Religious, Moral, & Philosophical Studies (RMPS) has been through many stages getting to its current form.  The Scottish Education Act 1872 defined the Scottish education system, a part of which was the provision of Religious Instruction.  Education was delivered under the care of the Scottish church, as such the education system reflected those values.  Religious Instruction evolved to Religious Education, which most are familiar with having been in such classes when they were in school.  The purpose was to educate Scotland in the religious nature of our country.  In the 1990’s RE evolved to RME: Religious and Moral Education wherein pupils gained experiences of not only religion but also a variety of moral issues that many of our pupils have themselves experienced.  The subject, like other disciplines around the country, evolved in response to the growing personal awareness of our of beleifs and values, as well as philosophical questions.

Williamwood High School has offered RMPS at Higher level for many years.  In the Higher pupils learn not only how religion is intertwined into the fabric of our society, but also how moral issues shape our culture, and philosophical questions try and evaluate both religions position as well as answers to these moral issues.  This became the framework for our department.

With the advent of Curriculum for Excellence our subject moved from a content base, learning facts and figures, to a skills driven subject.  This, for a number of years, had been our focus making the transition an exciting and motivational time for us.  Our drive was to now equip pupils with the thinking skills required to investigate, process, and communicate a wide variety of views.

Of course we are going to say yes to this; however, with 300 pupils in each year group coming through our department we find that our explanation why also rings true with our pupils.  There are two approaches to answer this question; the first is the nature of our subject, the second is the nature of our society.  With both being explored our purpose becomes clear.