Subject - Humanities

Year 7 

• Fantastic Places

• Tectonics

• Amazing Asia

• Map Skills

• Endangered Environments

Year 8

• Weather and Climate

• Awesome Africa

• Dramatic Coasts

• Fieldwork

Year 9

• Globalisation 

• People and the Biosphere

• Forests Under Threat

At Cobham Free School, we follow the Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Geography course. 

Component 1: Hazardous Earth

Key ideas:

• Key idea 1.1: The atmosphere operates as a global system which transfers heat around the Earth.

• Climate has changed in the past through natural causes on timescales ranging from hundreds to millions of years.

• Global climate is now changing as a result of human activity, and there is uncertainty about future climates.

• Tropical cyclones are caused by particular meteorological conditions and present major natural hazards to people and places.

• Earth’s layered structure and physical properties are key to plate tectonics.

• There are different plate boundaries, each with characteristic volcanic and earthquake hazards.

• Tectonic hazards affect people, and are managed, differently at contrasting locations.

Assessment: Students will complete a range of exam style questions throughout. An extended essay question will be at the midpoint of the topic. Mock GCSE style paper to be sat at the end of the topic.

Component 2: The UK’s Evolving Human Landscape and fieldwork investigation   

Key ideas:

•  Population, economic activities and settlements are key elements of the human landscape.

• The UK economy and society is increasingly linked to and shaped by the wider world.

• The context of the city influences its functions and structure

• The city changes through employment, services and the movement of people.

• The changing city creates challenges and opportunities.

• Ways of life in the city can be improved by different strategies.

• The city is interdependent with rural areas, leading to changes in rural areas.

• The changing rural area creates challenges and opportunities.

Assessment: Students will complete a range of exam style questions throughout. An extended essay question will be at the midpoint of the topic. Mock GCSE style paper to be sat at the end of the topic.

Component 3: The UK’s evolving Physical landscape + Fieldwork investigation (rural)  

Key Ideas:

• Geology and past processes have influenced the physical landscape of the UK.

• A number of physical and human processes work together to create distinct UK landscapes.

• Distinctive coastal landscapes are influenced by geology interacting with physical processes.

• Distinctive coastal landscapes are modified by human activity interacting with physical processes.

• The interaction of human and physical processes present challenges along coastlines and there are a variety of management options.

• Distinctive river landscapes have different characteristics formed by interacting physical processes.

• River landscapes are influenced by human activity interacting with physical processes.

• Some rivers are more prone to flood than others and there is a variety of river management options.

Assessment: Students will complete a range of exam style questions throughout. An extended essay question will be at the midpoint of the topic. Mock GCSE style paper to be sat at the end of the topic.

Year 7 

• Migration  and diversity: Who were the English and how do we know?

• How did the Normans conquer England?

• Could a Medieval king do whatever he wanted?

• East vs. West? Who “won” the Crusades?

• The reign of Mansa Musa

Year 8

• The Reformation

• The Tudor religious rollercoaster

• Parliament vs the monarchy, how much did Britain change during the 17th Century?

• Britain and the Industrial Revolution

• Migration and diversity 1500-present. Who are the English? Or British?

Year 9

• The British Empire and India

• World War One

• Russia in Revolution

•  The Second World War

• Lessons learnt from the Holocaust

At Cobham Free School, we follow the Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History course. Content details are:

• The reigns of King Richard I and King John, 1189–1216

• Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918–39

• Crime and punishment in Britain, c1000–present and Historic environment: Whitechapel, c1870–c1900: crime, policing and the inner city. 

• Superpower Relations and Cold War 1941-1991 

Paper 1 British Thematic Study with Historical Environment

Crime and punishment in Britain, c1000–present and Historic environment: Whitechapel, c1870–c1900: crime, policing and the inner city.

