At IWEF, we want to provide pupils an interest about the world’s physical processes and its people that will remain with them. We will equip pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people and environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. As pupils progress throughout their time studying the curriculum, their growing knowledge about the world will help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes. Our key aims from the curriculum follow the federation’s ASPIRE strapline.

AMBITION – We want pupils to be ambitious to explore different parts of the world as well as future careers.
SUCCESS – Understanding their role in becoming a global citizen through challenging misconceptions and acting upon global issues.
PROGRESS – Knowledge and understanding of key geographical skills and concepts allows pupils to grow into global citizens and independent geographers.
INSPIRATION – Inspired by global and local environments and cultures, both in physical and human geography.
RESPECT – In geography, an environment of respect is created. This is respectful of all people in the classroom as well as respect for our natural world and other cultures we may be studying.
EQUALITY – Every pupil is given the same opportunities regardless of background. Through our curriculum, pupils appreciate their equality but recognise the inequality that exists locally and globally.

What do we expect students to get from Geography?

Students will gain an understanding of geographical issues on a range of scales; local, national and global.
They will be able to create well considered arguments to produce substantiated conclusions on geographical issues and will use and evaluate a wide range of geographical skills and techniques, which are transferable for the future.

How does learning develop over the five years?

Year 7:

Year 7 starts with the topic of ‘Where do we live?’, exploring life in the UK and how it contrasts between places, including the local area. This in terms of both the human and physical geography of the UK, including economic sectors. This leads into the topic of ‘Is Africa all the same?’ where contrasts are made with the previous topic. Here, we look at contrasting biomes in Africa and how the human landscape and culture also varies from place to place. We do this through a number of case studies and examine the reasons for these differences. This is followed by ‘Why are places divided?’. This topic investigates the causes and impacts of borders and migration in different parts of the world, starting with migration from North Africa to Europe. This is a contemporary issue and therefore up to date case studies are used throughout to give pupils an idea of current migration patterns. Following this, we investigate ‘Why are places different?’. This topic offers an insight into the reasons for the location of many settlements and the differences between them. We look at both local examples of varying settlements before moving onto a global example of Mumbai and how urbanisation has impacted life in the megacity. We then move onto ‘Are our lives sustainable?’. This topic has a focus on how sustainable our lives are. This is in relation to resource use, including energy. There is a focus on decision making in this topic, with pupils making a decision on the most sustainable outcome for the Isle of Wight’s energy use. There is also an opportunity to introduce fieldwork by running a decision making exercise around the school based on waste. We finish year 7 on ‘How is our coastline changing?’. This topic starts by introducing key coastal processes and human interactions with the coast with an Isle of Wight focus. There will then be an opportunity for fieldwork where pupils will go through an enquiry process, collecting data, presenting this and finally drawing conclusions based around the enquiry question.

Year 8:

Year 8 starts by looking at ‘Extreme Environments’. Students will look at contrasting extreme environments, including tundra, taiga, coniferous forest ecosystems with a focus on Russia. Comparisons of these will be made ending with desert ecosystems which will then cross over into the following topic. There is then a focus on the human interactions with deserts before looking at different countries in the Middle East, linking how some people in the Middle East live in desert conditions as well as other geographical issues found here. Then there is a real focus on Middle East resources and how this has greatly influenced the region. Following this, we look at the ‘Geography of Crime’. Using statistics including those from the Index of Multiple Deprivation, police crime data and from the census, there will be a local enquiry into crime in Newport. This will be based around where would be the best place to locate CCTV in the town. This includes map work, plotting the best locations and justifying these decisions. The next focus is on ‘Southeast Asia’. Through this topic, we look at contrasting human and physical geography in China and India and culture also varies from place to place. We do this through an investigation of these two emerging countries as well as looking into the future influence and impact of these countries into the future. This topic leads nicely into looking at ‘Tectonic Hazards’. This topic firstly covers the different types of natural hazards, then focusing on the structure of the earth, plate boundaries and how this leads to contrasting types of volcanoes. When looking at volcanoes, we look at how they form, what makes places more vulnerable than others and then finally look at two contrasting examples in Asia to apply the learning in previous lessons. We finish year 8 looking at ‘Rivers’. The rivers topic looks at the key river processes of erosion, transportation and deposition and how this influences features found on different parts of the course of the river. We then look at human interactions with rivers including how we use them, change them and protect ourselves from them. We look at a range of different rivers during this to embed the learning of these key processes and interactions.

