History
In Year 7, History is taught for 2 hours a week. Students are encouraged to be active in their learning and to develop personal, learning and thinking skills, as well as core historical skills. The subject content covered in Year 7 includes a range of key events and changes within the medieval era. Students consider the impact of invasion after the Battle of Hastings and how this influenced who held power in society. Students consider the central role of religion in medieval society and develop this by looking at broader context of medieval civilisations, contrasting Baghdad and London, using a case study of medicine to help. The effects of the Black Death and the Peasants’ Revolt on social and political change is considered. Lastly, students evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different kings and queens from Razia Sultana to King John, as well as what caused conflict in Medieval society.
In Year 8, history is taught for three hours over a fortnight. Students consider how power has shifted in society through a study of Henry VIII and changes to the church, Edward VI, Mary, Elizabeth, the gunpowder plot and the effects of the civil wars. Students consider the social, economic and political effects of the industrial revolution and enlightenment on society. Lastly, students examine the impact of empire and colonisation using India as a detailed case study.
Year 9 history is taught for approx. three hours over a fortnight. Students explore the changing nature of democracy and the rise of protest and rebellion in the modern era. Students begin by linking back to Year 8 theme of Empire leading into a study of the effects of the slave trade and the movement for abolition. The changing nature of democracy and the protests of the suffragists and suffragettes enables students to link back to the theme of shifting power within society. Students then consider how the changing nature of European society led to WW1 by looking at concepts such as militarism and nationalism. The effects of WW1 and the rise of Hitler are then explored. Lastly, the students use a wealth of survivor testimonies and evidence to consider ‘How was the Holocaust humanly possible’?
Throughout KS3 students study a wide ranging curriculum in which students build up a wide base of substantive knowledge. Students link back to core substantive themes such as empire, power, conflict, and democracy which run through all years of study. In addition, students develop an understanding of disciplinary knowledge by using a variety of sources and interpretations to help understand how historians construct versions of the past. Students are then enabled to apply these skills and knowledge to analyse key historic questions and to reach supported judgements about the past. Assessment is varied focusing on both application of substantive knowledge as well as use of historical skills such as source evaluation skills, or explanation of causation and consequence. Overall, Year 7 history is an in depth study of medieval life which aims to equip students for effective learning in history and more widely.
KS4 Curriculum
GCSE History is a very popular option. Students study the AQA syllabus and take the following options:
Germany 1890-1945:
This period study focuses on the development of Germany during a turbulent half century of change. It was a period of democracy and dictatorship – the development and collapse of democracy and the rise and fall of Nazism.
International Relations: Conflict and Tension 1918-1939:
This is a wider world depth study. It looks at concepts such as national self-determination, ideas of internationalism and the challenges of revising the peace settlement after World War One. It focuses on the causes of the Second World War and seeks to show how and why conflict occurred and why it proved difficult to resolve the issues which caused it. This study also considers the role of key individuals and groups in shaping change, as well as how they were affected by and influenced international relations.
Britain: Health and the people: c1000 to the present day:
This option focuses on the following questions:
- Why has there been progress in the health of the British people?
- How and why has the pace and scale of medical development varied at different times?
- What impact has medical progress had on people and society?
- How and why have different factors been more important than others for individual medical developments?
- What is the significance of key individuals or events in the history of medical development?
Elizabethan England, c1568-1603
This option allows students to study in depth a specified period, the last 35 years of Elizabeth I’s reign. The study will focus on major events of Elizabeth I’s reign considered from economic, religious, political, social and cultural standpoints, and arising contemporary and historical controversies. For example, students will study the difficulty of Elizabethan being a female ruler, the impact of Raleigh and Drake’s voyages, Elizabeth’s religious settlement and the Spanish Armada.