Back to search results

Religion, Philosophy and Ethics (RSE)

Thorpe St Andrew School and Sixth Form

Laundry Lane, Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich, Norfolk, NR7 0XS

GCE A/AS Level or Equivalent
Level 3
History, Philosophy and Theology

Available start dates

Available start dates

Tuesday, 01 September 2026
Thorpe St Andrew School & Sixth Form
2 Year(s)
Full time
Daytime/working hours
A Level/Specialist Qualifications

Application Instructions

Please apply for all courses via Help You Choose. Applications will open on October 21st.


In order to ensure success in the Sixth Form, we have designed different pathways to suit your individual needs. Please see below for the specific entry criteria. In addition to this, students will need to check the specific entry criteria for their chosen subjects by checking each course descrpition.

The General Pathway

This pathway is for students who are unsure about which way their future will take them and therefore would like to keep their options as open as possible by gaining UCAS points with their Module Two Option.

Module One: three A Levels

Module Three: Enrichment Course

Module Four: Academic Coaching

You will need English and Mathematics at Grade 4 or above and at least four other GCSE subjects at Grade 4 or above.

The Combined Pathway

This pathway is for students who are unsure which way their future will take them and therefore would like to keep their options as open as possible.

Module One – either one of the three below options:

Two A-levels and one specialist qualification (equivalent to one A Level)

One A-level and two specialist qualifications (equivalent to one A Level each)

Three specialist qualifications (equivalent to one A Level each)

Module Two: Enrichment Course

Module Three: Academic Coaching

You will need English or Mathematics at Grade 4 or above and at least four other GCSE subjects at Grade 4 or above.

The Specialist Pathway

This pathway is equivalent to three A Levels and is designed for students who already know which career path they would like to take. Please refer to our on offer to view the range.

Module One: Advanced Specialist Qualification

Module Two: Work Placement

Module Three: Enrichment Course

You will need English or Mathematics at Grade 4 or above and at least four other GCSE subjects at Grade 4 or above.

The Extended Pathway

This pathway is for students aspiring to study at Oxbridge or one of the Russell Group Universities or who want to follow a high-demand course such as Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary, Law or Engineering.

Module One: Three A Levels

Module Two: One Advanced Subsidiary Level

Module Three: Enrichment Course

Module Four: Academic Coaching

You will need English and Mathematics at Grade 5 or above and at least four other GCSE subjects at Grade 5 or above.

The T Level Pathway

This course is equivalent to three A Levels and is designed for students who already know which career path they would like to take.

Module One: T Level Course

Module Two: Industry Placement

You will need English or Mathematics at Grade 4 or above and at least four other GCSE subjects at Grade 4 or above.

Course Summary

Religion, Philosophy and Ethics underpin many of our beliefs and the way we see the world. This course looks at theological, philosophical and ethical responses to the big existential questions in life and how philosophers have attempted to resolve them. RPE is an appropriate choice if you are curious and open minded. This is a great choice for future Lawyers, Doctors and for careers in Public Services.

Course Details

Lower Sixth Content
Philosophy of Religion - We start by going all the way back to Plato, asking what we can know, if anything, then leading to the big question ‘what is real?’ We then unpick the logic of what “God” is by examining arguments relating to the existence of God that will be debated. These include the Teleological argument (does the apparent design of the world point to the existence of God) Cosmological argument (does the mere existence of the universe point to a ‘God’ as well as investigating the problem of evil and deduce if God and evil are a logical combination.
Religious Ethics - How do we decide what is morally right to do? We cover the theories of Utilitarianism (do what produces the most pleasure for the majority), Kantian ethics (do your duty) Natural Law (do what is ‘natural’) and Situation Ethics (do what is most loving). We then apply these to major issues of euthanaisa and business ethics.
Development of Christian Thought - The Theological strand looks at major questions through the lens of Christian belief and teaching. We start by exploring the question of human nature (are we naturally sinful?) and moral action (what should we do when we believe something immoral is happening) as well as questions about the afterlife and who would get into heaven?

Upper Sixth Content
Philosophy of Religion - Our study in the second year continues by examining the nature of God and finishing with our language unit, interrogating the idea that when we speak of God or religion, are we speaking of anything at all?
Religious Ethics - We will look more closely at the role and existence of conscience and ethical language, asking what do we even mean by claiming that something or some one…is good? We finish by returning to our normative theories and through the lens of sexual ethics.
Development of Christian Thought - We will look deeper into sociological questions, asking whether or not Christianity can be inclusive of other religious beliefs and whether it fits into society, with special reference to feminist theology.

How will it be delivered and assessed?

Three written examinations each worth 33% of the qualification


Entry requirements

• You will need to achieve the pathway criteria, please see the prospectus for further information

• You will need to achieve a Grade 4 or above in GCSE English Language


Your next steps...

The critical thinking skills acquired in Philosophy lends itself to many diverse areas of Higher Education study and careers such as Politics, Medicine, History, Philosophy, Law, Linguistics, Ethics, Classics, Anthropology, Psychology, English, Astronomy, Sociology, Accountancy and Mathematics.


For more courses like this, check our courses page.