History
Intent
Career Opportunities in History
The study of History enables students to develop skills that are relevant to a wide range of educational and career paths. History is widely regarded as a rigorous and challenging qualification by both employers and education providers. This excellent academic reputation ensures that students are well equipped for entry into whichever profession they aspire to. In addition to developing a broad range of historical and contemporary contextual knowledge, history fosters skills of interpretation and analysis that are valuable in all professions, including high-profile careers such as politics, law, and the media.
History complements many subjects, particularly other Humanities like English, Religious Education, Law, Philosophy, and Geography. Some examples of careers that the study of history can lead to include accountancy, archaeology, architecture, broadcasting, civil service, diplomatic service, drama, theatre and the performing arts, media, teaching, public relations, journalism, law, police, politics, publishing, sales and marketing, tourism, town planning, and many more.
Year 7 Curriculum Overview
Autumn Term
| What are we learning? | What knowledge, understanding and skills will we gain? | What will excellence look like? | How will this be assessed? |
| History Skills |
Students will gain an understanding of centuries, chronology, the types of sources and how to analyse sources. |
Students will be able to explain and evaluate a variety of sources. Students will be able to chronologically order events and be able to convert years into centuries. |
Formative assessment: Teachers will be using formative assessment in lessons to assess students’ knowledge and understanding. |
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Anglo-Saxon and Norman England |
Students will gain an understanding of the features of the kingdom and of how the Anglo- Saxon society was structured. Students will study about the succession crisis of 1066, including the key battles such as Stamford Bridge that led up to the Battle of Hastings. Students will study how William the Conqueror maintained and extended his control over England. Students will be introduced to the structure of Medieval society through the feudal system. |
Students will be able to explain the structure of the feudal system, explain the events and consequences of key battles and explain how William maintained control over England. |
Summative assessment: Students will sit an assessment based on the topics they have covered since the start of the year.
Teachers will also use different strategies during discussion and tasks to assess students understanding of the subject. |
Spring Term
| What are we learning? | What knowledge, understanding and skills will we gain? | What will excellence look like? | How will this be assessed? |
| Why was religion so important in the medieval period? | Students will focus on religion during the medieval period and why it was so important. Students will look at key events which shaped Medieval life such as the death of Thomas Beckett and why the Magna Carta was given to King John. This will start students investigating how these events have shaped Britain’s parliament and government today. Students will discover how people in the medieval period believed and how they practiced Christianity. | Students will be able to develop reasoning skills to argue why religion was so important in the medieval period. They will be able to argue that reason using evidence learnt over the topic such as beliefs of heaven and hell and how important monasteries and churches were for poor people. They will be able to evaluate who was to blame for the death of Thomas Beckett and use evidence such as sources to argue their point of view across. | Teachers will use a range of techniques to evaluate student’s understanding during tasks and discussions and address common misconceptions. Students will complete an end of topic formative assessment which includes students giving an explanation on why religion and religious beliefs were so important in the medieval period. |
| How far did the black death and peasants revolt change the life of the poor? | Students will continue with their investigation on the key aspects of Medieval life and problems faced by Medieval people such as Black Death and Peasants' Revolt. They will investigate how these events changed the lives of peasants in the Middle Ages. Students will also explore the causes and events of the Peasants Revolt that brought the Medieval period to an end. Students will practice skills such as making links between the two events and their economic ramifications. | Students can explain the importance of the Black Death and Peasants Revolt as historical events. They will also be able to explain the causes of Black Death compared with what Medieval people believed caused it. Students will be able to explain the consequences of these 2 events and can evaluate the impact of them. Students are able to bring together all examples they have looked at and make an informed judgement about what made ruling England difficult during the early Medieval times and how far the Black Death and Peasants Revolt changed this period. | Teachers use different strategies during discussion and tasks to assess students understanding of the subject. Students will complete an end of unit test which includes an extended writing task to assess historical skills such as consequence. |
Summer Term
| What are we learning? | What knowledge, understanding and skills will we gain? | What will excellence look like? | How will this be assessed? |
