Children Religious Education facts and ideas

• The bible is the world’s number one best seller, but it is also the most shoplifted book…perhaps those people have not read the part yet that states ‘thou shalt not steal’!
• What do you think is the most mentioned word in the bible?... Love? God? Jesus?... No its corn!!!!
• In America over 50 bibles are sold every minute!
• More than 50% of Buddhism teachings come from Hinduism, this may be because Buddhism started in India.
• Buddhism is very different to other religions as it does not believe in gods. Buddhists believe in kindness and life after death. They believe that if you lead a good life you will have a better life in the next one and you build up good Karma. If you lead a bad life then you will have a bad next life.
• Hindus believe in choice and there are 8.4 MILLION gods to choose from, you can pick the one you like best.
• Muslims have a very special time of year that they call Ramadan. At this time they fast for one month from sunrise to sunset.
• To obey gods decree to dress modestly, Muslim women wear a head covering called a Hijab.
• Judaism is over 3000 years old and is the oldest monotheistic religion.
• Jews celebrate Shabbat from Friday night to nightfall on Saturday; this commemorates the 6^th day of rest after God’s 6 days of creation.
• At 13 a Jewish boy celebrates becoming a Bar Mitzvah (son of the commandment) and at 12 a Jewish girl celebrates becoming a Bat Mitzvah (daughter of the commandment). However in the Orthodox religion only boys go through the ceremony.

Some practical points to check are:

Do you need to provide stationery or equipment? Do these need to be purchased before the lessons start?

Are there any text books that you need to order/pay for in advance?

There are three examination boards accredited by Ofqual. These are:

AQA –One of the leading providers of GCSEs and A Levels. Used by most secondary schools and colleges in the UK.

Edexcel – Considered the UK’s largest awarding organisation, they offer both academic and vocational qualifications and testing to schools and colleges.

OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations) – Over 13,000 centres choose OCR for their A Levels and GCSEs.

Children and Young Adults

GCSE – generally involves the study of Ethics, Philosophy and Religion in Society.

AS (Advanced Subsidiary) and A (Advanced) Level qualifications will focus on more traditional study skills. They take two years to complete full-time, however they are also available to part-time.

Adults

Religious Education can been taken into many areas at degree level, too many to list, please click here to see the subjects available to you, where the degree can be studied and what qualification you will need to be accepted.

Qualifications of teachers/tutors

There is no minimum qualification required to tutor Religious Education at home in the UK at present, however we would recommend you ask to see copies of qualifications held.

• Memory
• Reading
• Writing
• Organisation
• Critical Thinking
• Cultural Awareness

There are many benefits to introducing your child to a Religious Education tutor. Closing some of the holes in their learning will enable them to catch up with or creep ahead of their peers building their confidence and enabling them to enjoy the subject.
 

Whether building a young child’s confidence or assisting them with exam preparation, a Religious Education tutor is your way of helping them gain control of their learning.

American actress, Maggie Gyllenhaal (born November 16, 1977) studied literature and Eastern religions; she graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University in New York.

Famous Model, Christy Turlington (born January 2, 1969) graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration in Comparative Religion and Eastern Philosophy.

Controversial religious movement, The Church of Scientology, is often discussed in the media, and boasts celebrity supporters such as Kirstie Alley, Lisa Marie Presley, musician Beck and actors Tom Cruise and John Travolta.

Actor Richard Geer (born August 31, 1949) was raised attending Methodist churches. In his twenties he studied Zen Buddhism and then years later travelled to Nepal, where he met many Tibetan monks and lamas. During a visit to India he met the 14th Dalai Lama and went on to become a practicing Tibetan Buddhist.

Serena (born September 26, 1981) and Venus (born June 17, 1980) Williams are both members of the Christian-based religious movement the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

How Religion Defines America.

UK Among Most Secular Nations.

Why Britain Doesn’t go to Church.

Virtual religion.

A list of all the world religions – and there are many!

BBC information on various religions.