Humanities
Head of Faculty |
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| Mr M Jones | |
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Telephone (0115) 9635667 extension (3010) |
Faculty overview
Students access the following subject areas through the humanities faculty:
- Geography
- Business studies
- History
Key stage 3
In year 7 and 8 the geography and history course is delivered in two lessons per week per subject to mixed ability classes. In year 9 the Geography and History course is delivered in two lessons per week per subject.
Key stage 4
All students can select history, geography, and business studies from the mixed option blocks and will be allocated three periods a week.
Key stage 5
Students can choose to continue study geography, history and business studies. Students can also study government and politics. The faculty is focused on raising achievement through developing new teaching ideas and providing intervention where needed. Good practice is shared across the faculty as well as across the academy. Recruitment on to humanities courses is particularly strong. These subjects are excellent preparation for a wide range of careers. Our faculty combines academic achievement with making subjects fun to learn.
Enrichment
The faculty also engages in a wide variety of enrichment activities beyond the normal curriculum.
Some of these include:
- A year 8 humanities trip visits the Black Country History Museum which supports our
studies into the Industrial Revolution - In year 9 history students are given the opportunity to visit the WW1 battlefields to complement our study of fighting on the western front
- Visits go to Nottingham in geography and Tudor houses in history at GCSE level. These trips support the controlled assessment and unit 4 sections of the respective courses
- Post 16 trips include ‘Liverpool re-branded’ for geography as well as two trips to support students studying history to ‘Auschwitz – Holocaust revisited’ as well as Berlin and
Krakow
As a faculty we really encourage students to take part in the visits we offer. Learning outside the classroom really supports learning in the classroom and gives students a very different learning experience.
Facilities
The humanities faculty has a suite of seven rooms. Each classroom is large and well equipped and has the benefit of a 65" BenQ interactive screen We also benefit from 16 iPads which are used to complement students’ learning.
Subject specific equipment
We expect all students to bring a pen, pencil and ruler to each lesson. It is also advantageous for students to have their own pencil crayons. We provide books, folders and paper for each subject as appropriate.
Geography
Overview
Geography enables students to understand and interpret our changing world. It assists in developing skills students require to consider the complexities of interactions between communities and the role they have as global citizens. Geography supports creative reflective learners, and students become adept in the use and application of skills and new technologies in and outside of the classroom.
Key Stage 3
Throughout Key Stage 3, we aim to develop skilled geographers using a varied of learning methods and encouraging students to use new skills to decipher the world around them. Students will learn through traditional classroom teaching, and also engage in debates, do their own independent research and work in groups to develop their understanding.
The topics studied are wide ranging and students at year 7 will explore:
• Sustainability of a consumer driven society • World resources wisely • Flooding • National parks • Conservation • Britishness
In year 8 students extend their learning through the study of:
• Weather • Physical geography • Glaciers • Global population growth • Energy sources • Tourism – economic growth vs environmental degradation
In year 9 students begin the year by exploring the landscape in extreme environments. Other topics studied prior to our students selecting their options include:
• Antarctica • Global agreements • Rainforests • Hazards • India • the World’s natural wonders
Key Stage 4
At GCSE, the geography subject content is split into four units. Students are required to demonstrate their understanding of the subject matter through skilled use of case studies and examples. Case studies are broader in context and require greater breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding. Students also have the opportunity to complete fieldwork to contextualise their classroom learning.
The units covered in year 10 include:
• Living with the physical environment • Challenges in the human environment • Geographical applications • Geographical skills
The Geography course is extended further in year 11, and another four units are covered in the lead up to the GCSE examinations. These are:
• Dynamic planet-consisting of Restless Earth, Changing Climate, Battle for the Biosphere, Water World, Coastal Change and conflicts and Extreme Environments
• People and the planet- consisting of Population Dynamics, Consuming Resources, Globalisation, Development Dilemmas and The challenges of an Urban World
• Making geographical decisions which includes a study of the pressures, players and options that are involved in making geographical decisions and which are related to sustainable development and environmental issues
• Investigating geography- you complete a fieldwork study and follow it up
Assessment on the GCSE course is through examinations, coursework, fieldwork investigations and reports.
