Social Studies

Social Studies at CFGS is a unique and exciting course that combines elements of the national curriculum’s Citizenship and PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) content.

Social Studies empowers students to make a difference in the world. It teaches British values, democracy, fairness and justice, defends human rights and celebrates diversity. By examining power relationships, systems of government and law, students develop political literacy. They are given the skills to weigh up evidence and form their own conclusions, and the confidence and language skills to communicate these to others.

Social Studies teaches students to be financially and environmentally responsible, giving them the tools to be active citizens in their local, national or global communities. Students are challenged to be persuasive, evaluate the effectiveness of campaigns, and take real-world actions for change. Every child is given the opportunity to make a meaningful connection to the local community.

Social Studies equips students to navigate both the physical and the online world, teaching e-safety and developing skills in research, critical thinking and source analysis. This means they are able to identify bias in media, dispel myths, and distinguish opinion from fact independently; essential skills needed to prevent radicalization, debunk conspiracy theories and identify fake news.

Social Studies at CFGS encourages students’ spiritual, moral and cultural development. Its PSHE elements teach students the knowledge and skills needed to make important decisions in their lives to keep safe, healthy and realize their goals. It provides practical solutions for the challenges they may face in the world, such as tackling issues of gender inequality and violence against women and girls.

Social Studies is taught to all students at KS3 and KS4 to ensure they have the depth and breadth of knowledge to enable them to make informed choices in their lives.

KEYSTAGE 3

Social Studies students are assessed regularly and formatively within lessons and periodically as mid-unit or end of unit assessment. The year 7, 8 and 9 course is tailored to prepare students for the Citizenship GCSE, if they choose to take the course. To reflect the skills required at GCSE, the KS3 course assess students on their:

Source analysis
Persuasive Argument: Ability to reason, argue and conclude
Active Citizenship: the planning, delivery and evaluation of citizenship action
Knowledge and understanding of active citizenship, politics and participation, life in modern Britain, and rights and responsibilities

Analysis of source based questions will be varied to incorporate the wide variety of sources relevant to citizenship and modern life today including newspaper articles, photographs, and website excerpts. Students will have to interpret what these sources can tell us about people’s varying views and opinions; and analyse citizenship ideas, issues and debates.

Ability to reason, argue and conclude will be assessed in extended writing pieces which will also be assessed for SPAG and literacy skills. Use of evidence will aid a students’ ability to do this effectively and so knowledge and understanding of relevant information is crucial here.

Delivery and evaluation of citizenship actions will give students the opportunity to act on the knowledge and understanding they have gained about methods and approaches that can be used by individuals and groups to address citizenship issues in society and to bring about change or resist change where appropriate. Finally students will be required to reflect on their action and evaluate its success

Knowledge and understanding will usually be assessed within every assessment. We will be assessing the student’s understanding of citizenship of modern Britain and the wider world. This knowledge and understanding provides the building blocks for tackling the higher level skills required: action, reason, analysis and evaluation. Students will develop an understanding of the following key concepts throughout the course; democratic participation, governance, law and justice, volunteering, work of charities and pressure groups, rights and responsibilities, sustainable development, fairness, justice, challenging discrimination, managing personal finances, healthy relationships, consent.

TERM & THEME	YEAR 7
Autumn Term 1 Me and My School	Share hopes and fears about secondary school Suggest ways to deal with peer pressure and bullying Explore multiple identities Explain how rights can be in conflict Link rights to responsibilities and apply this to school situations
Autumn Term 2 Global Citizenship	Make global links Explore Fairtrade through experiential learning Examine our role in protecting rights and the environment Understand contrasting viewpoints on child labour through role play Assessment Source analysis: rights and responsibilities Keeping safe online Suggest ways to stay safe online Develop critical thinking skills to use online sources responsibly
Spring Term 1 LGBT History Month activities Me and My Community	Compare different services in the local community through a local visit Explore population and diversity in Tower Hamlets Evaluate the benefits and challenges of diverse communities
Spring Term 2 Me and My Community	Survey the public on local concerns Suggest solutions to a local concerns through a Dragons’ Den style group campaign and presentation Assessment Persuasive argument: make a case for a new service in the local community
Summer Term 1 Growing Up	Understand changes brought on by puberty Suggest ways to deal with the challenges involved in growing up through ‘agony aunt’ letters
Summer Term 2 Campaigns	Participate in Amnesty International’s ‘Send My Friend to School’ campaign Explore different forms of protest and judge their effectiveness Create a campaign on a global issue Assessment Active Citizenship: present their campaign as part of the year 7 campaign fair

TERM & THEME

YEAR 7

Autumn Term 1

Me and My School

Share hopes and fears about secondary school
Suggest ways to deal with peer pressure and bullying
Explore multiple identities
Explain how rights can be in conflict
Link rights to responsibilities and apply this to school situations

