Teacher of Geography and Religious Education

Geography, History and RE are very popular subjects at Oakmoor with an excellent track record of success.

Although teachers teach their specialist subjects, we all join together as a Humanities team and we enjoy working on projects together to improve the department.

The guiding principle behind the KS3 Geography curriculum is to ensure that all students receive teaching on areas that are not only interesting and informative, but give them a different view of the world than they may have experienced. At GCSE we teach Edexcel Geography A which covers a wide range of exciting, contemporary topics reflecting the world we live in, with greater focus on climate change, sustainability, and the geographical skills that employers expect.

The students are taught in mixed ability groups. In Year 8 they chose their option subjects and this year has been particularly successful with seven GCSE classes in the department. As a teacher of RE, the KS3 Curriculum includes a variety of subjects such as Gender Equality, Civil Rights, Christianity and Sikhism. The lessons are popular and the students enjoy the topical and lively nature of their lessons.

As a core subject, RE is taught through all years. In KS4, students are given frequent opportunities to vote for their areas of greatest interest and the curriculum is designed around their choices. Recently chosen topics have included ethics applied in military situations and considering the justice system.

As a GCSE subject, RE continues to thrive, with strong progress and results just one part of what makes it a successful subject area.

We have started a new Holocaust unit with Year 8 as part of achieving UCL Beacon School status. This has meant that all the Humanities subjects are teaching the Holocaust and joining together to educate our young people about this genocide. As part of this teaching, we will be taking Year 8 to the Jewish Museum in Camden, London. We are also taking Year 7 to Winchester as a Humanities team to look at the history, conduct some geography fieldwork and visit the Cathedral.

As a department and a team, we are always looking at ways to improve the delivery of our subjects and ensure our students leave Oakmoor with both academic success and as well-rounded adults ready to engage with the world in a meaningful and positive way.