Our Humanities Staff
- 2 Geographers.
- 2 Historians.
- 1 Travel & Tourism Specialist.
- 1 RE Specialist.
Geography
In Year 7, 8 and 9 students follow the following curriculum map:
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Autumn Term 1 |
Autumn Term 2 |
Spring Term 1 |
Spring Term 2 |
Summer Term 1 |
Summer Term 2 |
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Year 7 : Welcome to our place in the UK |
Welcome to our place Test |
Map Skills Music Festival Assessment |
Welcome to our place GIS and Crime |
Welcome to our place Energy and fracking |
Water consumption / security and pollution / Coasts |
Peak District National Park Quarrying |
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Year 8 : Welcome to our world |
Biomes Homework Assessment |
Biomes Borneo (Asia) |
Exxon Valdez Has the world leant ? |
Plate Tectonics Are Haiti and the Philippines dangerous ? |
Into Africa How is the horn of Africa doing ? |
Weather + Climate Microclimate Enquiry |
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Year 9 : Issues in our world |
Tourism Majorca Code of Conduct Assessment |
Venice Venice Assessment |
Globalisation Blood sweat and T-shirt diary |
Globalisation Should we buy an Ipad ? |
Middle East Dubai / Masdar |
Where should the 2022 Olympics be held ? Russia |
In Years 10 and 11 we follow the AQA Geography syllabus. You will travel the world from your classroom, exploring case studies in the United Kingdom (UK), higher income countries (HICs), newly emerging economies (NEEs) and lower income countries (LICs).
Topics of study include climate change, poverty, deprivation, global shifts in economic power and the challenge of sustainable resource use.
You are also encouraged to understand your role in society, by considering different viewpoints, values and attitudes.
Year 10 focuses on the key topic of Living with the physical environment and looks at 3 key sections
Section A: The challenge of natural hazards. Earthquakes , volcanoes and tropical storms will be studied
Section B: The living world. We will be looking at ecosystems, Tropical Rainforests and a desert environment
Section C: Physical landscapes in the UK. We will look at UK physical landscapes, Rivers and coasts.
Year 11 focuses on the Challenges in the human environment , and again looks at 3 key areas
Section A: Urban issues and challenges.
Section B: The changing economic world
Section C: The challenge of resource management
Throughout both years, Geographical skills such as Map skills, atlas skills, Cartographic skills and numeracy and statistical techniques will be embedded into teaching. Each year will also undertake fieldwork in order to ‘see’ geography and collect data.
In Year 12 and 13 we also follow the AQA Geography course. The topics below will be studied over the 2 years:
Physical geography
Water and carbon cycles
Coastal systems and landscapes
Hazards
Pupils will sit an exam on this section worth 40% of their A level
Human geography
Global systems and global governance
Changing places
Contemporary urban environments
Pupils will sit an exam on this section worth 40% of their A level
Fieldwork will be built into both sections of the course.
The final part of the A level is an individual investigation of between 3-4000 words. Primary data collection must take place in completing this investigation. This is worth the final 20% of the A level.
History
In Year 7 students begin with a short unit on what history is about where they learn the basic skills (chronology, source work etc) they will be developing over the coming years. The main focus of Year 7 History is on the Medieval period. Students will find out about the crisis of 1066 and the Battle of Hastings. The students will then move on to consider how the Normans gained control over England looking at the Domesday Book, the Feudal System and the development of Castles. They will study the murder of Thomas Becket and the importance of Magna Carta. Later on they will find out about the causes and effects of both the Black Death and Peasants Revolt. Finally the students will bridge the divide between Medieval and Early Modern History when they find out about Henry VIII and the Reformation.
In Year 8 Students focus on Early Modern History. They begin by studying religious change under the later Tudors. This will lead on to a study of the early Stuart Monarchs with work on the Gunpowder Plot and the causes of the English Civil War. Students will then find out about the rule of Oliver Cromwell before moving forward to the Industrial Revolution. This topic will include work on changes in population, transport, why the textile industry grew, child labour, living conditions in towns and cities and the 1834 Poor Law. Students will then move on to a unit on the Jack The Ripper murders. This will not only focus on the events surrounding the case but on developing sourcework skills. The final unit of Year 8 is a study of Mughal India which will give the students an insight into a different culture and give an opportunity to compare and contrast with the British History they have been studying.
