Humanities - Introduction
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The Humanities Faculty enjoyed another successful and very busy year throughout 2008/2009. The Year 7 course involving AFL and L2L techniques was reviewed and altered to now include three broad themes throughout the year and this allowed a lot more scope for project work and studies in depth.
In Year 8 the new specifications for GCSE Humanities were introduced and , so too, for Entry Level Humanities. Students have completed the first piece of GCSE coursework with the second to be done in Year 9. So far, the students seem to be enjoying the course.
Once again, the take up of Humanities subjects from Year 9 into Year 10 was very high with many students studying both Geography and History. The results at both GCSE and AS/A Level were good with many students going on to Higher Education.
The Geography Department was one of the six Departments inspected by ESTYN in February 2009. The Inspector, Mr.Andrew Herdman, was the same Inspector who came to the school six years previously. This proved to be very opportune as he was overwhelmed by the transformation of the Geography Department over the period.
Mr. Herdman was very complimentary about the progress both the Geography Department and Humanities Faculty had made in the field of Skills Awareness and AFL/L2L techniques. Peter Lloyd, Kevin Warren and Justin Lewis must be heartily congratulated on such a very positive Inspection Report. In the verbal feedback to the Department the word “impressive” was used several times.
Students in the Year 12 and 13 History groups took part in the Powerhouse Project. The Project won the top prize at the Welsh Schools’ Heritage Initiative Awards and received national recognition with the participation of Lord Kinnock, Professor Dai Smith and Professor Chris Williams. Rhodri Morgan, Wales’ First Minister came to the College to launch the DVD and Teaching Pack.
The Humanities Faculty has organised a number of very successful trips and visits and the behaviour of the students has been exemplary. In September 2009 three trips were organised as part of the skills awareness days for Key Stage 3: Year 9 went to Pontypridd on a shopping survey, visited the Cultural Centre and the Rhondda Heritage Park; Year 8 went to Cardiff Bay and enjoyed a trip on the water bus around the Bay area and then on to St. Fagan’s. It is hoped to further develop these trips next year.
Student Work
Fro Key Stage 3 Humanities work click here
