Humanities
Our curiculum recognises and explicitly acknowledges the human basis of the learning experience. It focuses on the human dimension of the curriculum, that area which deals with people and their interaction with their environment, in its historical, geographical, cultural, social, moral and spiritual dimensions. Humanities subjects explore and examine issues important to human societies. In doing so they investigate issues using different media and methods, analysing and interpreting information critically, forming and communicating reasoned judgements based on evidence. They will value an exploration of culture and ideas from the widest sources including literature, music, and art.
Geography
The Geography curriculum supports the aims of the national curriculum in providing a curriculum that explores human and physical geography and the interaction between them. The topics chosen explore the interdependence between human and physical geography whilst at the same time building students’ knowledge of place and how this changes over time. Geographical skills are embedded into all the topics and interwoven throughout the KS3 curriculum to ensure that students build upon previous knowledge. For example, choropleth maps are introduced in the year 8 Russia topic and then developed in year 9 when students are required to apply them to find data sets and make relevant predictions. Students are given the opportunity to undertake local fieldwork exploring rivers and pollution studies.
Geography is taught as a discrete subject in the curriculum at key stage 3 and is a popular option at key stage 4, where students study the Edexcel B course. This course prepares students well for their next steps and enables further study in the sixth form where it underpins a nascent Environmental Science course and supports students who opt for Travel & Tourism in the sixth form. It also supports successful study at other institutions locally for those students who choose to source their post 16 provision elsewhere.
The key stage 4 course was chosen as it is a well-supported, broad yet interesting syllabus that balances global, regional and local study and provides a platform to develop knowledge, skills and understanding in a range of topical, relevant and important issues that face the world today – in short, it enables us to develop our students as global citizens.
History
In line with the national curriculum, the KS3 History curriculum begins with a study of Saxons and Normans and works chronologically to cover major events in British and European/World history. Through these topics, students develop the core historical skills of managing evidence, understanding chronology, analysing both change/continuity and cause/consequence, evaluating interpretations and developing their historical knowledge. Throughout KS3, each topic has a particular focus on one core skill, so that by the start of Year 10, students have had the opportunity to develop all of the core skills once or more. The units chosen for study have been selected to offer a range of medieval and modern units, British and World history and to provide a foundation for GCSE study. Second-order concepts are developed through key underlying themes such as “Revolution” and “Protest”. Local History is also explored, through project work.
Religious Studies
The Oxfordshire SACRE was due to expire in 2020, however, in light of the 2018 commission on RE, it has been extended until 2021. Our curriculum aims to fulfil both requirements. We have incorporated the teachings of Christianity, Buddhism and Sikhism as distinct religions to fulfil the SACRE requirements. Other topics are a mixture of philosophical and ethical thinking, designed to enable students to be able to incorporate non-religious worldviews and those of local religious communities into their answers – for example, different beliefs about life after death. All topics are designed to enable students to explore A02, but this is particularly focussed on in the Spirited Arts unit at the end of year 8.
Download our full Humanities Curriculum guide including subjects and topics by year and term