30% of overall grade

1 hour 15 minutes exam

Paper 2 

Part 1 : British Depth Study

20% of overall grade *see below

The reigns of King Richard I and King John, 1189–1216

And 

Part 2: Period Study 

20% of overall grade

Superpower Relations and Cold War 1941-1991 

*Paper 2 combines the Period Study and British Depth Study. The whole paper is worth 40% split evenly between the two and lasts 1 hour 45 minutes.

Paper 3: Modern Depth Study

30% of overall grade

Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918–39

1 hour 20 minutes exam

Over the course of years 7-9, students will find out: what philosophy can offer when searching for meaning in life, what the 6 main world religions (Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Sikhism) teach their believers and how people’s ‘moral compasses’ may be formed. 

Year 7 

What is Religion?

• Introductory unit - what we mean by religion and belief

• the key features that most religions have in common.

Sikhism

• The beliefs, practices and values of Sikhism.

Judaism

• The history and origins of Judaism as the founding monotheistic faith. 

• Jewish life and the differences between the Reform and Orthodox branches of Judaism. 

Jesus

• Key events in the life of Jesus

• love, sacrifice, forgiveness, atonement and sin

Year 8

Hinduism

• Origins

• The belief framework of Hinduism

•  Worship

Islam

• The beliefs, practices and values of Islam in the Modern world. 

Prejudice and discrimination

• The contexts in history and today do people suffer prejudice and discrimination.

• To explore religious responses to prejudice and discrimination.

Year 9

What is Ethics?

• Differing ethical viewpoints and how people make moral decisions. 

• Application of these theories to abortion, euthanasia and capital punishment.

Humanism

• What is Humanism and how do Humanists make moral decisions?

• How and why do Humanists mark rites of passage? 

Buddhism

• the life of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) 

• the significance and practice of Buddhism in the Modern world.

In years 10-11 those studying full-course GCSE will, in Year 10, gain a secure understanding of the two largest world religions (Christianity and Islam). In particular, looking at what their main beliefs are and how these beliefs affect their religious practices.  Some of this knowledge will be useful in Year 11 when it is applied to a range of ethical issues such as War and Peace, Abortion and Euthanasia, Marriage and the Family etc. Those not studying a full GCSE will take part in ‘Core PRE’ lessons where some of these same issues will be examined more briefly. 

At Cobham Free School  we follow the AQA GCSE (9-1) Religious Studies syllabus consisting of two different units: Christian and Muslim Beliefs and Practises (Year 10), and Themes (Year 11)

Year 10 Christianity:

• Key Beliefs - The Nature of God, Creationism, Afterlife

• Jesus Christ and Salvation - The Incarnation, Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension, Original Sin

• Worship and Festivals - Liturgical and Non-liturgical Worship, the Lord’s Prayer, Sacraments, Pilgrimage

• The Role of the Church in the Local and Worldwide Community - Food banks, Street Pastors, Mission and Evangelism, Reconciliation and Persecution

Year 10 Islam:

• Key Beliefs - Six Articles of Faith and Five Roots of Usul ad-Din, Tawhid, Nature of God, Angels

• Authority - Risalah, The Qu’ran, the Torah, The Imamate

• Worship - Five Pillars of Sunni Islam, Shahadah, Salah

• Duties and Festivals - Sawm, Zakah, Hajj, Jihad, Id-ul-Adha, Id-ul-Fitr, Ashura

Year 11 Themes:

• Relationships and Families -.Sex, Marriage and Divorce, Families and Gender Equality 

• Religion and Life - The origins and value of the universe, The origins and value of human life

• The Existence of God and Revelation  - Philosophical arguments for and against the existence of God, The Nature of the Divine and Revelation

• Religion, Peace and Conflict - Religion, Violence, Terrorism and War, Religion and Belief in 21st Century Conflict

How it’s assessed:

Paper 1 - Christian and Muslim Beliefs and Practices

Paper 2 - Themes

Each paper has the following format:

• 1hr45mins

• 50% of GCSE

• Within each paper there is a common structure of four five-part questions of 1, 2, 4, 5 and 12 marks. Each religion is given equal weighting.