Curriculum
History
Why study History?
Understanding past events and people and their significance gives students a better insight into the world around them. We believe in the importance of not just learning history but learning from history. The study of History equips pupils with the ability to critically analyse source material, assess the merits of different arguments, hone their debating skills, and recognise bias and propaganda.
How will I study History?
Pupils study History through big enquiry questions. Each enquiry covers a sequence of lessons. At the end of that sequence of lessons pupils are equipped to formulate their own answer to the enquiry. These are genuine historical debates amongst academic historians. Pupils learn historical concepts that are revisited regularly in different periods of time, locations and people, allowing pupils to gain a deeper understanding. Alongside this, pupils learn to be historians, developing their disciplinary knowledge understanding methods of historical enquiry, how evidence is used to make historical claims and understand why there are different interpretations of the past.
What will I study at Key Stage 3?
In Year 7, pupils explore historical enquiries that span the Roman to Tudor period. This includes:
- Christianity and Islam – how did the two religions coexist in Medieval Europe?
- Historical enquiries that explore how the Romans established rule in England after failing twice.
- If the Normans brought trouble to Britain.
- The significance of the Magna Carta.
- If 1348 really was the end of the world.
- Was there a Mid Tudor Crisis or was it a period of trauma and survival?
In Year 8, pupils move through the study of Mughal India and end at Britain’s industrial revolution. Pupils explore enquiries that cover:
- Who was the greatest Mughal of them all?
- Were the ‘Divine Right of Kings’ – the will of the people or the will of God?
- How did the British lead the French into revolution?
- Did the abolition of slavery end slavery?
- Why is the British Empire on trial? Was there an Indian mutiny or a war of independence?
- Which better describes the Industrial Revolution: Dark satanic mills’ or ‘progress and improvement?’
In Year 9, pupils move into the twentieth century to present day. Historical enquiries explore:
- Was the First World War worth winning?
- How far did new ideas cause conflict?
- Why were the Nazis able to implement the Final Solution?
- Thematic Study – How democratic was Britain by 1930.
- Why did the British Empire decolonise?
- The West and the Middle east.
What will I study at key stage 4?
At Key Stage 4, pupils take a Modern depth study on Germany 1890-1945. Pupils study Weimar and Nazi Germany. This covers the Weimar Republic, Hitler’s rise to power, Nazi control and dictatorship, and life in Nazi Germany.
As a thematic study, pupils study health and the people from c1000 to the present day. This includes medicine advances based on:
- war
- superstition and religion
- chance
- government
- communication
- science and technology
- the role of the individual in encouraging or inhibiting change.
As a British depth study, pupils explore early Elizabethan England. They focus on the Queen, government and religion, challenges to Elizabeth I at home and abroad, and Elizabethan society and the age of exploration. They will also explore a specific Elizabethan site in depth focusing on its historical context and examining the relationship between a specific place and associated historical events and developments.
Assessment at key stage 4
History AQA 8145
| Overview | Focus |
|---|---|
| Written exam (2 hours) 84 marks 50% of GCSE |
Section A: Germany, 1890–1945: Democracy and dictatorship Section B: Conflict and tension between East and West, 1945–1972 |
| Overview | Focus |
|---|---|
| Written exam (2 hours) 84 marks 50% of GCSE
|
Section A: Elizabethan England c1568-1603 Section B: Migration, empires and the people c790 to the present day |
Enrichment
In lessons, History is brought to life through re-enactments, the exploration of artefacts, original film footage and model making. Pupils can take part in school-wide competitions to increase their engagement and enhance their subject knowledge. The department also puts on live History exhibitions brining to life stories of the past such as the Anne Frank story. Intervention sessions to consolidate prior learning and ensure maximum progress are at the heart of our delivery model. A History club for Year 7-10 is offered to students with specific events, battles and horrible histories covered in these sessions.
Careers
The study of History can lead to future careers ranging from Researcher, Museum Archivist and Journalist to Librarian, Business Consultant and Editor. Famous History graduates include Louis Theroux (documentary filmmaker, author), Jonathan Ross (TV presenter), Joe Biden (US President) and Gordon Brown (ex-British Prime Minister).