| How far did the black death and peasants revolt change the life of the poor? | Students will continue with their investigation on the key aspects of Medieval life and problems faced by Medieval people such as the Black Death and Peasants' Revolt. They will investigate how these events changed the lives of peasants in the Middle Ages. Students will also explore the causes and events of the Peasants Revolt that brought the Medieval period to an end. Students will practice skills such as making links between the two events and their economic impacts. | Students can explain the importance of the Black Death and Peasants Revolt as historical events. They will also be able to explain the causes of Black Death compared with Medieval belief people. Students will be able to explain the consequences of these 2 events and can evaluate the impact of them. Students are able to bring together all examples they have looked at and make an informed judgement about what made ruling England difficult during the early Medieval times and how far the Black Death and Peasants Revolt changed this period. | Teachers use different strategies during discussion and tasks to assess students understanding of the subject. Students will complete an end of unit test which includes an extended writing task to assess historical skills such as consequence. |
| How similar are Medieval Empires? |
In this unit students will have an opportunity to gain an understanding of different Medieval kingdoms. Students will start with a case study looking at Mansa Students will then look at China and the importance of the Silk Road for trade. Finally students will return to their study of England during this period, looking at key changes, such as the introduction of the Magna Carta. Muss and his African empire. |
Students will be able to compare both the African and Chinese Empires to England, using the knowledge they have gained throughout year 7. Students will also be able to gain an understanding of how England changed during the later Medieval period and how these are different to other Medieval empires. | Teachers will use different strategies, such as directed questioning, during discussion and in-class tasks to assess student understanding of the topic. Students will be assessed on their knowledge and understanding of the period by completing an essay-style question considering similarities and differences. |
Year 8 Curriculum Overview
Autumn Term
| What are we learning? | What knowledge, understanding and skills will we gain? | What will excellence look like? | How will this be assessed? |
| Break with Rome |
Students will start looking at the Tudor period and Henry VIII’S influence on the church in England. They will study Henry VIII and his six wives and why and how he established the Church of England and introduced Protestantism as the main religion in England. Students will further look at the dissolution of the Monasteries and why Henry closed down churches and monasteries. |
Students will be able to evaluate the causes and consequences of the break with Rome. They will be able to come to a conclusion about how successful Henry VIII was in doing this and what the consequences were for the British monarchy after his reign. |
This will be assessed in an hour assessment at the end of the term.
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Tudors |
Students will continue to look at the Tudor period after Henry VIII and look at how his children ruled England. Students will discover what the ‘religious rollercoaster’ is and what this meant for the main religion of England. They will study what the reign of Elizabeth I was like and key problems Elizabeth had to face such as religious challenges and the threats of the Spanish Armada. |
Students will be able to evaluate how the continuous changing of religion in England affected the countries stability. They will be able to assess how successfully Elizabeth I managed the problems of her reign as what the causes and consequences of these problems were. |
This will be assessed in an hour assessment at the end of the term. |
Spring Term
| What are we learning? | What knowledge, understanding and skills will we gain? | What will excellence look like? | How will this be assessed? |
| What was the influence of the British Empire? | Students will examine if the Empire improved people’s lives, why did the Empire collapse and how we should remember about the British Empire. Students will further develop their skills such as evaluating different interpretations and arguments about the British Empire. They will be able to construct their own conclusion and be able to explain the impact of events. | Students can make links between the events studied in the previous topic. Students can apply their contextual knowledge when interrogating sources surrounding the impact of the British Empire. Students are able to empathise with different groups that had different experiences in the British Empire and also they have the ability to understand differing interpretations. | Teachers use different strategies during discussion and tasks to assess students understanding of the subject. Students will be completing a combination of knowledge retrieval/ recall tests and extended writing tasks. The aim of the assessment is to provide opportunities for students to practice one specific historical skill (consequence) and use of sources/interpretation. |
