At West Moors Middle School, Humanities encompasses the study of history and geography.  In Key Stage 2, children receive two lessons  per week. These are usually topic based covering a wide range of themes which are specific to one of the Humanities subject areas, but also incorporate the development of key literacy and numeracy skills.

In Key Stage 3 History, Geography and RE are studied as separate subjects to provide students with a clearer view of the aspects of the individual subjects.

Curriculum Map

West Moors Middle School works closely with the Curriculum Leads in local pyramid schools to develop our ‘Big Ideas’ curriculum, ensuring that the key skills and essential knowledge we have identified permeate our curriculum from year 5 to year 8, allowing our pupils to make links in their learning as well as develop the ability to think more deeply about what they are learning. In this respect, pupils’ learning is meaningful and purposeful, and designed in a range of contexts, which offer breadth and variety to their learning.

Big Ideas Curriculum History

Big Ideas Curriculum Geography

History is all about people, cultures and places of the past and how we know about them.  Students consider how the past influences the present, what past societies were like, how these societies organised their politics, and what beliefs and cultures influenced people’s actions. In history, pupils find evidence, weigh it up and reach their own conclusions. To do this they need to be able to research, sift through evidence, and argue for their point of view.

Geography provokes and answers questions about the natural and human world, using different scales of inquiry to help students to do this, and it also helps them to view people, places and environments from different perspectives.  It develops knowledge of places and environments throughout the world, an understanding of maps and a range of investigative and problem-solving skills, both inside and outside the classroom.