By the end of Year 13 and up to 7 years of studying at Sir Geoffrey Leigh Academy, students of humanities subjects will see themselves as global citizens who have a depth and breadth of knowledge and understanding about the changing physical and human world that they are a part of. Moreover, they will be imbued with the skills to work and contribute to society as guardians of each other – be that surveying the landscape, advocating for minorities or applying the law, to give a few examples. 

To have achieved this, students begin in Year 7 with a foundation of three core humanities subjects, each given 1 hour per week and each combining to form an Individuals and Societies curriculum offer following the IB MYP framework that goes beyond the requirements of the National Curriculum. A study of Ethics, Geography and History gives students the opportunity to consider the threshold concept of change through different perspectives, surroundings and narratives. Asking themselves how they and other people got ‘here’ and allow them to consider ‘where’ they will go in their life. Assessed across 4 common themes of Knowledge, Investigation, Communication and Critical Thinking, but formulated in such a way that the distinct disciplinary methodologies come across strongly. For example, for critical thinking in Ethics, students learn about religion but also from it. In Geography students research through field work and create primary data. In History, students analyse sources and interpretations to grasp how historical narratives are constructed by historians. See the subject pages for further details.

By Year 10, students begin a two year journey towards achieving GCSE and BTEC qualifications. History, Geography and Ethics are again offered, but in addition, so is Health and Social Care. Branching out towards Health and Social Care enables our students to begin a theoretical and scientific pathway that opens doors to Psychology and higher levels of healthcare qualifications both at P16 and P18. Our GCSE options respect our local situation, so in Geography students’ field trips are to London, and in Ethics, we study Christianity and Judaism as prominent religions in the community, lastly in history we study a history of medicine that conveys how ideas have changed over time. These key ideas equip our learners for study in our Post-16 provision. See the subject pages for further details.

KS3: History

History develops knowledge and understanding of local, national and international events in the past. 

In the study of History students have the opportunity to consider how past events have shaped the society and values of the world in which they live. It encourages them to examine their rights and responsibilities and to think critically about how and why things are the way they are. Students develop a variety of skills including analytical thinking, research, communication and evaluation of evidence.  Students will explore how the past has helped to shape the present.  Ultimately it should also provide students with the skills and content to challenge interpretations of the past. Students’ work is assessed at the end of each Module in a variety of different ways from timed tests/essays to projects and presentations.

Students develop their skills and knowledge through enquiry based exercises, research, teacher and student led activities.  They have a variety of sources such as books, websites, articles and films.

Coordinator of Learning: Ms Wood (jean.wood@sgla.latrust.org.uk)

Year 7 students will study the story of Britain – From Pre-1066 Anglo-Saxon England under attack from Viking raiders, to the Norman conquest and consolidation of power over the vanquished population, then on to the challenges for power from the Monarch, Church, Barons and People. The penultimate module of study sees the Tudors create a powerful monarchy but face countless crises. The year ends with a survey of the accomplishments and impacts of the Renaissance in Europe and England, preparing students for Year 8 and the execution of The King.

A summary of Year 7 content

Year 7 students have 1 hour of history lessons per week.

  • Module 1: The Anglo Saxon and Viking Age ending with the Norman Invasion.
  • Module 2: The consolidation of Norman power, including the Feudal System and development of castles.
  • Module 3: The Centrality of Religion in the Medieval World
  • Module 4: Challenges to Power in Medieval England
  • Module 5: Tudor England and the Reformation
  • Module 6: The Renaissance and age of discovery

Year 7 Assessment

Year 7 students will be assessed regularly using short quizzes, homework and end of unit assessments. Year 7 history  students will be assessed based on the following criteria throughout the year:

  • Use vocabulary in context
  • Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of subject-specific content and concepts, using descriptions, explanations and examples.
  • Explain the choice of the research question
  • Follow an action plan to explore a research question
  • Collect and record relevant information consistent with the research question
  • Reflect on the process and results of the investigation
  • I communicated information and ideas in a way that is completely clear
  • Completely organized information and ideas effectively
  • List sources of information in a way that follows the task instructions.
  • Identify the main points of ideas, events, visual representation or arguments
  • Use information to justify an opinion
  • Identify and analyse a range of sources/data in terms of origin and purpose
  • Identify different views and their implications

Additional Resources

Students will have individual Google Classrooms, where homework may be set. It will be important that students are regularly checking these for updates from their teacher. 