Year 9:

Year 9 starts with a ‘Weather and Climate’ topic. This looks at the causes of contrasting weather and climate systems globally, followed by a focus on the UK and the Isle of Wight. There will then be a microclimate enquiry based around the school grounds using data collected by the pupils as well as school weather station data. This leads nicely into the ‘Climatic Hazards’ topic which firstly recaps the different types of natural hazards, then focusing on climatic hazards, mainly tropical cyclones. When looking at tropical cyclones, we look at how they form, what makes places more vulnerable than others and then finally look at two contrasting examples to apply the learning in previous lessons. The examples we look at are Typhoon Haiyan and Hurricane Katrina. Following on from this, we continue to look at hazards with a focus on ‘Earthquakes’, with a link into ‘International Development’. This topic firstly recaps the different types of natural hazards, the structure of the earth, plate boundaries and how this leads to earthquakes and tsunamis. When looking at earthquakes, we look at what makes places more vulnerable than others and then finally look at two contrasting examples to apply the learning in previous lessons. This leads onto a focus on international development, with this being why the impacts of hazards vary between locations. The theme of international development continues and leads into the ‘Sustainable Development Goals’. This topic uncovers what development is and how it varies across the world. As geographers, we look at how we can measure how developed a country is and reasons for contrasting levels of development. We then look at solutions to close the development gap with a focus on the sustainable development goals and whether these will be successful or not. As part of these goals, we then look at ‘Climate Change and Biomes’. In this component, students will develop their knowledge and understanding of the processes and interactions between people and environment and investigate related issues at a variety of scales. Some of the main themes that run through this topic are sustainability and climate change. Finally, we finish KS3 looking at the biggest geographical issue of climate change further, but how this will impact the UK and Isle of Wight.

Year 10/11:

Changes to the specifications at GCSE and A-level have been key factors in developing the geography curriculum. A full specification investigation across different exam boards was carried out and it was determined that the Edexcel B specification due to the wide variety of topics covered.

The geography curriculum is distinctive as students will travel the world from their classroom, exploring:

• Current case studies in the United Kingdom (focusing on the local changes within the city of London).
• Investigating emerging countries (such as India) and megacities (such as Mumbai).
• Studying topics including: climate change, poverty, deprivation, global shifts in economic power and the challenge of sustainable resource use.

Students are also encouraged to understand their role in society, by considering different viewpoints, values and attitudes.

How is the timetabled curriculum supplemented or enriched by other approaches to learning?

Fieldwork and enquiry opportunities are given to every year group, examples include coastal fieldwork in year 7, river walk in year 8, trip to the Natural History Museum in year 9 and compulsory coastal and urban fieldwork in years 10 and 11. This allows students to apply their knowledge and understanding to interpret, analyse and evaluate information and issues related to geographical enquiry. Additionally, students use these enquiry skills in school for on site fieldwork e.g. microclimate surveys.

The department has developed strong links with universities through the careers office and is developing links with employers such as the Environment Agency to enrich learning. Humanities are also leading on facilitating a Fairtrade Action Group, gaining a Fairtrade award.

In what ways does our curriculum help to develop students?

• Cultural diversity and identity: studying a range of case studies globally, examining varying cultures and lifestyles.
• Physically and mentally healthy lifestyles: field trips involve healthy exercise.
• Community participation: the department has developed links with universities and employers.
• Careers and enterprise: the department has developed links with universities and employers.
• Technology and the media: students are encouraged to develop their research skills using the geographical websites such as Digimaps.
• Creativity and critical thinking: Decision making activities and project based activities encourage students to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills.