Key Stage 5
The A-Level Geography course covers three key areas:
• Physical geography
You will seek to explore the meaning, causes and impacts of a number of headline issues, including: • water and carbon cycles • hot desert environments and their margins or coastal systems and landscapes • hazards or ecosystems under stress or cold environments
• Human geography
You will learn about the following topics: • global systems and global governance • Changing places • Contemporary urban environments or population and the environment or resource security
• Geographical investigations
You will investigate and collect data in the field based on a geographical issue, relating to any part of your course.
For further details of the A-level course, visit www.hsfc-ac.org.uk/geography
Business Studies
Overview
Business studies is about exploring how businesses and organisations make decisions and operate in an ever-changing environment. The course is ideal for students that have a genuine interest in what is happening in the commercial world and understanding why organisations make the decisions that they do.
The course will allow students to build their knowledge of core business concepts and apply these in the context of real organisations, developing a broad understanding of how businesses work.
Key Stage 4
This qualification is designed for learners who want an introduction to business and enterprise that includes a vocational and project-based element. The qualification will appeal to learners who wish to pursue a career in the business and enterprise sector or progress to further study. The study of business and enterprise involves understanding key business and enterprise areas such as: legal structures, marketing, market research, operations management, resource planning, human resources, funding, finance and business and enterprise planning.
Key Stage 5
AS Level – What is business?
Covering the different legal structures that businesses can take and the implications of this, together with the external environment that businesses operate in.
• Managers, Leadership and decision making
• Understanding the role of the leader/manager in an organisation, including leadership styles and decision making processes.
• Decision making to improve performance
• Considering the importance of decision making in four key functional areas of business- – marketing, operations, finance and human resources.
The A Level comprises the above units plus:
• Analysing the strategic position of a business
• Reviewing the internal and external position of the business using SWOT analysis and ratio analysis amongst others.
• Pursuing strategic methods
This looks at the competing strategies available to the business including how to compete, the advantages of growth, using the Ansoff Matrix and other business models.
For further details of the A-level course, visit www.hsfc-ac.org.uk/business_studies
We also offer a Business course at Level 3 Cambridge Technical. Details of this can be found at www.hsfc-ac.org.uk/business_level_3
History
Overview
History at National enables students to gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. It should inspire students’ curiosity to know more about the past. The subject helps to develop students ability to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. History gives us the knowledge and skills to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time.
Key Stage 3
Students at Key Stage 3 learn a number of topics that extend and deepen their chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, providing context for wider learning. The subject matter identifies significant events, enabling students to make connections, draw contrasts, and analyse trends within periods and over long arcs of time.
Topics covered include:
• development of Church, state and society in Medieval Britain • industry and empire in Britain • challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world from 1901 • historical terminology and concepts • using historical sources
Key Stage 4
Students in GCSE study four modules. Including the development of Medicine from the medieval to modern era, the causes of the Second World War, the social, economic and cultural developments of the USA in the 20th century and how Elizabeth I transformed England
Key Stage 5
At Key Stage 5, there are a range of units that allow students to explore key areas of political and social history in Britain, Europe and the wider world. Developing communication skills, analysis, interpretation and evaluation are all crucial to the course.
Students will study the following at AS and A-Level:
The Tudors – England, 1485-1603
• Restoration and development of the monarchy • relations with foreign powers • English society and economy
Germany, 1918-1945
• political concepts • nationalism and liberalism • racialism • anti-Semitism • social Darwinism
The Middle East, 1995-2000
• how historians work • Arab nationalism • the Great Powers • conflict in Palestine
For further details of the A-level course, visit www.hsfc-ac.org.uk/history
Government & Politics
Overview
National students can study Government and Politics at A-Level and AS level. The course is designed to provide a better understanding of the general rules under which all members of our society live. Politics enables individuals to actively participate in making and shaping society’s rules, upholding them and changing them. Politics stands out as an academic subject through its emphasis on debate, discussion and argument, all designed to enable students to make clear and valid assertions about our society.
Key Stage 5
People and politics
• democracy • political parties • elections • pressure groups • the democratic process
Governing the UK
• central UK government • distribution of power • effectiveness of key bodies and their role • UK constitution • the power and structure of parliament • the role of the prime minister • the judiciary
Representation in the USA
• representative process in the United States • elections and voting • political parties • pressure groups • racial and ethnic politics
Governing the USA
• the federal government • the founding fathers
For further details of the A-level course, visit www.hsfc-ac.org.uk/curriculum/curriculum-directory/politics/