Many students at St Augustine’s have chosen to study RS and Philosophy at A Level and greatly enjoy the opportunity to consider and debate a variety of philosophical, ethical and theological issues in detail. The subject is popular with those students considering law, philosophy, journalism or any number of career paths due to its focus on reading, disseminating information, presenting and writing.
In addition, all Sixth Form students at St Augustine’s study Core RS by participating in three separate days of RS provision across the academic year. Students participate in a philosophy and ethics morning, where a series of debates are prepared by students and chaired by teachers, with subjects covering transhumanism and replacing human judges with AI. In 2025, students commented that “This morning was something I was a bit worried about, as I don’t usually like speaking in front of others, but the topic was something I felt passionate about and my teacher gave me lots of good ideas as to how to put my points across. I really enjoyed it!” Another student commented that “…the debate on AI judges really helped with my understanding of the judiciary and their role in politics. It made me realise how much we do rely on them and the ethical issues on AI.”
We also host a Rights Respecting Day in line with Unicef’s work on the Rights of the Child with a series of talks, debates and presentations focused on the central principle of ‘disagreeing agreeably and with respect.’ Finally, Year 12 spend a day visiting some important sites of religious interest in London, including examining religious art at the National Gallery and Westminster Abbey. There have also been opportunities to visit St Paul’s Cathedral and the whispering gallery.
