Humanities

Ut Unum Sint

Staff:

Mr J McGrath (Assistant Head)

Mr C Whelan

Miss S Diver

Miss K Williamson

Miss N Doherty

 Welcome to the Humanities Department

 The central aim of the department is to empower our students to formulate and voice opinion, debate arguments and engage with the real issues that affect the world we live in. Studying Humanities means that students develop the ability to consider human values and attitudes in both the past and present as well studying how society is organised and develops. Students learn to apply their experiences to the wider local, national and global contexts and to develop an understanding of how people act and think today and have done in the past.

 All students study history and geography as distinct subjects throughout Key Stage 3 and many elect to study either or both in Key Stage 4. Over recent years students of history and geography have been very successful at GCSE and a consistent number each year go on to study the subjects at advanced level at Holy Cross College, Bury.

Humanities subjects aim to:

1. To help students develop geographical knowledge and understanding.

2. To develop problem-solving and investigative skills through Geographical and Historical enquiry.

3. To help students develop a sense of identity through learning about the UK and other countries and the relationships between them: to help students develop their own informed opinions and attitudes.

4. To be confident learners, responsible individuals and active participants in every subject they do.

Introduction to Holy Family History Department

History in Key Stage 3 spans the centuries from Roman Britain to twentieth century Europe. Our aim is to equip pupils with the tools they need to become competent historians. Consequently they are immediately introduced to the most essential skills: chronology and the evaluation of evidence and sources.

History in Year 7

The course begins with an introduction to the nature of evidence and introduces pupils to the importance of studying History and the nature of the historian. Pupils study the Roman Empire and look at key questions such as why was the Roman Empire so successful? What did the Romans gain from their empire and ultimately why the empire began to collapse?

Pupils also study life in Medieval England: the events of 1066, such as the Battle of Hastings and Stamford Bridge, followed by the development of Norman England encompassing:  castles, the Feudal System, the Black Death, Peasants’ Revolt and the role of the Medieval Church. The final term involves the pupils doing a thematic study such as the history of leisure from the Romans to Formula 1.

History in Year 8

 Pupils in Year 8 follow the history of the United Kingdom from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries. We concentrate at first on what the British Isles were like in 1500 and the people who lived there. We then study the political development of the country, examining changes in the power of the crown and parliament from the Reformation to the execution of Charles I. Within this framework elements of social history are also studied, including witchcraft, plague and fire. The course then progresses to a study of the British Empire and the Slave Trade. During Year 8 pupils watch a history theatre production and take part in an English Civil War Day to complement and enrich their study.

History in Year 9

We begin Year 9 with a look at the impact of the Industrial Revolution and assess how it changed people’s lives. We then progress to an analysis of the First World War, including causes, course and social impact. The Alliance system, trench life and warfare, the various campaigns and the legacy of the war are among the events studied. Attention then shifts to the Russian Revolution and its consequences. We then progress to examine the causes and events of the Second World War and take a look at Dunkirk, the Blitz and evacuation. During this study we do a local history unit on Heywood in the Second World War. We finish Year 9 with a unit of work on the Holocaust.

History at Key Stage 4 is a popular option at Holy Family College and pupils follow the Edexcel GCSE History B(Schools History Project) Specification.

History  in Year 10

In Year10 pupils choosing History embark upon Edxecel GCSE History B (Schools History Project ) Specification. During Year 10 the pupils undertake a Development Study in Medicine and treatment. This course looks at the development of medicine and treatment from 1350 up until the present day and includes an extension study on Public Health.  This is followed by a Source Enquiry on ‘The transformation of surgery c1845 – c1918.’ Both of these components of the examination are assessed by written papers at the end of Year 10.

To enrich the curriculum in Year 10 the pupils visit the Thackray medical museum in Leeds.

History in Year 11

During the second year of this GCSE the pupils do a Controlled Assessment task on ‘Germany 1918-39’ this is made up of an enquiry question and two pieces of work on representations in History. The final part of the course is a Depth Study on ‘The transformation of British Society, c.1815-51’ which is examined in the summer term.

Geography at Holy Family RC & CE College

Geography is all about the living breathing essence of the world we live in. It explains the past, illuminates the present and prepares us for the future.

WHAT COULD BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT? 

Michael Palin November 2007

 The Department’s Vision and Aims

“Geography is concerned with the study of places, the human and physical processes that shape them and the people who live in them. It helps students make sense of their surroundings and the wider world.”

The department aims to provide a stimulating and rewarding geographical experience for all, and help students become thoughtful geographers and independent thinkers.

At Key Stage Three Holy Family geographers study varied and challenging units on everything from maps to rainforests, shantytowns to tsunami, uneven development to hazard risk while developing practical skills and the ability to solve problems and offer informed opinions.

At Key Stage Four geographers study the WJEC B GCSE course covering units on ‘People and the Natural World Interactions’, ‘The challenges of living in the built environment’ and an issue based controlled assessment that varies each year e.g. ‘Is tourism sustainable in St Lucia’, ‘Should an artificial surfing reef be built along the Borth coast?’. Studies in Year 11 include ‘People work and Development’ and an enquiry based controlled assessment that varies each year e.g. A comparison of service provision in Heywood and The Rock retail park in Bury.