All pupils will start by reflecting on their personal history and the history of our local community; historians will have a good level of understanding of how History has shaped the world they live in today. From Year 7 pupils will address key historical questions such as:
Pupils who pursue History to GCSE will have the opportunity to study History in more depth and breadth. We study Edexcel History with the following course options/exams:
Paper One - Thematic Study.
Crime and Punishment c. 1000- c. present day, including a historic environment study.
Paper Two - Period study and British Depth Study.
Earl Elizabethan England, 1558-88.
Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941-91.
Paper Three - Modern depth study
Weimar and Nazi Germany 1918-1939.
At GCSE we aim to inspire pupils’ historical curiosity, develop their critical thinking and writing skills, and instil confidence in their ability to be successful historians.
Do you every wonder why things happen?
Do you want to know why the world works the way it does?
Geography is a dynamic subject in which you will be involved in decision making and exploring the real world. You will develop skills such as problem solving, empathy and map work to investigate issues that affect us all and then propose your own solutions.
In Geography at Key Stage 3 we explore a wide range of issues that affect the world we live in today. We do this by exploring a range of topical geographical questions over 3 years.
In these topics we use examples from all over the world with a focus on The UK, Africa, Asia, The Middle East and concepts of global superpowers including the USA and China.
Some of the questions we investigate are:
· Why are rivers important?
· Are our stereotypes of Africa correct?
· Are cities a benefit to the UK?
· Why isn’t the weather the same all over the world?
· Is climate change making the UK’s weather more extreme?
· Has globalisation made the world a better place?
· Can life exist in extreme environments?
· Why are some tectonic hazards more deadly than others?
· Are all global biomes worth protecting?
· Is 8 billion people too many?
· Why aren’t all countries as developed as one another?
· Are our coasts worth protecting?
▫ What countries are ‘superpowers’ and why?
▫ Is tourism a good thing?
▫ What are the current geopolitical and environmental issues?
In Geography at Key Stage 4 we follow the AQA syllabus. The main areas of study are:
Paper 1 – Challenges in the physical environment:
Section A: The Challenge of Natural Hazards
Section B: The Living World
Section C: Physical Landscapes in the UK
Paper 2 – Challenges in the human environment:
Section A: Urban Issues and Challenges
Section B: The Changing Economic World
Section C: The Challenge of Resource Management
Paper 3 – Geographical applications & skills
Section A: Issue evaluation – the pupils are provided resources around an issue such as deforestation 12 weeks before the exam. This is then used in lessons to prepare the students for this section of paper 3 of the final exam.
Section B: Fieldwork – applying fieldwork skills to exam questions
The pupils complete 2 enquiries using the rich and diverse resources we have in the local area. The pupils then use these field studies as examples of geography in action in paper 3 of the final exam.
At all stages of the curriculum we aim to give pupils the skills, knowledge, understanding and geographical curiosity to make a positive contribution and hopefully to pursue the subject even further.