Autumn Term 2

Global Citizenship

Make global links
Explore Fairtrade through experiential learning
Examine our role in protecting rights and the environment
Understand contrasting viewpoints on child labour through role play

Assessment

Source analysis: rights and responsibilities

Keeping safe online

Suggest ways to stay safe online
Develop critical thinking skills to use online sources responsibly

Spring Term 1

LGBT History Month activities

Me and My Community

Compare different services in the local community through a local visit
Explore population and diversity in Tower Hamlets
Evaluate the benefits and challenges of diverse communities

Spring Term 2

Me and My Community

Survey the public on local concerns
Suggest solutions to a local concerns through a Dragons’ Den style group campaign and presentation

Assessment

Persuasive argument: make a case for a new service in the local community

Summer Term 1

Growing Up

Understand changes brought on by puberty
Suggest ways to deal with the challenges involved in growing up through ‘agony aunt’ letters

Summer Term 2

Campaigns

Participate in Amnesty International’s ‘Send My Friend to School’ campaign
Explore different forms of protest and judge their effectiveness
Create a campaign on a global issue

Assessment

Active Citizenship: present their campaign as part of the year 7 campaign fair

TERM & THEME	YEAR 8
Autumn Term 1 UK Politics	Opportunities to discuss current political issues, e.g. Brexit and votes at 16 Explaining the role of Parliament, Government, the Prime Minister, Queen, MPs and peers Explore how general elections work Assessment Source analysis: including identification of fact, opinion and bias
Autumn Term 2 Refugees and Migration	develop an understanding of the reasons why people migrate develop empathy towards refugees and asylum seekers explore the global picture of migration consider the human rights context of migration Assessment Source analysis: including identification of fact, opinion and bias
Spring Term 1 Economics	Develop an understanding of key economics concepts such as supply and demand and money Explain different types of tax construct arguments for and against public spending cuts Assessment Active citizenship: plan and evaluate a campaign on an economics LGBT History Month activities - about the unacceptability of sexist, homophobic, biphobic, transphobic, racist and disablist language and behaviour, the need to challenge it and how to do so.
Spring Term 2 PSHEE	Personal finance, budgeting and managing risk characteristics of positive and healthy friendships Healthy lifestyles – exploring issues surrounding body image, eating disorders and healthy relationships
Summer Term 1 Alternative Forms of Government	compare and contrast anarchy, autocracy and democracy through a simulation involving a fantasy country evaluate the relative merits of different forms of government
Summer Term 2 Alternative Forms of Government	explore real life autocracy and anarchy consider the impact of revolutions using examples from the Arab Spring Assessment Persuasive argument: make a case for the most effective form of government

TERM & THEME

YEAR 8

Autumn Term 1

UK Politics

Opportunities to discuss current political issues, e.g. Brexit and votes at 16
Explaining the role of Parliament, Government, the Prime Minister, Queen, MPs and peers
Explore how general elections work

Assessment

Source analysis: including identification of fact, opinion and bias

Autumn Term 2

Refugees and Migration

develop an understanding of the reasons why people migrate
develop empathy towards refugees and asylum seekers
explore the global picture of migration
consider the human rights context of migration

Assessment

Source analysis: including identification of fact, opinion and bias

Spring Term 1

Economics

Develop an understanding of key economics concepts such as supply and demand and money
Explain different types of tax
construct arguments for and against public spending cuts

Assessment

Active citizenship: plan and evaluate a campaign on an economics

LGBT History Month activities - about the unacceptability of sexist, homophobic, biphobic, transphobic, racist and disablist language and behaviour, the need to challenge it and how to do so.

Spring Term 2

PSHEE

Personal finance, budgeting and managing risk
characteristics of positive and healthy friendships
Healthy lifestyles – exploring issues surrounding body image, eating disorders and healthy relationships

Summer Term 1

Alternative Forms of Government

compare and contrast anarchy, autocracy and democracy through a simulation involving a fantasy country
evaluate the relative merits of different forms of government

Summer Term 2

Alternative Forms of Government

explore real life autocracy and anarchy
consider the impact of revolutions using examples from the Arab Spring