The Humanities Department has created a website to support student learning in history. Here you will find resources and instructions on how to complete work if you are working from home but you must be signed into your school google account on your web browser. Please visit:

https://sites.google.com/sirgeoffreyleighacademy.org.uk/humanities/history/hi-ks3-year-7

Year 8, students study the most controversial period of Britain’s history. Did modern Britain rise out of the ashes of an over powerful and brutal Empire? Between the English Civil war 1642-1646; that toppled a King, and the Great Reform Act in 1832 that introduced a form of political representation, it is possible to chart the rise of a great Empire that inspired democracy and liberalism globally. But on closer inspection, that view is shattered and the reality of the struggles facing those alive at the time makes for hard reading.

A summary of Year 8 content

Year 8 students have 1 hour of history lessons per week.

  • Module 1: The English Civil War
  • Module 2: The Industrial Revolution
  • Module 3: The origins of Empire
  • Module 4: An Empire in decline
  • Module 5: Democracy: Protest and riot
  • Module 6: Modern Democracy: The development of the Trade Union Movement

Year 8 Assessment

Year 8 students will be assessed regularly using short quizzes, homework and end of unit assessments. Year 8 history  students will be assessed based on the following criteria throughout the year:

  • Use vocabulary in context
  • Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of subject-specific content and concepts, using descriptions, explanations and examples.
  • Explain the choice of the research question
  • Follow an action plan to explore a research question
  • Collect and record relevant information consistent with the research question
  • Reflect on the process and results of the investigation
  • I communicated information and ideas in a way that is completely clear
  • Completely organized information and ideas effectively
  • List sources of information in a way that follows the task instructions.
  • Identify the main points of ideas, events, visual representation or arguments
  • Use information to justify an opinion
  • Identify and analyse a range of sources/data in terms of origin and purpose
  • Identify different views and their implications

Resources

Students will have individual Google Classrooms, where homework may be set. It will be important that students are regularly checking these for updates from their teacher. 

The Humanities Department has created a website to support student learning in history. Here you will find resources and instructions on how to complete work if you are working from home but you must be signed into your school google account on your web browser. Please visit:

https://sites.google.com/sirgeoffreyleighacademy.org.uk/humanities/history/hi-ks3-year-8

Year 9 history lessons will study the world from 1900. It’s possible to see the Twentieth Century as a continuation of medieval crusader wars of belief – but instead of religion forming the dividing lines, it was ideology. Instead of swords and shields, it’s machine guns, artillery and atomic bombs. Authoritarian Fascism and Communism were locked into an existential conflict with Liberal Democracy. 

But it’s not that simple. Nothing is inevitable and even today Liberal Democracy is far from unchallenged in the world we live in today. What causes conflicts and why were they won?

A summary of Year 9 content

Year 9 students have 1 hour of history lessons per week.

  • Module 1: Female Suffrage 
  • Module 2: World War One
  • Module 3: World War Two
  • Module 4: The Holocaust
  • Module 5: Revolutionary Russia
  • Module 6: The Cold War

Year 9 Assessment

Year 9 students will be assessed regularly using short quizzes, homework and end of unit assessments. Year 9 history  students will be assessed based on the following criteria throughout the year:

  • Use vocabulary in context
  • Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of subject-specific content and concepts, using descriptions, explanations and examples.
  • Explain the choice of the research question
  • Follow an action plan to explore a research question
  • Collect and record relevant information consistent with the research question
  • Reflect on the process and results of the investigation
  • I communicated information and ideas in a way that is completely clear
  • Completely organized information and ideas effectively
  • List sources of information in a way that follows the task instructions.
  • Identify the main points of ideas, events, visual representation or arguments
  • Use information to justify an opinion
  • Identify and analyse a range of sources/data in terms of origin and purpose
  • Identify different views and their implications

Resources

Students will have individual Google Classrooms, where homework may be set. It will be important that students are regularly checking these for updates from their teachers. 

