Humanities

KS3 students receive two hours of Geography and two hours of History each week. At KS4, students receive 5 hours of lessons, over two weeks.


The KS3 Geography curriculum is designed to celebrate the wonderful diversity within our academy through topics that cover countries and regions in all seven continents. Physical geography is explored through the landscapes of the UK such as rivers, local ecosystems and environments that contrast with our own, such as glacial landscapes. Human geography is represented through topics including Prisoners of Geography which educates students on the historical, political and geographical reasons for global variations in development. Students also develop a strong understanding of how to become better global citizens by learning about the impact of globalisation, deforestation and climate change on people and ecosystems. At KS4, students study the AQA Geography syllabus.


The KS3 History curriculum takes students on a chronological journey from the Romans, Celts and Vikings, through to the twentieth century Civil Rights movement in Britain. Students learn about the range of cultures that have influenced our country and its population over time. In addition, through our “meanwhile, elsewhere” topics, students broaden their historical knowledge by learning about historical events that have shaped other nations and cultures. These include the Mughal Empire, the life of Mansa Musa and the impact of the Second Opium War on China. In addition to broadening and deepening their knowledge, students will also develop their ability to ‘think like a historian’, through skills-based lessons. From September 2021, students studying KS4 History will follow the Edexcel syllabus.

 

History

Students at LCA explore a wide-ranging scope of history, from the Malian Empire to the Golden Age of the 1920s and beyond. They explore the key factors that led to some of the world's greatest events and build up a bigger understanding of how the past has influenced the world we live in today. Historical skills, such as source analysis and building a substantial argument, are core to the curriculum to ensure our young historians can build their own interpretations of the past; while being able to confidently challenge the narrative that is often presented.

In Year 11, students will sit three examinations on the following topics: The American West (c.1835-1862), Early Elizabethan England (1558-1588), Crime and Punishment Through Time (c.1000 to the present day) and Weimar and Nazi Germany (1919-1939). GCSE History builds upon the knowledge and content studied in KS3 and gives our historians to demonstrate their ability through a range of source, interpretation, and knowledge-based essays.

Course Delivered

  • GCSE History (WJEC Eduqas)

Term by Term Schemes of Work

 

Year 7 Units
  • What is history?
  • How diverse was Britain before 1066?
  • How far did the Normans revolutionise Britain?
  • Who had the most power across Medieval Britain…and what was everyone else doing?
  • Was Ian Mortimer justified in calling the Black Death the ‘most significant moment in the Middle Ages’?
  • Meanwhile in West Africa: What was it like in the richest society in history?
    • Exploring the life and power of Mansa Musa and the Malian Empire.
  • Do the Tudors deserve to be Britain’s most famous family?
  • Like a hell-broth boil and bubble. Double, double toil and trouble: What does the ‘Witch Craze’ tell us about Early Modern beliefs?
  • How was the ‘world turned upside down’ by the English Civil War?
  • Meanwhile in South Asia: Who were the Mughals?
Year 8 Units
  • What impact did the British Empire have?
  • What was the global impact of enslavement?
  • How significant were the Victorians in changing Britain?
  • What was the ‘Age of Revolution’?
  • Why did women have to fight for the right to vote and how did this fight revolutionise the lives of women?
  • Meanwhile in China: How did the British Empire impact China?
Year 9 Units
  • Did they think it was a ‘Great War’ at the time?
  • What problems did the Weimar Republic face?
  • Why was the 1920s seen as a ‘Golden Age’?
  • Why did Hitler rise to power in 1933?
  • What was it like living in Nazi Germany?
  • The Holocaust
  • Meanwhile, Right Here: What was the Civil Rights movement like in Britain? A comparison with the USA.
Year 10 Units
  • GCSE topic: Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918-1939
  • GCSE topic: Crime and Punishment Through Time, c.1000 to Present + Historic Environment: Whitechapel
  • GCSE topic: The American West, c.1835-c.1862
Year 11 Units
  • GCSE topic: The American West, c.1835-c.1862
  • GCSE topic: Early Elizabethan England, 1558-1588

 

For further information on the curriculum offered please contact the Academy F.A.O Carys Woods (Subject Leader for History) 

Geography

In geography, students follow the AQA GCSE Geography course which provides them with a detailed curriculum of both physical and human topics at KS4. Physical: the living world, natural hazards, rivers and coasts. Human: urban challenges, the changing economic world and challenges of resource management. Students also participate in two fieldwork studies where they are able to investigate the coastal and urban environments first hand. Students follow a structured curriculum preparing them for GCSE, embedding key geography skills and allowing them to actively engage in the world around them.

Course Delivered

  • GCSE Geography (AQA)

Term by Term Schemes of Work

 

Year 7 Units
  • Map skills
  • Where am I?
  • Local fieldwork
  • World Tour
  • Weather and Climate
  • Water
  • Cold Environments
Year 8 Units
  • Geography skills
  • Prisoners of Geography
  • Globalisation and development
  • Tectonic Hazards
  • Geography Rocks
Year 9 Units
  • The Living World - Ecosystems
  • The Living World – Rainforests
  • The Living World – Hot Deserts
  • Urban Issues and Challenges
  • Urban – Lagos
  • Urban – Leeds
  • Physical landscapes in the UK: River processes and landforms
  • Physical landscapes in the UK: River management
Year 10 Units
  • The Challenge of Natural Hazards: Tectonic hazards
  • The Challenge of Natural Hazards: Weather hazards
  • The Challenge of Natural Hazards: Climate Change
  • The Changing Economic World Development Gap
  • The Changing Economic World: UK economy
  • Physical landscapes in the UK: Coastal processes and landforms
  • Physical landscapes in the UK: Coastal management
  • Fieldwork
Year 11 Units
  • Physical landscapes in the UK: Rivers
  • Physical landscapes in the UK: Coasts
  • Urban Issues and Challenges

 

For further information on the curriculum offered please contact the Academy F.A.O Rebecca Hall (Subject Leader for Geography) 

Citizenship

The citizenship GCSE provides students with detailed knowledge about the UK constitution so that they can become informed, active and responsible citizens. Students will explore the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UK politics, UK law and the role of the media. Students will also learn about a variety of international organisations and the links they have with the UK, they will study what is meant by active citizenship and carry out a citizenship campaign of their choosing. Students will be assed via two externally set exams, which will include the requirement to evaluate their citizenship campaign.

Course Delivered

  • GCSE Citizenship (Pearson)

Term by Term Schemes of Work

 

Year 10 Units
  • UK Human Rights
  • UK Politics
  • Law & justice
Year 11 Units
  • Law & justice
  • International organisations
  • Citizenship campaign

 

For further information on the curriculum offered please contact the Academy F.A.O Kelly Allchin (Assistant Principal for Student Culture & Personal Development)