheism is a belief. In RMPS, we deal with fundamental questions about our existence as human beings: why we are here; how we got here; where we are going and what the point of it all is. Whatever your belief system, we are all confronted with the same ultimate questions. Let's explore them together.
"You'd only choose RMPS if you want to be a priest." - Between us, we have taught certificated RMPS courses to pupils who went on to be teachers; lawyers; professional footballers; nurses; police officers; psychologists; armed forces personnel and lots more besides. Some preachers, certainly. And an extremely successful psychic. And, in an episode of Dragons Den broadcast in January 2022, an entrepreneur who won an investment of £150,000 in her business. But no priests.
"Do we learn about every religion?" - That would be impossible. By some definitions, there are 4000 different religions in the world. No one knows for sure. There are six religions (Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism) which we cover at some point in our core courses. However, they are not all covered to the same depth. In line with national guidelines, we teach Christianity plus "world religions selected for study", as well as other traditions and viewpoints from groups independent of religion.
"Do we get to choose what we study?" - Up to a point, yes. At National 5 and Higher, classes choose collectively (with a few restrictions) which option to pick from the World Religions; the issues of Morality and Belief and the Religious & Philosophical Questions. In National 5 and Higher, you choose your own issue to investigate for the Assignment and in Advanced Higher you choose your own topic or issue for the Dissertation. In core classes, we frequently have tasks where pupils choose from a range of options and we regularly sample pupils' views through surveys and focus groups.
"How do we submit homework?" - Every pupil is assigned to a class team using Microsoft Teams. All homework tasks are set via the class Team and almost always we are looking for a response using Microsoft applications (Word, Powerpoint etc) submitted via the Team.
"Are there any clubs?" - Yes, there is almost always something available at lunchtimes. We currently have Senior and Junior Philosophy clubs.
"What about supported study?" - It is available weekly at most times of the year. If you can't make the assigned time, you can arrange a convenient alternative with your class teacher.
"But I'm an atheist! I don't believe anything!" - Wrong. Atheism is a belief. In RMPS, we deal with fundamental questions about our existence as human beings: why we are here; how we got here; where we are going and what the point of it all is. Whatever your belief system, we are all confronted with the same ultimate questions. Let's explore them together.
"You'd only choose RMPS if you want to be a priest." - Between us, we have taught certificated RMPS courses to pupils who went on to be teachers; lawyers; professional footballers; nurses; police officers; psychologists; armed forces personnel and lots more besides. Some preachers, certainly. And an extremely successful psychic. And, in an episode of Dragons Den broadcast in January 2022, an entrepreneur who won an investment of £150,000 in her business. But no priests.
"Do we learn about every religion?" - That would be impossible. By some definitions, there are 4000 different religions in the world. No one knows for sure. There are six religions (Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism) which we cover at some point in our core courses. However, they are not all covered to the same depth. In line with national guidelines, we teach Christianity plus "world religions selected for study", as well as other traditions and viewpoints from groups independent of religion.
"Do we get to choose what we study?" - Up to a point, yes. At National 5 and Higher, classes choose collectively (with a few restrictions) which option to pick from the World Religions; the issues of Morality and Belief and the Religious & Philosophical Questions. In National 5 and Higher, you choose your own issue to investigate for the Assignment and in Advanced Higher you choose your own topic or issue for the Dissertation. In core classes, we frequently have tasks where pupils choose from a range of options and we regularly sample pupils' views through surveys and focus groups.
"How do we submit homework?" - Every pupil is assigned to a class team using Microsoft Teams. All homework tasks are set via the class Team and almost always we are looking for a response using Microsoft applications (Word, Powerpoint etc) submitted via the Team.
"Are there any clubs?" - Yes, there is almost always something available at lunchtimes. We currently have Senior and Junior Philosophy clubs.
"What about supported study?" - It is available weekly at most times of the year. If you can't make the assigned time, you can arrange a convenient alternative with your class teacher.
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