What forms do assessments take? What is the purpose of assessment?

Formative assessments include class based self and peer assessments, including 3 formal assessment points and termly shorter knowledge retrieval tests. These are all resource based assessments.

Informal assessments take place on a lesson by lesson basis, using Rosenshine principles to guide retrieval practice and critical thinking based tasks.

How do we know if we have a successful curriculum?

Student Voice will provide information on the success of the curriculum and Assessment data will provide information on progression.

How do we support ‘High Attaining’ pupils?

By always teaching to the top, scaffolding down to those who need extra support. We provide intervention strategies for students who are targeted to achieve the highest grades. Targeted questioning in class to push and extend the knowledge of those who are high attaining.

Our vision is to promote and instil a love and a fascination of history within the students at IWEF. Our aim is to ensure that all students are inspired to be curious about the events of the past and how that impacts on our lives today. This is so that pupils can look at events of the past and draw inspiration from them or by seeing the mistakes of the past and learning from them so that we underpin the federative values of respect and equality. We want to harness the inquisitive nature of students to provide them with a rich diet of history which helps them to identify the diversity of society, how major events and individuals have shaped and changed our world and to encourage them to develop analytical, critical and judgmental skills. We want our students to have a coherent knowledge and understanding of key aspects of Britain’s past and the wider world. The hope is that students at IWEF will have a solid grounding of complex and diverse events and topics in history which they can then carry forward into the wider world.

AMBITION – We want IWEF students to be ambitious and strive to achieve, to explore the rich and diverse stories of history and consider potential careers in this sector.
SUCCESS – IWEF students will celebrate success and show resilience to challenges. They will be successful learners who enjoy learning and achieve excellence.
PROGRESS – IWEF students will study an extensive and broad curriculum which enables them to make progress confidently by challenging them with ambitious content.
INSPIRATION – IWEF students will investigate key events and figures throughout history which inspired change and have shaped the modern world. They will aim to be responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society.
RESPECT – IWEF students show respect for our classroom environment and for the diverse range of cultures and backgrounds we study. They will challenge misconceptions and promote respect for all.
EQUALITY – IWEF students are given the same opportunities. The History curriculum ensures every student receives high quality adaptive teaching which challenges discrimination and issues from the past in a sensitive and supportive manner.

What do we expect students to get from History?

We believe that students deserve a broad and ambitious History curriculum, rich in skills and knowledge, which immerses students in a range of cultures and engenders an enquiring and critical outlook on the world. Students will challenge themselves in lessons to address misconceptions and look critically at events of the past. Students will become confident learners and global citizens.

How does learning develop over the five years?

Year 7:

The aim of Year 7 History is to provide pupils with a coherent and chronological narrative of Britain and its place in the medieval world.

As pupils have various KS2 knowledge, we start with invaders to enable us to lay the foundations for understanding the local, national and global narrative within British history. The key theme throughout this year is comparing the control and authority of the crown V the church.

Year 8:

The aim for Year 8 history is to understand the challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world. We begin with medieval Africa in order to build upon the foundations laid in Year 7. The key themes throughout this year are ensuring pupils have a good understanding of the ideas of political power, industry and empire. Pupils will understand how control and authority shaped the modern world through governments and ideologies.

Year 9:

The aim of Year 9 History is to look at history ‘from below’ – through the eyes of specific groups. Throughout the topics pupils will focus on identity and how events have shaped our lives. The units within Year 9 allow pupils to understand the social and cultural changes the world faced and the impact these have on our lives today. These topics reflect the diversity we enjoy and are directly relevant to our lives in the modern world. The final units within Year 9 are bridge building for GCSE, providing students with the appropriate background to approach GCSE.

Year 10/11:

This GCSE History course enables students to study different periods, engage with key issues such as conflict, gain an understanding of what drives change and how our past influences the present. You will study four elements, split over two exams:

• One period study
• One thematic study
• One wider world depth study
• One British depth study including the historic environment.

