Welcome to the History Department

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Curriculum Intent

In History we intend to use evidence and historiography (scholars) to create a encourage students to ask questions and have enquiring minds. We want to promote discussion and debate so that students can have convictions in their arguments with a need to understand are different viewpoints and interpretations, along with expanding their knowledge and creating links between the past and present.

Subject Definition

History is the study of the phenomenon of society over time, and how people and societies behave through varied sources.

How History Links to our CARES Values

Courage

In History students must demonstrate courage by being resilient and involving themselves in discussions and justifying their own opinions. Students also must apply this value when being challenged on mistakes and misconceptions that they might have.

Aspiration

Students in History aspire to improve and aim towards mastery in History. This might be demonstrated through Closing the Gap activities and learning from their mistakes.

Respect

Respect is a cornerstone in History. Respect is shown and developed through accepting other people’s views on people and events. Students show respect when learning about key topic areas that are sensitive such as slavery.

Equality

Equality is a key concept and value that is revisited in content throughout the different key stages, whether that is looking at the Peasants Revolt and the aspiration for social change to the equality for women’s suffrage and the fight for the vote.

Self-Control

Due to the nature of the subject students need to have self-control when it comes to their listening skills and applying their knowledge on solo tasks and being able to work independently. Students also need to demonstrate this value when it comes to resilience not giving up.

How History Links to SMSC

Throughout all Key Stages students learn about the different ways in which history has shaped us. In all units students will either study different aspects of culture, religion, political implications and how these impact of society. Some key examples would be the influence of religion and the church in the Middle Ages and how this impacted on everyday life, students look at the changes and continuities overtime and how this as influenced our modern society. The way in which history is taught is through discussions and questioning meaning students develop speaking and listening skills and must respect other people´s opinions as they form their own.

How History Links to British Values

History covers all aspects of our British Values, for example tolerance and democracy. Students in Year 8 look at the injustice of slavery and human rights and why it is so important to be tolerant. Through units on WWI and WWII including the Holocaust students also question the impact that war can cause to people and their lives. Studying the Nazis and Holocaust means that students are taught to challenge extreme views and to understand how propaganda and the media was used – but what is I the media is not always true. We try to show them how to be balanced historians but also people.

Subject Staffing

Head of History - Mr D Pedro
Teacher of History - Mr C Crumpton

Key Stage 3 Overview - 3 Years

KS3 (Yr 7, 8 & 9) – Curriculum Content

Key Stage 4 Overview - 2 Years

At KS4 we cover the Edexcel GCSE History 1-9 course. The assessment for this course is 100% examination. At KS4 we have chosen engaging topics that the students can carry on it to further study and that also build on prior learning and knowledge. We currently study:

Paper 1 - Medicine in Britain, c1250–present with The British sector of the Western Front, 1914–18: injuries, treatment and the trenches

Paper 2 - Elizabethan England, 1558–88
- The American West, c1835–c1895

Paper 3 - Weimar and Nazi Germany

The course allows them to develop the following skills:

Explanation and analyse of historical events and periods. Understanding historical concepts of change, continuity, causation, consequence, significance, similarity and difference
Analyse, evaluate and use sources (contemporary to the period) to make judgements, in the context of historical events studied.
Analyse, evaluate of historical interpretations.
Students are also expected to also develop their research skills and be self-motivated independent learners.