Humanities (History & Geography)

Geography

Our lessons follow an enquiry-based approach. As a result, we hope to create an environment that encourages curiosity about the world we live in. To do this we explore topics such as volcanoes, resources used in technology, as well as how technology is used by the Massai in Kenya. Our curriculum builds on knowledge learnt and we use practical methods, and fieldwork to help embed this. For those students who wish to choose to continue with Geography as an option, we use the IGCSE Edexcel curriculum. As part of the GCSE, we complete two days of fieldwork minimum. This year, year 11 visited Barns Green for Human Geography.  We are also visiting Bracklesham Bay for a Physical Geography enquiry. We are lucky to have a particularly good rock and mineral collection to support learning. 

History

History helps us understand not just the past and the everyday world around us but where the future may take us. It helps give us a sense of identity, understand our own and other cultures, ask questions and define our place in the world.  At New Barn, History is fun, inclusive and relevant. We want our students to gain skills that will broaden horizons and have a positive effect on the world in the future. Importantly, history helps provide skills and knowledge that can help pupils make sense of the constant flow of information (or disinformation) that is fed to us every day.

By using the national curriculum as our starting point, we aim to provide the necessary skills and knowledge pupils will need from KS2-KS4, but also provide a broad and inclusive curriculum that supports and differentiates the topics, so making them relevant and inclusive. 

The experience we want for pupils is that History is not a subject enclosed to the classroom, but supports and expands knowledge of other subjects, like Geography, English and Science. By doing so, we hope to raise levels of literacy, embed necessary English skills and deepen knowledge and interests, which we hope will inspire future opportunities and choices.  

One major attribute of History, is the abundance of organised field trips for all year groups, and which make full use of the rich local historical sites around Sussex and the South coast. Sparking students’ interest in History will not end in KS3 but also lead on to the opportunity of taking GCSE History in KS4.

In the words of the Historian, David McCullough, “History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are. ”