In Year 9 Students will focus on twentieth century History. The course will begin with a depth study around the First World War. This will involve looking at the causes of the War, Trench Warfare, the weapons used, daily life for soldiers and the German surrender in November 1918. This will lead to a study of the issues surrounding the Treaty of Versailles and its impact on Germany. The students will then move on to develop an understanding of Communism, Capitalism and Fascism before a study of the Russian Revolution and Nazi Germany. This leads into a unit on the causes of the Second World War and a study of its key events. There will be a focus on the early successes of the German army, life on the Home Front and on the reasons why Germany was defeated in 1945. The knowledge of both Germany and the Second World War will assist students in their understanding of the next topic which is the Holocaust. The final units of Year 9 will be on developments in the post war period including the Cold War and new inventions.
In year 10 students will follow the Edexcel 9-1 specification and prepare for three well-balanced papers with components of 30%, 40% and 30%. For Paper 1 in their thematic study, students will be working on Medicine in Britain 1250 to the present day and for the historic environment they will study surgery and treatment in the British sector of the Western Front 1914-18. They will then move on to prepare for Paper 2 which is the period study on the American West 1835-95 and the British Depth study which will focus on Anglo Saxon and Norman England 1060-88.
In Year 11 the students will complete the remaining elements of the GCSE course. This will be Paper 3 (Modern Depth Study) which is on the USA 1950-75: Conflict at home and abroad. The remainder of the curriculum time will focus on exam preparation. The period study and British depth study, at 20% each, are the smallest discrete components. There are no sources or interpretations in this paper, so they combined in one exam. The modern depth study assesses all four assessment objectives so is a stand-alone paper at 30%. For more information on the specification see http://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/history-2016.html
In Year 12 Students will work on the later Tudors 1547-1603. This will focus on the Stability of the monarchy, rebellion and unrest and religious changes. The unit will also involve a depth study on the Elizabethan Monarchy with topics on Elizabeth and religion and the nature of the Elizabethan Monarchy, Government and Parliament. The students will also study Democracy and Dictatorships in Germany 1919-63. This will include work on The establishment and development of the Weimar Republic: 1919–Jan 1933, The establishment of the Nazi Dictatorship and its domestic policies Feb 1933–1939, The impact of war and defeat on Germany: 1939–1949 and Divided Germany: The Federal Republic and the DDR 1949–1963
In Year 13 Students will do a thematic study on study Russia and its rulers 1855-1964. This will involve work on the nature of Government, the impact of dictatorial regimes on the economy and society, the impact of war and revolution on the development of the Russian and empire and the USSR and the Empire, nationalities and satellite states. They will also do depth studies on Alexander II’s domestic reforms, the Provisional Government and Khrushchev in power 1956-64. The students will also be required to produce a topic based essay. This is an independently researched essay of 3000–4000 words in length. This unit is a non-exam assessment. The essay should include an explanation and analysis of different perspectives on a clearly-stated historical issue, drawing on a range of primary and secondary material. It will therefore utilise the skills and understanding developed elsewhere in the course. As an independent enquiry using a range of sources and interpretations, the essay will require students to develop an understanding of how historians work. The essay must be based on the independent investigation of historical issue. The coursework will be based around a study of the USA in the interwar years 1918-41.
Religious Education
In Year 7 students begin with a short unit of work that takes a look into what is religion? This unit of work gives the students an introduction into the six major world religions and also atheism. This unit also takes in the view of the religious make up of both the local area of Nottinghamshire and Great Britain. Students will move forward in their studies of religion and look into the idea of why people believe in God. This unit of work will give the students the opportunity to question the idea of who God is but also why people may not believe in a God. The main focus for Year 7 gives the students the opportunity to answer two key questions. What is good and right? and also what is wrong and evil? During this unit students will look at what they believe is right and wrong and good and evil, but also how religions answer these questions. Finally to finish the students have two short units of work that take a look at religious art which gives students the opportunity to get creative and produce their own piece of art and students will finish with a unit of work that takes a look at what life in modern Britain is like for Muslims. This unit gives the students the opportunity to compare their own life with a follower from another faith.
In Year 8 students begin the year by taking a look at what life in modern Britain is like for a Buddhist. This unit gives the students the opportunity to gain knowledge and understanding of one of the six major world religions but also the opportunity to compare their own life with a follower from another faith. Students will then move on to look at whether or not the teachings of Jesus stand the test of time. This unit will develop students decision making skills by making them investigate and come to a decision of whether or not Christian teachings can be relevant in today’s modern society. Students will then be given the opportunity to find out if Death really is the end or is there really something more after we die. During this unit student will take into account a number of different religious ideas of both death and the afterlife. Finally to finish the year off students take a look at a debate that has rumbled on for years, can Religion and Science really get along in this modern world.