The Humanities Department has created a website to support student learning in history. Here you will find resources and instructions on how to complete work if you are working from home but you must be signed into your school google account on your web browser. Please visit:

https://sites.google.com/sirgeoffreyleighacademy.org.uk/humanities/history/hi-ks3-year-9

KS4: GCSE History

Coordinator of Learning: Ms Wood (jean.wood@sgla.latrust.org.uk)

GCSE Edexcel history is studied by more students across the country than any other exam board. It has a direct link to further studies in history, for example, the Edexcel A-level history studied at Sir Geoffrey Leigh Academy, but also expands pupils’ ability to read, write and evaluate facts – a key skill found in all other subjects, and one required for life.

The course includes a study of the American West, Early Elizabethan England, Medicine in Britain 1250-Present and Weimar and Nazi Germany. These units are either in-depth on a short period of time, or they cover a breadth of time designed to give students an understanding of how changes occur across hundreds of years.

By offering a broad range of international, British and European history, students develop a keen understanding of the world they inhabit and are well placed to become global citizens.

For more information about history in Year 10, please contact Ms Wood using the email above.

A summary of Year 10 content

Year 10 students have 3 hours of history lessons per week.

  • Module 1: Medieval Medicine 1250-1500 and Renaissance Medicine
  • Module 2: Early Elizabethan England
  • Module 3: Early Elizabethan England
  • Module 4: The American West
  • Module 5: The American West
  • Module 6: The American West

Year 10 Assessment

Year 10 students will be assessed regularly using short quizzes, and examination style questions. 

Year 10 Resources

Students will have individual Google Classrooms, where homework may be set. It will be important that students are regularly checking these for updates from their teachers. 

The Humanities Department has created a website to support student learning in history. Here you will find resources and instructions on how to complete work if you are working from home but you must be signed into your school google account on your web browser. Please visit:

https://sites.google.com/sirgeoffreyleighacademy.org.uk/humanities/history/hi-ks4

GCSE Edexcel history is studied by more students across the country than any other exam board. It has a direct link to further studies in history, for example, the Edexcel A-level history studied at SGLA, but also expands pupils’ ability to read, write and evaluate facts – a key skill found in all other subjects, and one required for life.

The course includes a study of the American West, Early Elizabethan England, Medicine in Britain 1250-Present and Weimar and Nazi Germany. These units are either in-depth on a short period of time, or they cover a breadth of time designed to give students an understanding of how changes occur across hundreds of years.

By offering a broad range of international, British and European history, students develop a keen understanding of the world they inhabit and are well placed to become global citizens.

For more information about history in Year 10, please contact Ms Wood using the email above.

A summary of Year 11 content

Year 11 students have 3 hours of history lessons per week.

  • Module 1: Medicine 1700-1900 and Treatment and Injuries on the Western Front
  • Module 2: Weimar and Nazi Germany
  • Module 3: Weimar and Nazi Germany
  • Module 4: Modern Medicine 1900 to Present
  • Module 5: Revision and Public Examinations
  • Module 6: Public Examinations

Year 11 Resources

Students will have individual Google Classrooms, where homework may be set. It will be important that students are regularly checking these for updates from their teachers. 

The Humanities Department has created a website to support student learning in history. Here you will find resources and instructions on how to complete work if you are working from home but you must be signed into your school google account on your web browser. Please visit:

https://sites.google.com/sirgeoffreyleighacademy.org.uk/humanities/history/hi-ks4

KS5: A Level History

Coordinator of Learning: Ms Wood (jean.wood@sgla.latrust.org.uk)

A-level History is a highly respected subject in the work-place and in Higher Education – be that for further study of history or other subjects, like law for example.

