Hathershaw College



Curriculum Intent

The Humanities Faculty comprises three core subjects, History, Geography and Religious Studies. Vocational Travel and Tourism is also offered at KS4. Collectively these subjects aim to create global citizens who have a secure understanding of the world around them and the relationship between our past, present and future.

Across all Humanities subjects, the curriculum aims to inspire pupil’s curiosity and fascination about the world, its people and its past. Pupils are encouraged to study the complexity of the Earth through the study of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and places, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time. As pupils progress, they should develop a sophisticated understanding of the relationship between the Earth’s key physical and human processes and explain how this has been shaped and changed over time. The curriculum is rich with SMSC opportunities which allows students to develop a greater level of tolerance, alongside understanding and empathy towards people, cultures and the environment.

The aims of the curriculum are to allow students to:

  • Think, write, communicate and read as well as experts in their field.
  • Study a range of historical topics which broaden and deepen their understanding of the world around them and the influences on human’s behaviours.
  • Conduct a historical enquiry, including how to precisely select meaningful evidence to make historical claims, and recognise how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed
  • Know and understand the changing History of the world in order to learn about the past and gain historical perspective about its impact on the future and on human behaviour.
  • To reflect on their position as Citizens of the UK and the wider world in order to develop a sense of identity and belonging which underpins the core British values.
  • Understand the key concepts of History and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends and frame valid questions
  • Grow cultural capital through a range of opportunities and experiences both within and outside of the classroom.
  • Be prepared for adult life, employment and lifelong learning through the development of transferable skills, self-regulation and independent study.


Curriculum Overview

To download the above table, please click below.

Curriculum Overview KS3 2020-21

Curriculum Overview KS4 2020-21


Medium Term Plans

Year 7: Half Term 1 & 2 Half Term 3 & 4 Half Term 5 & 6

Year 8: Half Term 1 & 2 Half Term 3 & 4 Half Term 5 Half Term 6

Year 9: Half Term 1 & 2 Half Term 3 & 4 Half Term 5 & 6

Year 10: Half Term 1 Half Term 2 Half Term 3 Half Term 4 & 5 Half Term 6

Year 11: Half Term 1 Half Term 2 Half Term 3 Half Term 3 |  Half Term 4 |  Half Term 5


History SMSC Statement


SMSC and British Values play an integral part of the History Curriculum at The Hathershaw College. The curriculum has a strong focus with SMSC and challenges the students to engage with these concepts from Year 7 through to Year 11. Within classrooms all students sit alongside their peers from different religious, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. Students are regularly encouraged to work collaboratively with their classroom partners through activities such as; Think-Pair-Share and through peer and self-assessment. All students are encouraged to have mutual respect and tolerance for those around them which is essential to the classroom environment.

The engagement and fascination of learning is deep rooted within all aspects of the History curriculum. Throughout their study students are encouraged to develop their skills of imagination, creativity and reflection through tasks which explore empathy and inference. For example, students are often asked to consider the perspective of different groups within society, this could be of a soldier from Oldham in World War I, or an Indian native experiencing partition at the end of World War Two. The curriculum is planned to maximise student interest with subject specialists collaboratively and creating medium term plans in order to utilise areas of expertise. Key case studies are embedded into the curriculum to further engage and fascinate students. Some examples include the life of Mansa Musa, the History of Black Tudors and the actions of Saladin.

Students are also encouraged to develop reasoned arguments; many history lessons build on the students understanding overtime in order to answer a larger enquiry question. All arguments in History are based on precisely selected evidence, often from primary source information. This encourages the students to produce reasoned views when investigating moral and ethical issues in society, E.g. “Why do people make dangerous journeys?”. These debates spark an interest in the students and bring the study of History into today’s current affairs. It also encourages the students to have a mutual respect for those around them and to appreciate the viewpoints of others on moral and ethical issues. The idea of right and wrong and consequences are also a theme throughout. Some examples include the students discussing and coming to a consensus on the impact of the British Empire, the outcomes of German post war divisions and the Slave Trade.

Furthermore, students are able to engage with different people’s faiths, feelings and values at various points in their five-year journey. For example, in Year 7 students are able to explore the developing and changing role of the Church, the Reformation, the Crusades, as well as comparisons with the Islamic World at the time. This theme is further explored through the study of the Holocaust in Year 9 History. The enquiry into the Holocaust begins with students investigating the growing anti-Semitism of the 20th century and the key issues that led to the Holocaust with comparisons being made to other examples of 20th century genocide. In addition, the students engage with this during the study of the American West when studying GCSE content. During this unit students investigate the key beliefs and structure of the Plains Indians of America and are encouraged to investigate the reasons for conflict with the white settlers. This helps students to understand the causes of division and secularism within a society and the value of other people’s beliefs.

Throughout the curriculum there is a strong appreciation of the influences that have shaped the students’ own cultural heritage ranging from links to the two world wars, industrialisation, the Peterloo Massacre, and Indian after 1947. Furthermore, the development of British political and social history plays an integral part of the History curriculum. From the beginning of year 7 students start their journey into the development of British democracy overtime. Beginning with the Norman Conquest, students study influential changes to law such as the Magna Carta, the role of the Chartists, and the journey to the vote. Students are also encouraged to make parallels to the rule of the law today. An example of this can be seen when looking to the idea of proportional representation in Weimar Germany vs the notion of first past the post. There is also strong theme of minority voices within the History curriculum with a particular focus on the social development of women and migrant populations.