In Year 9 students begin the year by looking into the idea of whether or not religion can make the communities that we live in more respectful. This unit of work will give the students the opportunity to take a look at real life situations which religion has contributed to making a respectful community. Students will then move on to look at different places of worship and what we can learn from them. This unit will give students the opportunity to not only learn in the classroom but they will also have the chance to visit place of worship also. The main focus of year 9 will take a look at religion- is it a cause of conflict or a power for peace? Students will have the opportunity to develop an understanding on how religion can not only contribute to conflicts in the world past and present but also how religion offer peace in times of conflict. The final unit of work for the year will give students the chance to look at the lives of inspirational figures from the religious world.
In year 10 and 11 students will follow the AQA GCSE Religious Studies Specification A and prepare for two papers which contribute to 50% each of the final mark. Paper 1 students will take an in depth study of two religions (Christianity and Islam). This study will look into the beliefs, teachings and practises of both Christianity and Islam. Paper 2 is a thematic paper where students take a look at four themes from the view of both Christianity and Islam. These are Religion and Life, Religion Peace and Conflict, Crime and Punishment and Human Rights and Social Justice. For more information on the specification see http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/religious-studies/gcse/religious-studies-a-8062
Year 10 students also undertake a beliefs carousel lesson. These lesson are one hour a week and take a look at three themes. These themes are Religion Peace and Conflict, Crime and Punishment and also Religion and the environment.
Travel & Tourism
In Year 10 and 11 students will study the Edexcel Btec First Award in Travel and Tourism. This includes one unit of work which explores the UK travel and tourism industries and involves a look at the features and the roles of different sectors such as attractions, the developments in tourism and travel and also issues concerning the industries. This work accounts for one third of the final grade awarded and is assessed through an external examination. There are also three units of coursework to complete. The results from this work comprise two thirds of the final grade awarded. These units of work include a study of the UK travel and tourism destinations such as key tourist cities, countryside areas and seaside resorts. Students will also extend their learning to international destinations which have popular tourist appeal such as those within Majorca, Dubai and Australia. Furthermore, students will explore the provision of customer service and develop their understanding of how the needs of different types of customer can be met by organisations. Students are encouraged to draw upon their own experiences of travel and tourism throughout the two year programme. Off-site visits are also an integral part of the course although the specific places chosen vary according to the case studies being studied each year. Past visits have included places such as the Galleries of Justice museum, the National Coal Mining museum and the Peak District National Park.
In Year 12 students will study the Edexcel AS Travel and Tourism course. This requires the students to conduct an in-depth investigation into the travel and tourism industries. The course includes both coursework (with the marks accounting for two thirds of the final grade awarded) and an external examination (accounting for one third of the final AS grade). The students will study the main parts of the travel and tourism infrastructure for example, tour operators, travel agents, attractions and transport and accommodation providers. They will analyse and evaluate current issues surrounding the global travel and tourism industries such as terrorism, currency fluctuations, natural events and advances in consumer technology. The course will also require them to conduct enquiries into key features of the UK and an in-depth study into specific case studies such as Jersey and Blackpool. They will also analyse the scale of tourism in the UK and its impacts on businesses and reflect upon popular destinations for inbound tourists. In addition they will evaluate the importance of excellent customer service for organisations and their internal and external customers. This includes a study of, and a visit to, attractions such as a ‘behind the scenes tour’ of the Nottingham Motorpoint Arena. They will also have the opportunity to take part in customer service role play scenarios in order to extend their skills in this area. This course develops subject knowledge and also core study skills at AS level.
In Year 13 students will study the Edexcel A2 Travel and Tourism course. This requires the students to conduct comprehensive investigations into the travel and tourism industries which extend the learning within year 12. The course includes both coursework (with the marks accounting for two thirds of the final grade awarded) and an external examination (accounting for one third of the final A2 grade). The students will study the growth and impact of mass tourism and the alternative types of travel available such as Eco Tourism. They will conduct extensive and comprehensive independent research into one current issue of their choice exploring factors which affect either local or global travel or tourism. From this research each student will create an extended piece of writing which analyses, reflects and evaluates the current issue which they have chosen. Examples previously selected include the development of luxury air travel, the impacts of the Olympic Games on host communities and the implications of recent terror attacks. The students will also explore opportunities for working in travel and tourism and this will involve contact with people working within the industries and the relevant off-site visits to travel agents, hotels and so on in order to interview those with a wealth of experience in this field. The students will then conduct an audit of their own skills and review potential career paths which they could take. The group as a whole must also plan a team task where they will develop their practical skills of teamwork by organising an off-site. Previous trips have included residential visits to Jersey, Edinburgh, London and Liverpool. This A2 course demands an extensive amount of independent work conducted by the students either independently or as a group but it is extremely rewarding when the course is completed and the students have developed, not only academic knowledge, but also core skills relevant to either further study or the workplace.
