Humanities

The study of humanities preserves the great accomplishments of the past, helps us understand the world we live in, and gives us tools to imagine the future

 

It is our aim to help students to understand others through their languages, values, histories and cultures by exploring how people have tried to make moral, spiritual and intellectual sense of the world.  The teaching of humanities fosters social justice and equality, helping young people to develop a sense of collective responsibility and show them that they have valuable voice in society. 

Learning in this area helps the development of empathy while encouraging young people to deal critically and logically with subjective, complex, imperfect information.  Students are shown how to weigh evidence skeptically and consider more than one side of every question; a crucial skill throughout life.   

While also developing students’ skills in writing, critical reading and creative thinking, humanities lessons help to prepare students to take their place in society as informed and critical citizens.  Without the humanities, democracy could not flourish.  

In Year 7, learning activities in Humanities include: 

  • Formulating and discussing philosophical and ethical questions on topics such as identity, authority and world views. 
  • Investigating their local area using map skills and discovering factors that make our local area distinctive.
  • Gathering primary and secondary socio-economic data and presenting, analysing and reflect upon the findings.
  • Studying the major biomes and investigating the features of tropical rainforests. Learning about current issues such as deforestation and climate change, including developing an understanding of the climate change catastrophe we are facing and their role in helping Wales become deforestation free by 2030.
  • Justifying who had the best claim to be the next king in 1066
  • Analysing the value of the Armada portrait of Elizabeth I as a historical source