Humanities is a critical component of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our students, and the subject allows students to nurture personal relationships, value different opinions, investigate controversial issues, and most importantly of all, respect and accept difference. It is our intent for the Humanities curriculum to engage, inspire, challenge and encourage pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to answer challenging questions.

We aim to create opportunities for pupils to develop knowledge and understanding of the diverse way that people think and live in the world. Learning is embedded through the development of knowledge and skills over time. The curriculum breadth supports students’ knowledge and understanding from geographical, historical and ethical/religious perspectives, and is linked to both the National Curriculum programmes of study and the Shropshire Religious Studies agreed syllabus.

During Key Stage 3 students follow an integrated Humanities curriculum composed of thematic units which incorporate elements of Geography, History and Philosophy and Ethics (including Religious Studies), using current issues as a contextual springboard for discussion and debate. We believe this provides a coherent learning experience for students, particularly given their broad range of previous experience and their varied levels of ability. Students are encouraged to look at the world around them and analyse how and why the world is the way it is, and understand their own role, responsibilities, and choices within it.

The removal of the traditional ‘Pen and Paper’ during lesson time is a deliberate strategy within the teaching of Humanities at Key Stage 3. Students are largely not required to write to any significant extent; instead, focusing on oracy, debate and the creative use of initial stimuli creates a positive learning environment for our younger students, many of whom have had very little opportunity to articulate their own ideas or to consider those held by others. Removing the barrier imposed by individual literacy levels can be liberating for some, enabling them to participate in and contribute towards complex ideological discussions, often for the first time.

The overarching concepts for Humanities at TMBSS are:

• Personal growth – developing compassion and empathy.
• Stewardship – caring for all.
• Respect – showing tolerance of others beliefs, opinions and cultures.
• Asking Big Questions – communicating effectively and listening to others.
• Morality – understanding right from wrong, accepting rules and boundaries.
• Courageous Advocacy – challenging injustice by standing up for the rights of others
• Enrichment - enhancing their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
• British Values

Key Stage 4 – Humanities Options

Where it is deemed appropriate for their individual programmes, based on feedback from their settings, pupils referred to TMBSS in Key Stage 4 will have the opportunity to continue their GCSE studies of Geography and, in exceptional circumstances, History or Religious Studies. For KS4 pupils who do not have sufficient legacy knowledge to pursue their previous Humanities-based options or for those who have spent a period of time out of education, there will be an opportunity to follow the curriculum for Citizenship Studies. From September 2023, the target for most pupils will be to sit the two exam papers which will enable them to gain a GCSE qualification in this subject. Core components of the Citizenship syllabus embrace many of the areas covered in KS3 Humanities, fostering key values such as acceptance, stewardship, justice and social responsibility.

Content and assessment

Full Course- 100% exam
Examining body AQA

The course comprises three themes:

• Life in Modern Britain
• Rights and Responsibilities
• Politics and Participation

Each of the three themes is made up of five key questions:

• The first introduces the key ideas, concepts and issues.
• The second looks at issues that relate to the local community.
• The third addresses issues from a national perspective.
• The fourth looks at the international or global dimension relating to the theme.
• The last question is about how citizens try to bring about change regarding issues relating to the theme.

Units are followed in any order at the discretion of individual teaching staff.

Hopefully this page has all the information you need, if you require further information speak to the Centre Manager for your centre who will be able to answer any queries.