| Why did slavery exist and how was it abolished? | Students will explore the reasons for the Slave Trade and will understand the experiences of those involved. Students will develop their skills in analysing sources and interpretations about the abolition campaign leading to the end of slavery. This topic will develop the students awareness of the time without human rights and how the campaign arose to recognise rights and equality. | Students can explain what happened in the transatlantic slave trade and reasons for abolition. Students can articulate their views on the slave trade/slavery. Students can explain why we should remember the slave trade today and can explain different arguments that were held at the time in favour and against the slave trade. | Teachers use different strategies during discussion and tasks to assess students understanding of the subject. Students will be completing a combination of knowledge retrieval/ recall tests and extended writing tasks. The aim of the assessment is to provide opportunities for students to complete the enquiry question by focusing on one specific historical skill (causation). |
Summer Term
| What are we learning? | What knowledge, understanding and skills will we gain? | What will excellence look like? | How will this be assessed? |
| Why did slavery exist and how was it abolished? | Students will continue to explore the reasons for the Slave Trade and will understand the experiences of those involved. Students will develop their skills in analysing sources and interpretations about the abolition campaign leading to the end of slavery. This topic will develop awareness of the time without human rights and how the campaign gave rise to equality as we know it. | Students aiming for excellence will be able to use accounts and dates to explain what happened in the transatlantic slave trade as well as the reasons for its abolition. Students will discuss at length the different views held by people at the time surrounding this topic and then be able to articulate this in a written response. Students will explain why we should remember the slave trade today. | Teachers will use different strategies during discussion and tasks to assess understanding of the topic. Students will be completing a combination of recall tests and extended writing tasks throughout their learning. Students will also be expected to complete an end of topic test which will have a focus on one specific historical skill - causation. |
| Why was the Industrial Revolution a time of progress? |
Students will gain knowledge of the Industrial Revolution. They will learn how rapid change occurred over this period. Once students have analysed the changes in agriculture, transport and manufacturing they will take a closer look at the impact of change for the economy as well as the development of factory towns. Students will then learn about conditions in these towns for factory workers, miners and the poor. This will build an understanding of how Modern society was created – including the consideration of modern-day values. Students will further develop their analytical skills and ability to consider change and continuity (connecting events). |
Students will explain how the Industrial Revolution changed Britain between 1750 and 1900 through extended writing practice. Students will be able to link events during this time period to prominent movements, such as the Enlightenment, in order to highlight the development of scientific thinking and technology. Students will make a clear and well-evidenced overview of how urbanisation in Britain affected society. | Teachers will use different strategies during discussion and tasks to assess understanding of the topic. Students will be completing a combination of recall tests and extended writing tasks throughout their learning. Students will also be expected to complete an end of topic test which will have a focus on one specific historical skill – change and continuity. |
Year 9 Curriculum Overview
Autumn Term
| What are we learning? | What knowledge, understanding and skills will we gain? | What will excellence look like? | How will this be assessed? |
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Early Elizabethan England
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Students will gain knowledge of the Elizabethan Era. They will evaluate the challenges faced by Elizabeth I.
Students will explore the background and character of Elizabeth I and what challenges she had to face both from abroad and at home. Students will gain detailed knowledge of the different plots and revolts against Elizabeth.
Students will consider the difficulties of being a female ruler and evaluate by using sources what life was like for people living in Elizabethan England. Students will further develop their historical skills such as causation, change and continuity, consequence, similarity and difference. |
Students can explain the challenges Elizabeth faced from abroad and home. Students can explain what problems the different religious groups caused to Elizabeth.
Students can explain the impact of the religious settlement and how difficult the settlement was to enforce. Students can explain why Mary, Queen of Scots was a problem and how threatening the Catholic plots were against Elizabeth.
Students can form a developed judgement of the factors influencing key events and turning points. |
Students will be assessed through exam style questions and also they will be assessed through an end of unit assessment. Students will be assessed on their knowledge and understanding of the characteristics of the period. They will need to describe features of the period, explain reasons why particular events happened and also need to make a judgement on how far they agree and think about both sides of an argument.