Across Year 12 and 13, students will study the USA 1920-55, Britain 1920-1997, the Witchcraze, and complete an extended piece of coursework.

In Year 12, two out of 4 topics are studied. The USA 1920-55 is a depth study that includes the glamour and brutality of prohibition, but the contradiction of prejudice in the land of the free, all the while economic and cultural dominance are burgeoning. The examination requires students to write essay responses and source question analysis. Britain 1920-1997 helps students understand the story of their own country and it’s place in the world, so significantly shaped in the last 77 years. The rise of the Labour Party, the bulwark figure of Margaret Thatcher the decline of Empire and different waves of migration are just some examples that will be studied to explain changes to Britain over the time period.

Year 13 students study the witch craze in Britain, Europe and North America c1580-1750 and complete their coursework.

A-level History is a highly respected subject in the work-place and in Higher Education – be that for further study of history or other subjects, like law for example.

Across Year 12 and 13, students will study the USA 1920-55, Britain 1920-1997, the Witchcraze, and complete an extended piece of coursework.

In Year 12, two out of 4 topics are studied. The USA 1920-55 is a depth study that includes the glamour and brutality of prohibition, but the contradiction of prejudice in the land of the free, all the while economic and cultural dominance are burgeoning. The examination requires students to write essay responses and source question analysis. Britain 1920-1997 helps students understand the story of their own country and its place in the world, so significantly shaped in the last 77 years. The rise of the Labour Party, the bulwark figure of Margaret Thatcher, the decline of the Empire and different waves of migration are just some examples that will be studied to explain changes to Britain over the time period.

Year 13 students study the witch craze in Britain, Europe and North America c1580-1750 and complete their coursework

Teaching includes flip learning by pre-reading, watching videos and podcasts. Lessons check for understanding and embed knowledge through the use of quizzes, card sorts and structured conversations. Clear milestones using the key substantive time periods help break the topics down into understandable and coherent chunks

Schedule of Learning

In Year 12, students complete a depth study of the USA and a breadth Study of Britain, but with a crucial unit on interpretations held back for advanced teaching in Year 13. Students are introduced to the coursework component at the end of Year 12 so that they can use the summer holidays to research and read books.

Exam Board Information

Delving back in time to Witch Craze Europe and America, students study in breadth and depth, taking on sources from the time. Meanwhile, a complex study of interpretations of Britain’s first female Prime Minister. In a similar vein of studying the construction of interpretations, students complete coursework that culminates in 3-4,000 words – an incredible accomplishment that gives history A-level the end point that prepares students for higher education and apprenticeships.

As in Year 12, students learn through flip learning and in-class consolidation activities. However, additionally students will complete more guided reading and critical analysis of historians’ views, applying sets of criteria like Currency, Relevance, Accuracy, Authority and Purpose.

Sir Geoffrey Leigh Academy has an excellent track record of results in A-level History. Students complete mock examinations in Module 2 and from Module 3 practice essay plans and answers routinely in class and for homework to expand their range of assessment questions to overcome. This means that students complete the course not just ready for the examination, but with an ability to understand complex nuance and respond with analytical and contextually specific essay answers, preparing students for complex jobs and higher education.

Schedule of Learning

  • Module 1-4:  Witchcraze, Coursework, Interpretations
  • Module 5: Revision

Exam Board Information

Year 12 and Year 13 Resources

Students will have individual Google Classrooms, where homework may be set. It will be important that students are regularly checking these for updates from their teachers. 

The Humanities Department has created a website to support student learning in history. Here you will find resources and instructions on how to complete work if you are working from home but you must be signed into your school google account on your web browser. Please visit:

https://sites.google.com/sirgeoffreyleighacademy.org.uk/humanities/history/hi-ks5