At GCSE there are two exams – Paper 1 and 2 are each worth 50%. These exams consist of short answer questions and longer, essay type questions.

How is the timetabled curriculum supplemented or enriched by other approaches to learning?

Our pedagogy and timetabled curriculum is underpinned by:

• Enquiry based studies set within a broader historical context.
• A focus on developing students’ analytical writing by focussing on description, explanation and evaluation.
• The regular use of live modelling and exemplar answers to demonstrate processes, standards and expectations.
• A range of strategies to deepen knowledge so that it is committed to long term memory.
• The importance of giving students regular opportunities to improve work· interrogating current historical debates.
• Students understanding what they are doing well and how they need to improve.
• Students will develop new skills through a variety of interesting contexts to foster enjoyment.
• Students will develop a rich and deep subject knowledge.

We will enrich our curriculum by establishing cross-curricular links and providing on and off-site subject or topic related experiences when possible. We will build upon their understanding of the importance of British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and tolerance and respect. We aim to improve their spiritual, social, moral and cultural understanding by ensuring pupils study a diverse curriculum which covers LGBT+, women, different cultures and reflects a modern world.

In what ways does our curriculum help to develop students?

Our curriculum helps to develop well rounded and global citizens of the future. Our students are challenged with controversial and topical subjects which provoke thought and reflection and encourages our students to address misconceptions and challenge traditional views. Our students will be confident learners who can articulate and justify their responses to the big enquiry questions.

What forms do assessments take? What is the purpose of assessment?

Formative assessments include class based self and peer assessments, including 6 formal assessment points during each half term and termly shorter knowledge retrieval tests. These are all resource based or exam question style assessments.

Informal assessments take place on a lesson by lesson basis, using Rosenshine principles to guide retrieval practice and critical thinking based tasks.

How do we know if we have a successful curriculum?

• Student Voice will provide information on the success of the curriculum.
• Assessment data will provide information on progression.
• Pupils will choose History as a GCSE option and will show progress on a lesson by lesson basis.
• Pupils will also be engaged and enthusiastic about their learning within History and can confidently and accurately articulate their understanding.

How do we support ‘High Attaining’ pupils?

We always teaching to the top, scaffolding down to those who need extra support. This way our expectations are clear for all. We provide intervention strategies for students who are targeted to achieve the highest grades. Targeted questioning in class to push and extend the knowledge of those who are high attaining.

IWEF follows the Living Difference III Hampshire agreed Syllabus, a popular and exciting syllabus that allows the student to explore important and relevant concepts such as ‘identity’, ‘suffering’, ‘peace’ and ‘community’ at first from their perspective and then expanded to a religious/spiritual perspective.

The main purpose of Key Stage 3 Religious Education at the Isle of Wight Education Federation is to introduce children and young people to what a religious way of looking at and existing in the world may offer in leading one’s life, individually and within society. The federation recognises and acknowledges that the question as to what it means to lead one’s life with a faith can be answered in a number of different ways. These include the idea that to live a religious life means to subscribe to certain beliefs; the idea that to live a religious life means to adhere to certain practices; and the idea that to live a religious life is characterised by a particular way of interacting with the world: with a particular kind of awareness of and faith in the world and in other human beings.

Studying Religious Education will encourage the student to challenge pre-existing ideas and beliefs, to learn to justify their opinions and to develop the skills that enable them to tackle ‘Big Questions’ with confidence, courage and integrity. Religious Education gives the students to discuss topics that may be considered ‘taboo’ in some subjects; recent examples have been the overturning of ‘Roe VS Wade’ in the US, ‘BLM’, the war in Ukraine, and gun violence in schools. A conceptual approach to religion allows the student to frame the concept within their own experience and broaden it so that they can see it from a different perspective. This will create relevancy and with any luck an interest and an interest to learn more.

The RE department at the Isle of Wight Education Federation is committed to producing broad minded, confident and respectful thinkers. The one hour a fortnight at Key Stage 3 for year 7 and the 2 hours a fortnight for years 8 and 9 will equip the learners to go to other subjects and seek connections to the wider world and to use their transferrable thinking skills in other classrooms.

