HistoryThe history curriculum fits with our whole school aims for students to develop a substantive knowledge of history alongside a knowledge of history as a discipline. It is our intent to deliver knowledge of the past that enables students to develop a sense of their own historical identity, as well as an appreciation of the diversity of the human experience and how this feeds into the world in which they live, and therefore we look to cover a range of British and World History, and thoroughly cover the National Curriculum. We want to develop their topic knowledge, so they can engage meaningfully with the past. Alongside this we look to develop their chronological understanding to contextualise their new learning and allow them to develop their knowledge of substantive concepts such as empire, monarchy, democracy etc., which are all integral to a student’s ability to understand how the world around us been changed and shaped by the past, and these concepts appear throughout our curriculum. This substantive knowledge is developed through a spiral curriculum and retrieval practice through key concepts such as peasantry, monarchy, imperialism etc. and then further developed within Key Stage 4.

Alongside the knowledge needed to be an effective history student, our curriculum is designed to develop the disciplinary knowledge needed for students to succeed. To become good history students, our students need to understand how historians interpret, discuss, and think about the past. Our curriculum does not simply focus on the delivery of substantive knowledge or facts, but instead looks at developing their understanding of how we use cause, consequence, significance etc. to discuss and write about the past, as well as using it to make links between elements of our knowledge. The curriculum will also nurture the student’s ability to evaluate and analyse sources and interpretations by exposing learners to a variety of source types and interpretations throughout their history education.

Key Stage 3

Our Key Stage 3 curriculum has been designed around an enquiry focus per half term, which allows pupils to delve into their lessons with a clear overarching focus for the historical knowledge they are gaining, on top of the ‘mini’ enquiries in each lesson. These enquiries are linked to the second-order concepts (e.g. Significance, interpretation, cause and consequence) to help develop our students disciplinary skills. The enquiries are structured across the Key Stage chronologically to help our students contextualise their knowledge, to build an understanding of a developing nation within British History, and offer the contextual links needed to support our studies into world history.

Year 7 Overview: To understand how the Norman invasion changed England forever in terms of everyday life, power of the king, our landscape and relations with our neighbours. Will also explore the importance of religion.

  1. Why did William want to invade England in 1066?
  2. How did the Normans gain control of England?
  3. What was life like in the Middle Ages?
  4. Who held power in the Middle Ages?
  5. How did religion cause people to go on crusade?
  6. Why was England always at war?

Year 8 Overview: Will start by investigating the impact of two different dynasties on England, exploring the relationship between the monarch, parliament, and the people. Then moving chronologically into the 18th and 19th century to investigate industrialisation and imperialism.

  1. Why was there so much religious turmoil in Tudor England?
  2. Was Elizabethan England a ‘Golden Age’?
  3. James I to Charles I- How did the king lose control of his kingdom?
  4. Why did England go from a monarchy to a republic and back again?
  5. Was Britain the workshop of the world?
  6. Empire- How did little Britain become ‘Great’?

Year 9 Overview: To explore major world events that took place in the 20th century which changed the world forever, including the world wars and the Holocaust. Will also explore the history of the slave trade and how it led to the civil rights movement in the second half of the century.

  1. Was World War One Inevitable?
  2. What was life like for soldiers on the front-line?
  3. Why did the Second World War affect so many people?
  4. The Holocaust: A warning for history?
  5. From slavery to emancipation?
  6. What impact did the Civil Rights Movement have on us?

GCSE

Through our GCSE Curriculum our students will develop and extend their knowledge and understanding of two key events in British history, as well as two cases of international conflict, exposing them to the wide diversity of human experience. They will develop a secure understanding of chronology understanding of history on different scales and contexts, apply historical concepts and processes and engage with the nature of evidence and interpretation. Students will engage with a variety of perspectives and investigate the contributions of key individuals and groups. In this way students will be able to draw parallels and make links between the distinct areas of study.

We have chosen to start Year 10 with the Thematic Study (Shaping the Nation: Migration, Empires, and the people: 790 to present day) to offer our students a chronological groundwork for the rest of their topics, which outlines a wide overview history of Britain, highlighting key moments of migration and social changes. We then move onto the British Depth Study (Elizabethan England, c1568-1603) to complete the students studies for Paper 2 where these two units are grouped. This will also allow adequate time to prepare for their Historical Environment Element of the course, and fits in nicely with previous learning in Year 8.

Into Year 11 the students will cover the Wider World Depth Study (Conflict and tension: The First War World 1894-1918) and Period Study (Germany, 1890-1945) which make up Paper 1. World War is a prevalent theme in both so appropriate to teach these together within Year 11 and take a chronological approach once again. This paper also includes all source and interpretation questions so can focus heavily on these skills during this year.