Department Staffing:
Chris Harbron – Head of Faculty / Assistant Head Teacher
Joanne Malone – Head of Geography and Leisure and Tourism
Barry Dunn – Head of Beliefs and Values
Jessica Arthur – History
Lisa Evans – Beliefs and Values / Head of Water Family
James Henderson – Geography / Deputy Head Teacher
Geoff Lumsdon – History / Deputy Head Teacher
Gary Wilkinson – Geography and PE
Faculty Mission Statement/ Aims:
The Humanities faculty aims to develop students’ skills, knowledge and understanding of the world we live in. Through the study of major events (both natural and human), world religions and important life skills the faculty aim to produce an effective citizen for the ever-changing world we inhabit.
The Humanities faculty have a focus on developing teaching and learning so that students are motivated and enthusiastic about coming to their Humanities lessons. This focus aims to equip the students with the skills to become lifelong learners.
Curriculum Details:
- Year 7 – Historical skills, Movement and Settlement, Medieval Realms (Britain 1066-1500)
- Year 8 – Tudors, Stuarts and after (Britain 1500-1750), Black Peoples of the Americas, Industrial Revolution (Britain 1750-1900)
- Year 9 – The Twentieth Century – World Wars, The Holocaust, Vietnam
Over the course of KS3 students will gain a secure chronological understanding of world History, with particular emphasis on events that have shaped modern Britain and influenced the way we live today.
GCSE – AQA Modern World History (B) is the syllabus that is currently followed. Course guides are available from class teachers.
- Year 10 – Unit 1: International Relations – Conflict and Peace in the Twentieth Century (Causes of World War One, Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations, Hitler’s foreign policy)
- Year 11 – Unit 2: USA depth study (The Roaring Twenties, Depression and the New Deal, The USA in Vietnam)
Homework:
The faculty aims to set homework for all year groups approximately once per fortnight. This will include a range of tasks designed to suit different student needs. The faculty will sometimes set extended pieces of homework (projects) to be completed over a number of weeks. At Key Stage 4 (Years 10 & 11) students will be given more homework in the run up to assessments. This will normally be in the form of exam questions to be completed at home to assess knowledge and understanding, and promote effective revision. As a rule, homework will not be set by the faculty to be completed for the next day as this does not allow students the opportunity to seek help and support from their teacher. It is the students’ responsibility to seek help from the teacher if they cannot finish a task set for homework. Students who are absent from a lesson should speak with their teacher to complete the work missed including any homework set. Parents will be informed if homework becomes an issue and your support will be welcomed.
Faculty Expectations:
Students will arrive to Humanities lessons ready to learn. This means that they will be fully equipped, ready to contribute, prepared to listen to others and respect each other’s point of view even if they are different to their own, follow instructions and guidance given by the teacher, get involved in the lesson and enjoy it.
Faculty Advice:
Taking an interest in current affairs is perhaps the best way to develop skills of historical enquiry. For example, Year 11 History students are being encouraged to keep up-to-date with events in the run-up to next year’s US Presidential election (2016), in order to develop their understanding of the electoral system in the USA and understand political trends that have influenced twentieth-century events. Keeping abreast of political developments in the UK is also desirable, as this allows students to draw parallels and make distinctions between the political situation in different countries.
Useful websites:
At GCSE level, students are provided with a comprehensive revision guide that can be taken home to help with revision for the final exams. In addition, faculty staff have uploaded a range of resources to the department’s Google Classroom, which all students have access to.
Faculty Contact:
- Chris Harbron – c.harbron@seahamhighschool.com
- Joanne Malone – j.malone@seahamhighschool.com
- Barry Dunn – b.dunn@seahamhighschool.com