Fearnhill School
Humanities
Humanities
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
Our mission of Humanities at Fearnhill School is to ensure that the students understand that the world we study is their world and that they are a part of it. We want to teach the students that they are not sitting on the side-lines of the world, but they are part of the world and if they want to see change then they can be that change and make that change.
Humanities at Fearnhill School is divided into three separate subjects: Geography, History and Philosophy, Religion and Ethics (PRE)
Key Stage Three Humanities students study three lessons of Geography and History every two weeks and two lessons of PRE.
Our mission at Key Stage Three is to provide the students with the knowledge and understanding of all the Key Stage Four topics, allowing them to then build on this during their GCSEs. All Key Stage Four (GCSE) topics are covered in Key Stage Three.
At Key Stage Five, we also offer the options of A Level Psychology, Level 3 Criminology, A Level Sociology, A Level Geography, A Level History and A Level Philosophy.
YEAR 7
Geography Topics
- Where Do I Live?
- Where Are We?
- Settlements Around the World.
- Why Do We Always Talk About the Weather?
- How Can We Feed 8 Billion People?
History Topics
- How did the Anglo-Saxons shape England?
- How did William the Conqueror control England?
- Did a medieval king have complete control?
- Meanwhile, elsewhere….
- How Christian were the Tudors?
Philosophy, Religion and Ethics (PRE) Topics
- The Big questions
- The Big 6
- Respect
- Christianity part 1
- Christianity part 2
- Humanism
YEAR 8
Geography Topics
- Why Is There Inequality in the World?
- Who Will Be the Next Climate Refugees?
- How Do Rivers Grow?
- Are Floods Natural or Man-Made?
- What Are the Different Ecosystems?
- What Is My Carbon Footprint?
History Topics
- Why did Royal Authority collapse?
- How did the Industrial Revolution change Britain?
- What was life like in the British Empire?
- What caused the French Revolution?
- How did WW1 change the world?
Philosophy, Religion and Ethics (PRE) Topics
- Sikhism
- Introduction to Philosophy
- What is a Moral issue?
- Islam
- Martin Luther King and civil rights
- Buddhism
YEAR 9
Geography Topics
- Hazardous Earth - Tectonic Hazards
- What Happens When Earthquakes Strike?
- Hazardous Earth - Climatic Hazards
- What Happens When Hurricanes Strike?
- How is the World Developing?
- Will India Continue to Grow?
History Topics
- How did one man change the lives of millions? 1914-1918
- Why did people vote for Hitler? 1918-1939
- Why should we remember the Holocaust?
- What was the impact of WW2?
- How did the world change after WW2?
Philosophy, Religion and Ethics (PRE) Topics
- Judaism
- Extremism
- Issues of life and death part 1
- Issues of life and death part 2
- Community Cohesion
- Start of GCSE – Islamic beliefs.
KEY STAGE 4 – YEARS 10 & 11
GCSE Geography: Specification Edexcel Geography B.
The Specification covers 9 topics and includes 3 exam papers.
Content overview
Topic 1: Hazardous earth.
Topic 2: Development dynamics
Topic 3: Challenges of an urbanising world.
Topic 4: The UK’s evolving physical landscape – including sub-topics: Coastal change and conflict and river processes and pressures.
Topic 5: The UK’s evolving human landscape – including a case study: London.
Topic 6: Geographical investigations – including one physical fieldwork investigation: coastal conflict at Walton on Naze and one human fieldwork investigation: regeneration success in Stevenage.
Topic 7: People and the biosphere.
Topic 8: Forests under threat.
Topic 9: Consuming energy resources.
GCSE History: Specification AQA
Content overview
The GCSE History content comprises the following elements:
Paper 1: Understanding the modern world. Written exam: 2 hours, 50% of GCSE.
- One period study: Germany, 1890–1945: democracy and dictatorship.
- One thematic study: Conflict and tension: The inter-war years from 1918 to 1939
Paper 2: Shaping the nation. Written exam: 2 hours, 50% of GCSE.
- One wider world depth study: Britain: health and the people: c1000 to the present day.
- One British depth study of the historic environment: Elizabethan England, c1568–1603.
GCSE PRE: Specification AQA A
Content overview
Component 1: The study of religions: beliefs, teachings and practices: Christianity and Islam.
- Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes.
- 50% of GCSE.
Component 2: Thematic studies.
- Theme A: Relationships and families.
- Theme B: Religion and life.
- Theme E: Religion, crime and punishment.
- Theme F: Religion, human rights and social justice.
- Written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes
- 50% of GCSE
KEY STAGE 5 – YEARS 12 & 13
History
Students study 2 modules, which are a depth study on the Tudors 1529-1570 and a breadth study on Tsarist and Communist Russia 1855-1964. Students also have to complete a non-exam-assessed unit on a historical topic of their choice.
Geography
Edexcel:
- Unit 1 – Dynamic Landscapes (Tectonic Processes and Hazards and Coastal Landscapes and Change)
- Unit 2 – Dynamic Places (Globalisation and regenerating Places).
- Unit 3 – Physical Systems and Sustainability (The water cycle and water security and the carbon cycle and energy security).
- Unit 4 – Human systems and Geopolitics (Superpowers and Migration, Identity and Sovereignty).
Psychology
Topics studied:
- Research Methods in Psychology (including mathematical understanding of data)
- Core Studies
- Child Psychology
- Mental Health
- Criminal Psychology
Criminology
Topics studied:
- Changing awareness of crime
- Criminological theories
- Crime scenes to courtroom
- Crime and punishment
Sociology
Topics studied:
- Families and households,
- Education with Theories and Methods
- Globalisation
- Crime and Deviance with Theories and Methods
EXAM BOARD LINKS
Links to exam board information for GCSE, BTEC & A Levels for each exam covered by faculty
- A Level/ GCSE Geography
- GCSE History – The exam board that we follow is AQA History (8145)
- A Level History – The exam board that we follow is AQA History (7042)
- GCSE PRE – The exam board that we follow is AQA
CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES
Geography
Trips include:
- Year 7 – Letchworth Town Centre
- Year 9 – Natural History Museum, London
- Year 10 – Walton on the Naze – Coastal Investigation
- Year 11 – Letchworth
- Year 12 – Flatford Mill, Field Study Centre, Suffolk
- Year 12 – Stevenage
- Year 12 – Bayfordbury Study Centre, Hertfordshire University
History
We run a well-attended and vibrant history club including collaboration with historic England to explore the local area.
History Trips:
- Year 7 – walk to a Bronze Age burial site and Iron Age hill fort
- Year 9 – Duxford
- Year 11 – Hastings
PRE
There is an active Christian union in school, and we also have a dedicated prayer room for our Muslim students to access.
PRE Trips:
- KS4 Mosque visit and St. Albans Cathedral plus local churches
- External visitors are often brought in to work with students on various topics.
USEFUL WEBSITES
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Please note, parents and carers have the right to withdraw their children from any/all RE (PRE) lessons. If this is the case, please email admin@fearnhill.herts.sch.uk