Assessment

Persuasive argument: make a case for the most effective form of government

TERM & THEME	YEAR 9
Autumn Term 1 Criminal and Civil Law	explain the role of the criminal and civil justice systems consider the reasons for sentencing
Autumn Term 2 Criminal and Civil Law	Develop an understanding of legislation protecting worker, consumer rights and anti-discrimination legislation Evaluate the impact of the Human Rights Act Assessment Source analysis: including identification of fact, opinion and bias
Spring Term 1 Critical Thinking	Practise critical thinking skills evaluating sources and detecting bias and fake news LGBT History Month activities – about the unacceptability of sexist, homophobic, biphobic, transphobic, racist and disablist language and behaviour, the need to challenge it and how to do so.
Spring Term 2 Critical Thinking	Explore contemporary issues surrounding prejudice and discrimination in the UK such as Islamophobia and Far Right extremism
Summer Term 1 Violence Against Women and Girls	Recognise forms of abuse Understand the law on forced marriage, FGM and consent Students will use scenarios to develop practical strategies they can take in a range of different contexts to improve or support respectful relationships
Summer Term 2 Violence Against Women and Girls	Evaluate campaign strategies for tackling VAWG Assessment Active citizenship: plan and evaluate a campaign on a VAWG issue

TERM & THEME

YEAR 9

Autumn Term 1

Criminal and Civil Law

explain the role of the criminal and civil justice systems
consider the reasons for sentencing

Autumn Term 2

Criminal and Civil Law

Develop an understanding of legislation protecting worker, consumer rights and anti-discrimination legislation
Evaluate the impact of the Human Rights Act

Assessment

Source analysis: including identification of fact, opinion and bias

Spring Term 1

Critical Thinking

Practise critical thinking skills evaluating sources and detecting bias and fake news

LGBT History Month activities –

about the unacceptability of sexist, homophobic, biphobic, transphobic, racist and disablist language and behaviour, the need to challenge it and how to do so.

Spring Term 2

Critical Thinking

Explore contemporary issues surrounding prejudice and discrimination in the UK such as Islamophobia and Far Right extremism

Summer Term 1

Violence Against Women and Girls

Recognise forms of abuse
Understand the law on forced marriage, FGM and consent
Students will use scenarios to develop practical strategies they can take in a range of different contexts to improve or support respectful relationships

Summer Term 2

Violence Against Women and Girls

Evaluate campaign strategies for tackling VAWG

Assessment

Active citizenship: plan and evaluate a campaign on a VAWG issue

KEYSTAGE 4

TERM & THEME	YEAR 10
Autumn Term 1 Democracy and Participation in the UK	Features of representative democracy in the UK Comparison with other political systems around the world Voting and other forms of democratic participation
Autumn Term 2 Pressure Group Action	Methods used by pressure groups to hold government to account Participation in Amnesty International’s campaigns for human rights
Spring Term 1 The Role of Charities in the Local Community	The value of volunteering The ways that citizens can support charities through volunteering and fundraising
Spring Term 2 Group Charity Project	Actively researching the work of charities in the local community Developing research and interview skills
Summer Term 1 Group Charity Project	Promoting the work of local charities to the school community in a charity fair
Summer Term 2 Personal Finance	Explanation of the meaning of income and expenditure, credit and debt, insurance, savings and pensions, financial products and services and tax Managing a budget Managing credit and debt Consider the impact of getting into debt

TERM & THEME	YEAR 11
Autumn Term 1 Global Environment	Assess the impact of fast fashion on the environment Suggest solutions to plastic waste in our oceans Judge whether civil disobedience can be justified in tackling the climate emergency
Autumn Term 2 Global Environment	Explore forest fires and deforestation Link human rights to environmental concerns Examine how law could be used to address environmental issues Take action on climate heating
Spring Term 1 LGBT History Month Activities	Explore the unacceptability of sexist, homophobic, biphobic, transphobic, racist and disablist language and behaviour, the need to challenge it and how to do so. International relations Assess the effectiveness of the UN in conflict resolution protecting human rights
Spring Term 2 International Relations	Critically examine the Arab-Israeli conflict Explain the causes of the crisis in Yemen Assess the role of the UK in the arms trade Take action to protect human rights abuses in Yemen
Summer Term 1 Colourism	Research colourism Create a KS3 lesson exploring the issue of colourism

ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES AT KEYSTAGE 3 AND 4

Trips to Parliament, the Bank of England, Museum of London, local community
Black History Month trail
Participating in Amnesty campaigns
Participating in a global citizenship fair
Charity fundraising
Model United Nations programme
Mock trials competition
Visits by representatives from charities, pressure groups and politicians

USEFUL WEBSITES, RESOURCES, REVISION MATERIALS AND EXEMPLAR WORK

All CFGS students can access The Day (www.theday.co.uk) from the CFGS homepage. This has daily articles about current affairs.
News channels: www.bbc.co.uk; https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround
Charities: https://www.redcross.org.uk/; https://www.amnesty.org.uk/;
Healthy relationships: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/
LGBT History Month: https://lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/
Environmental issues https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/
Law: https://lawstuff.org.uk/
Children’s Rights: https://www.unicef.org.uk

Social Studies

KEYSTAGE 3

KEYSTAGE 4

Cookie Policy