Humanities

Historic Studies

In KS3 pupils study the Roman Empire, the Norman Conquest and the Tudor and Stuarts, through to Industry and Empire and a local study of history in Northampton.

There are various trips that are offered in KS3 to compliment these studies, such as a visit to The Black Country Museum and Warwick Castle.

In KS4 pupils work towards an Entry Level Qualification by studying WW1 and WW2. There is also a 400 word in depth study of Anne Frank to coincide with their studies on the Holocaust.

Religious Studies

RE is taught to the pupils at Northgate once a week as a class group. The RE syllabus is taken from the Northamptonshire County Council SACRE scheme of work. It is designed to meet the needs of all pupils and levels ranging from P scales up to level 5. There are a range of topics taught on a 5 year rolling programme including individual religions such as Sikhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and Christianity. For these religions we look at beliefs and values and how the religions practice their faith in a fun and exciting way using lots of visual pictures and real life artefacts. Pupils are encouraged to take part in RE lessons although it is made clear to pupils that everyone has an opinion on faiths and they are not made to believe in any topics taught but it is to learn about other faiths.

The EP Curriculum, RE comes under the heading of Communication. Pupils have been streamed into groups according to their ability and level of understanding. This is taught for one lesson a week. Pupils follow a topic that has adapted to suit their needs and an individual scheme of work including looking at our communities, shelters and who am I.

Other topics included in the scheme of work are what Christians believe about God, Christian ways of life and Christian Origin, Destiny and purpose. This is because it is a legal requirement to have 50% of Christianity taught on the timetable.

At Northgate In year 10 we work towards ASDAN modules in beliefs and values looking at the life and work of Mother Teresa, Charities and interviewing someone who follows a religion. In year 11 we complete Entry 11 3 in Religious Education studying opinions of contemporary issues such as Abortion, Euthanasia and arranged marriages. Also for Entry level pupils experience different festivals and celebrations in all the religions.
RE is a part of some theme days where pupils experience different workshops.
Giving to the Hope Centre was part of a charity theme day where individual bags were made up of toiletries to give to the homeless.

Trips out of school to local places of worship including the local church are organised to experience how religion comes to life in these different settings and also a Mandir in Wellingborough when studying Hinduism. More trips will be organised in the future as well as using resources of staff and pupils who will share their religions with the pupils.

Geography

Geography lessons at Northgate School Arts College aim to provide pupils with the skills they need to make sense of the world around them, to explore and understand the human and physical processes that shape it. Through their studies, pupils develop their understanding of different societies and cultures and their links to the global community via food, sport, technology etc. We aim to provide all students with a geographical education which is up to date, relevant to their lives and encourages independent learning.

All Key Stage 3 pupils have a statutory right to Geography lessons and here at Northgate School Arts College all classes have one 45 – 50 minute lesson per week. Geography is taught following the National Curriculum Guidelines to all KS3 pupils. Pupils continue studying Geography until the end of Year 9 after which they are able to choose whether to continue studying Geography or History in KS4 in which time they have the opportunity to complete an accredited course and complete modules to contribute towards an ASDAN award.