Curriculum Intent and Rationale

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To foster curiosity. Students are encouraged to question and debate and given the freedom to explore ideas and areas of interest as and when they come up in order to develop their desire for enquiry

Staff model this in the classroom through digressions and checking etymology of words etc. Not knowing something (within reason) is treated as an exciting chance to find out something new.

The thinking behind this is to help demystify academia so that all students feel able to access the topic. It also helps to develop life long learning skills. All too often students and teachers try to hide what they do not know. In this department we celebrate and rectify.

Coupled with this is the facilitating of a love of the subject. Staff are open in their love and the frustrations they have with the subject and students are encouraged to join in with this. The excitement of the teacher sets the tone for the lessons.

In turn the students adopt this approach. The belief behind this being that it is a lot easier to teach and for the students to learn when they are enthusiastic.

This coupled with curiosity lays the groundwork for all the aspects that follow.

To complete the requirements of the specification and to ensure students are prepared for the demands of the exams.

 

Tool Kit

 

1. Developing analytical skills

a. Students are taught to apply processes to areas that they find difficult in order to overcome them. This ranges from translation techniques at GCSE to note taking and essay writing at A level.

b. For each skill that the students need to develop for the exam methods are broken down into their key ingredients and then reassembled so that students do not fear or choke when confronted with difficult tasks. All this is underpinned by the fostering of curiosity and the love of learning.

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2. To challenge accepted thought

a. A key part of the course at KS4 and KS5 is to explore the cultural history of the Greeks and Romans. This leads to discussions on the development and reasoning behind cultural norms (many of which still impact on us today)

b. Staff encourage students to explore the development of these beliefs and the damage and or benefits that these bring. These skills are then applied to modern scenarios as the students unpick the injustice and rationale behind modern constructs of what society is