This term The Leigh Academy's geographers have been learning about the big geographical topics that are currently impacting the world around us. 

In Year 7, geographers have been asking the big question 'Is our school sustainable?' To answer this question students first studied the definition of sustainability and learnt about the consequences of our carbon footprint.  This then culminated in Year 7 carrying out their own fieldwork project: walking around the school, survey in hand,  analysing five different areas (classroom, field, basketball courts, the quad and the canteen) and judging each area against the sustainability criteria. In our final week of the term we are going to be learning about ways to present our findings and offering suggestions about how we can make The Leigh Academy a more sustainable environment. 

In Year 8, geographers have been studying  development and how the world's resources are distributed globally. This then led Year 8 into studying the causes of inequality and uneven development, culminating in the evaluation of the big question 'Is globalisation a good thing to reduce uneven resource distribution?'. Also alongside this topic students have selected their own research question, e.g. does globalisation lead to more positives or negatives?  Students have been completing their own independent research, and will present their findings at the end of  Module 2. 

This term Leigh Academy's historians have been learning about times of tremendous change in Britain. 

At the start of the academic year Year 7 historians studied different groups that settled in England from 500 BC to 1066 AD, including a in-depth look at Viking raids and how historians have been able to find out more information about Anglo-Saxons from the artefacts they left behind.  Alongside this topic, Year 7 were introduced to historical research, picking and researching their own enquiry question before they reached their own judgement and displayed their findings. 

This was followed by Year 7 studying the aftermath of the Battle of Hastings in 1066, and how after William I's victory, he spent a lifetime of conflict and policy making to force the Anglo-Saxons into accepting him as sovereign of Britain.  This included Year 7 learning events such as the Harrying of the North, the Feudal System and the Domesday Book. At the end of the topic Year 7 had to create their own script for a documentary on William's conquest of Britain. 

In Year 8 historians were given the big inquiry question 'how 'revolutionary' was the Industrial Revolution?'. To answer this question Year 8 began researching the main changes that occured due to the Industrial Revolution, such as the change from a agricultural economy to an industrial one. From this, students then started to study the key innovators of the period and how their inventions brought about a change to people's work environments. This included James Hargreaves and his invention of the 'Spinning Jenny' and the factory pioneers Robert Owen and Richard Arkwright. To demonstrate their understanding of the topic, Year 8 produced a newspaper article which evaluated who of the  innovators made the biggest impact on Britain.

In Year 9 historians studied the causes of the First World War and how the war led to technological advancements.  This included Year 9 learning about the long term causes of World War, as well as how the Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand led to the outbreak of the war. This was then followed by an in-depth study of the Battle of Somme and how technological advances turned one of the bloodiest battles in living memory into one of great successes in the war. 

This term, The Leigh Academy's theologians have been studying a variety a different religions and cultures, and their views on a range of issues. 

In Year 7, theologians have been posing the big question 'what is good and challenging about being a  religious believer?' To answer this question students have studied three different religions; Sikhism, Islam and Buddhism. 

In Year 8 students were asked the big philosophical question 'what is suffering?' To explore this question, students first studied two stories from the Bible and the Torah, the Story of Job and the Story of Isaac, to analyse how religious believers view the existence of suffering.  This then led to students studying the Shoah (Holocaust),  the mass genocide of the Jewish population of Europe by the Nazis. Students learnt about this event by learning about how the Nazis persecuted the Jews, but also how Jewish theologians interpreted the Shoah after the Second World War.  

In Year 9 students thought deeply about the ethical question 'Is medical intervention always ethical?' This led to students studying religious and non-religious viewpoints on fertility treatment, abortion, transplants and enthuanisa. Students then debated and formed their own opinions on each topic, while also being respectful and understanding of why someone might hold a different opinion.