Religious Education shall be delivered as a discrete lesson and will cover: discussion, written work, short films, Philosophy for Children activities, reasoning tasks and group/peer work-there will be a distinct focus on questioning and justification. Lessons and resources will be prepared by an RE specialist and delivered by dedicated Humanities teachers. Teachers are free to plan their own lessons, as long as the unique LDIV pedagogy is followed. The four Golden ‘thread’s (community, belonging, special and love) run throughout this carefully thought through curriculum and continue from the studies in Primary.

The intention behind the teaching of Religious Education at the Isle of Wight Education Federation is to embed essential critical thinking and questioning through philosophical and ethical concepts- religious education is approached from a conceptual and holistic manner in order to allow our students to learn about religion, from religion and to develop an understanding and an appreciation of their position in such a diverse world. What the student learns in RE should be applicable to outside the classroom-transferrable to other subjects or just for general interest.

The main religion studied will be Christianity as it reflects the Christian nature of the UK and the primary schooling of most students on the Island. They will look at the concepts of community and identity, belief and lack of belief. They will also understand the concept of love in action by looking at inspirational Christian figures. The concept of God will be looked at from a philosophical angle, readying the student for the higher order thinking and evaluative skills needed for GCSE. They will also continue their studies of Christian beliefs and practices at GCSE.

Students will also study Islam, not just as it is the second largest religion in the world, but because much can be misunderstood and the source of much prejudice if solely viewed through the lens of the media. Students will learn about Muslim identity, community through the study of Malala Yousafasai and how her identity has changed over the years. In year 8, Students will also look at the role of Ummah in greater detail and the burden/ privilege of Jihad through the study of the 5 Pillars. In year 9, they will also have the opportunity to explore the Islamic attitudes towards war- holy war or lesser jihad?

The third main religion will be Buddhism as it offers an interesting and engaging contrast to the two Abrahamic faiths, the role and status of Buddha is an interesting comparison to God, Jesus and Muhammed (PBUH), as is their devotional practices and eschatological beliefs. In year 8 students have a deep dive into 3 complex Buddhist concepts: anicca (impermanence), Sangha (community) and metta (kindness). Buddhism is also studied at GCSE and A level.

There will also be opportunities to discuss other faiths and secular positions in two specially designed units on ‘morality’ where the student is introduced to Humanism and ‘new religions’ where the student will learn some alternative religions as well as look at some cults and sects- this will all be connected to the over arching question about how religion is changing in modern society. Part of the Religious Education GCSE will also include non-religious/atheist/humanist perspectives on issues on life and death.

In Year 9, students will be given the option to choose to study RE at GCSE, and the topics chosen (particularly in year 8 and 9) reflect some of the key themes at GCSE: good and evil, capital punishment, abortion, euthanasia, peace, prejudice and discrimination. Lessons and resources that are planned will include up to date current affairs and key arguments from the past.

AMBITION – We want our students to want to learn more about the world and immerse themselves in new cultures. We want to them to be fearless when approaching new concepts and challenging ideas.
SUCCESS –  Students will celebrate success and show resilience to challenges. They will be successful learners who enjoy learning and achieve excellence. Success could also be understood when an interest in religions and cultures continues outside of school.
PROGRESS – Students will study an extensive and broad curriculum which enables them to make progress confidently by challenging them with ambitious content.
INSPIRATION – Students will investigate key events, key ideas and figures within religions which inspired change and have shaped the modern world. They will aim to be responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society.
RESPECT – Students show respect for our classroom environment and for the diverse range of cultures and backgrounds we study. They will challenge misconceptions and promote respect for all.
EQUALITY- Students are given the same opportunities. The RE curriculum ensures every student receives high quality adaptive teaching which challenges discrimination and issues from the past and present in a sensitive and supportive manner.

How does learning develop over the five years?

