An integrated, collaborative approach to designing a humanities curriculum with an emphasis on sequencing, threshold concepts and challenge

Context As a high school in a grammar school area serving a diverse community with high levels of economic and social disadvantage, we recognise that some students, particularly those who begin secondary school with low levels of literacy, face barriers in approaching a humanities curriculum. This can take time, effort and imagination to overcome. We are part of The Thinking Schools Academy Trust. These factors helped to inform our planning and pedagogy. The challenge The challenge was to rewrite our humanities curriculum so that it is challenging yet accessible, giving all students the chance to experience success and learn skills to prepare them effectively for the next stages of learning and life. In this case study, we outline the collaborative approach our department took to design the humanities curriculum. We sought to provide a learning journey focused on challenge for the students, building on prior learning at Key Stage 2. We wanted to create challenge not just through ac