Team Leader Key Stage 3 Religious Studies

The Humanities Faculty

The faculty currently consists of 31 teaching staff (full-time and part-time) along with a part-time administration assistant. While teachers focus primarily on their specialist subject there is opportunity, particularly during parts of their Key Stage 3 teaching, for staff to teach in other Humanities-related areas. One of the great strengths of the faculty is the support and detailed programmes of work provided for non-specialists, both in terms of resources and in terms of the close team-room friendship and support provided.

Key Stage 3

In years 7 and 8 tutor groups are taught Geography, History and Religious Studies modules by the same teacher or by the same pair of teachers. In year 9 the same modular approach is taken in Geography and History, though with RS being taught separately by a subject specialist.

History

History topics within the Humanities course for years 7, 8 and 9 currently include a range of familiar English and global periods and topics from 1066 to the two World Wars and beyond. History topics also include “Slavery and Resistance”, “Holocaust and Genocides” and a "Conspiracies and Mysteries" module.

Geography

Geography at KS3 follows an enquiry approach to learning.  With students encouraged to ask questions to building their understanding in a diverse range of subjects, for example topics in year 7 and 8 include an introduction to amazing places, a module aims to breakdown stereotypes of developing nations, as well as country studies for example of Brazil, and a focus on global issues such as a changing climate.  Topics in year 9 include Tectonics and The Geography of power and conflict.  The curriculum is structured to help students develop key themes in geography thinking e.g. sustainability, and also to help them build up fieldwork skills.

Religious Studies

Across KS3 students are taught in line with the Oxfordshire SACRE requirements, and alongside a study of Christianity and Islam they study Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism. In year 9 students are taught philosophy focusing on the existence of God. Time is spent exploring the moral and religious implications of the Holocaust, alongside a new course that explores the role of Britain in the modern world called ‘Being British’.

Key Stage 4

Students in year 10 and 11 can opt to take one or more GCSE courses in Business Studies, Geography, History or full-course Religious Studies. If not taking the full-course Religious Studies, students are automatically entered for the half-course GCSE.  Humanities courses are very popular, with between 4 and 6 classes on average in each of History, Geography and Business studies (class sizes up to 30)

Lessons are written and resourced and assessments planned and centralised.

Geography

Geography students at GCSE follow the Edexcel B geography specification.  This involves coverage of more ‘traditional’ geography modules e.g. studies of rivers and coasts, as well as contemporary geographical issues such as a changing climate, and an increasingly urban global population.  Students at GCSE undertake 2 compulsory days of fieldwork.  One rivers day and a day spent looking at the need for and success of regeneration in an urban environment.

History

At History GCSE we follow the Edexcel specification. The options we teach are Medicine through Time (1250-present) (including the historic environment unit on medicine during World War One), The American West (c1835-c1895), The Reigns of King Richard and King John (1185-1216) along with Weimar and Nazi Germany (1918-1939).

Religious Studies

All students take a compulsory short course AQA GCSE which includes Christianity and Buddhism, religion, peace and justice plus relationships and families.  There is also a popular AQA full course GCSE option too.

Business Studies

At KS4 students follow the OCR specification for GCSE Business for two 1 hour lessons a week.

Key Stage 5

Students in years 12 and 13 can opt to take one or more of the following A level subjects: Business Studies, Economics, Geography, Government and Politics, History, Religious Studies and Sociology. Students can also take the BTEC Level 3 course in Business Studies.

Geography

Students study the Edexcel A level specification.  This allows focus on both human and physical geography as well as equipping geography student in synoptic skills.  Students are also expected to carry out several days of fieldwork.  Currently this involves residential stays in both Bristol and on the South coast.  As part of the course students must undertake an NEA in a topic of their choice.

History

We currently teach the AQA History A Level specification. Tudors, 1485-1603, and The Cold War, 1945-1991, along with the decline of the Ottoman Empire or the development of Civil Rights in America for our NEA.

Religious Studies

Students are taught Philosophy, Ethics and Theology as part of the AQA A-Level. Topics taught include Religious Language, arguments for the existence of God and ethical theories including Natural Law.  The theology topics taught include Christianity and Science, and Christianity and secularisation.

Business Studies

Students follow the AQA A-level Business specification and the Edexcel BTEC Business Level 3 course.

A-level students have 4 hours a week teaching (usually split between two subject specialists).

BTEC students have 8 hours of teaching a week (Usually split between several subject specialist).

Government & Politics

The Politics department is a very popular A Level choice at Lord Williams's, we currently have two classes in both Year 12 and Year 13. We study the Edexcel specification, with Global politics. This is a popular option and we have many students who go on to study Politics and/or International Relations at University. We achieve consistently strong results and you will be supported by an experienced teaching team. In the two most recent externally examined years we have achieved strong results; 70% A*-C last year and 100% A*-C in 2023.

Sociology

Sociology is taught at A Level, with the AQA examination board. The course is very popular and is well-established at the school. We run external trips and invite outside speakers to offer the students extra-curricular experience.  Sociology offers a library of resources and well planned and resourced lessons.

Extra-Curricular Activities

Humanities offers several trips each year to students. This usually includes visits each year to the Black Country Museum, the Imperial War Museum and Berlin, and GCSE and A-level Geography fieldwork trips to city and coast, as well as to local and London Conferences

The Humanities faculty also take part in MUNGA at Oxford University and lead on the newly established Thame Youth Council.

Religious Studies

We have offered many trips as part of the R.S courses. We have previously run trips to London visiting places of worship and a day trip to Southall Gurdwara. We have also offered Philosophy lectures in Oxford and London.

Government & Politics

The Politics team offers a number of extra-curricular opportunities; a visit to the Houses of Parliament and Supreme Court annually, attending the Model United Nations along with Education days with Oxford University Politics department at the Bodleian Library. During the last election, the department arranged a hustings for the entire Sixth Form. All party candidates for our constituency were invited and students asked questions and probed the potential MPs.