Year 7:

In year 7 students will continue building on their knowledge of the ‘golden threads’ (community, belonging, special and love) as these concepts are woven throughout the RE curriculum. They will explore the idea of identity from a religious and non religious perspective and link it to the ideas of community and belonging. They will then build on the concepts by looking at love; through the Golden Rule as demonstrated by Marcus Rashford and Martin Luther King. The theme of special continues as in term three, the students will look at why people do and don’t believe in God and explore the idea of ‘belief’ and ‘proof’

Year 8:

Year 8 will continue to develop their understanding of these threads by linking community, belonging, special and love to more subject specific studies of religion, namely the Buddhist understanding of change, community and love and the Islamic understanding of community, struggle and duty. They then will spend the third term exploring more philosophical concepts around good and evil, miracles and God.

Year 9:

Year 9 recognises the mature outlook of students as they begin to make their choices for GCSE. The golden threads are still present as they learn about the controversial and often divisive issues of abortion, euthanasia and capital punishment. We look at these topics from a human right and legal perspective-should the law dictate what i can do with my body, or is it my human right to do as I please? The second term covers issues of war, peace and pacifism and asks the question whether it is braver to seek war or seek peace. The last term will look at how religion has changed, from traditional stereotypes to new forms of worship and belief.

Year 10/11:

We follow the WJEC/Eduqas specification route A that covers three components: component 1: Philosophical, ethical and religious issues: looking at religious and non religious issues such as good and evil, the purpose of punishment, whether marriage is out of date and divorce really means a fresh start. Components 2 and 3 are the specialist studies of Christianity and Buddhism-looking at their unique and distinctiveness, look at the life of Buddha .the origination of Christianity and the specific practices that portray their belief.

How is the timetabled curriculum supplemented or enriched by other approaches to learning?

Religious Education is such a broad subject and questions so many areas that a student will find interesting to pursue. The curriculum is supported with frequent references to current affairs and cross curricular links, for example when Year 9 learn about human rights and genocide in Religious Education, they are leaning about the Holocaust in History.

In what ways does our curriculum help to develop students?

• Cultural diversity and identity: We look at different cultures and religions and the unique interpretations of the Golden thread-students will appreciate the diversity of attitudes towards ethical issues, moral dilemmas, and concepts like community, identity and God.
• Physically and mentally healthy lifestyles: we look at meditation techniques and discuss the importance of being aware of discrimination, eliminating prejudice and treating people with fairness and respect.
• Community participation: an awareness of the importance of interfaith dialogue and the importance of being a responsible member of one’s community.
• Careers and enterprise: the department has developed links with universities and employers.
• Technology and the media: students are encouraged to develop their research skills when learning about current affairs.
• Creativity and critical thinking: Students are encouraged to ‘think outside the box’ and not to take things at face value and to challenge ideas and beliefs. Students are used to Socratic questioning and are expected to justify their answers and opinions.

What forms do assessments take? What is the purpose of assessment?

At Key Stage 3, students’ progress and understanding will be assessed through discussion and questioning, written assessments and peer assessment.

At Key Stage 4, progress and knowledge will be assessed through rehearsal exams, timed essays, peer and self assessment and discussion. All students will develop listening and debating skills, they will be able to analyse and judge arguments and explain and support their opinions with evidence and justification. Skills gained in Religious Education at Key Stage 3 and 4 will prepare students for the academic rigour of humanities GCSE and A level subjects. The skills at Religious Education are transferrable and the knowledge and vocabulary gained will support and enhance any subjects studied alongside or thereafter.

How do we know if we have a successful curriculum?

• Student Voice will provide information on the success of the curriculum.
• Assessment data will provide information on progression.
• Pupils will choose RE as a GCSE option and will show progress on a lesson by lesson basis.
• Pupils will also be engaged and enthusiastic about thier learning within RE and can confidently and accuratley articulate their understanding.

How do we support ‘High Attaining’ pupils?

We always teaching to the top, scaffolding down to those who need extra support. This way our expectations are clear for all. We provide intervention strategies for students who are targeted to achieve the highest grades. Targeted questioning in class to push and extend the knowledge of those who are high attaining