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Spring Term
| What are we learning? | What knowledge, understanding and skills will we gain? | What will excellence look like? | How will this be assessed? |
| What were the turning points of WW2? | In this unit students will have an opportunity to understand key events during World War II and explore how this shaped the worlds future. Students will look at the key events in the War such as the Battle of Britain, Dunkirk and Pearl Harbour. They will discuss how post-war society contributed to the breakdown of relations between the ‘Grand Alliance,’ the USSR, United Kingdom and the USA. Students will summarise the importance of the Atomic Bomb in creating tensions between the nations. Students will also further develop their knowledge and understanding of different conflicts and world history. They will strengthen their analytical skills and skills such as causation, use of sources and significance. | Students can describe the features of Blitzkrieg and the main reasons why the war broke out. They can form a developed judgement of the factors influencing key events throughout the period and where tensions were at their highest. Students can explain the impact of the Battle of Britain, of the attack on Pearl Harbour and of Dunkirk. | Formative assessment: Teachers use different strategies during discussion and tasks to assess students understanding of the subject. Students will be assessed on their knowledge and understanding of the period. Students will need to complete an essay type question considering the importance of the specific battles and analyse sources/interpretations for their significance. |
| How could the Holocaust have happened? | In this unit students will understand Jewish culture, the definition of ‘Anti-Semitism’ and how Jewish individuals were persecuted by the Nazis. Students will analyse sources to find out about Jewish life and experiences under the Nazi regime. Students will focus on the aftermath and legacy of the Holocaust. Students will also reach a judgement on how much justice has been achieved for Holocaust survivors. Students will also deepen their knowledge of different conflicts and prejudice. They will further develop their skills around concepts of causation and significance. | Students can effectively analyse a range of sources and historical evidence. Students can explain what Anti-Semitism is, what happened during the Holocaust and will be able to explain the events that led up to the Holocaust. | Formative assessment: Teachers use varying strategies during discussion and tasks to assess students understanding of the subject. Students will be assessed on their knowledge and understanding of the key characteristics of the period. Students will need to complete an essay type question, analysing sources/interpretations and explaining reasons why the Holocaust happened. |
Summer Term
| What are we learning? | What knowledge, understanding and skills will we gain? | What will excellence look like? | How will this be assessed? |
| To what extent has life changed after World War II? | In this unit students will have an opportunity to understand key events after World War II and explore how this has shaped the world as we know it. Pupils will look at key events post-War, such as the establishment of the NHS, the breakdown of the British Empire and the impact of HMC Windrush. Students will also discuss race relations within the United Kingdom whilst strengthening their skills as historians - such as the use of sources. | Students will be able to describe the features of the NHS and Welfare State in detail, using dates and real accounts in their presentation of knowledge. Students can develop a detailed judgement of the factors influencing key events throughout the period and which developments were most significant. Students can explain the impact of immigration and decolonisation in the British Empire. | Teachers will use different strategies, such as directed questioning, during discussion and in-class tasks to assess student understanding of the topic. Students will be assessed on their knowledge and understanding of the period by completing an essay-style question that considers the importance of specific events. They will also be asked to analyse the significance of sources and interpretations. |
Year 10 Curriculum Overview
Autumn Term
| What are we learning? | What knowledge, understanding and skills will we gain? | What will excellence look like? | How will this be assessed? |
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Crime and Punishment through time.
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Students will investigate crime and punishment from the years 1000 to modern days. Students will gain knowledge of how crime/punishment and law enforcement changed or continued from one time period to another. Students will explore the role of authorities/church/science and technology as reasons for change. Students will further develop their knowledge and understanding, with questions focusing on historical skills such as similarity/difference, change and continuity, significance and causes/consequences of change.
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Students will be able to demonstrate a deeper understanding of the history of crime and punishment, including the major changes in law enforcement and punishment over time. Students will have a clear understanding of how key features in the development of crime and punishment were linked with the key features of society in Britain in the periods studied. This will involve understanding patterns of change, trends and turning points, and the influence of attitudes in society, individuals, institutions, science, technology and how they worked together to bring about change. They will demonstrate a detailed knowledge of case studies covered in this unit.
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Teachers will be using formative assessment in lessons to assess students’ knowledge and understanding. Students will be assessed on their knowledge and understanding of the studied period. Students will be assessed on historical skills such as analysing the usefulness of sources, causation and forming a judgement through exam-style questions. |
| Crime and Punishment through time including the Historic Environment study: Whitechapel | Students will investigate crime and punishment from the years 1000 to modern days. Students will gain knowledge of how crime/punishment and law enforcement changed or continued from one time period to another. Students will explore the role of authorities/church/science and technology as reasons for change. Students will gain knowledge of a historic environment in one of the most deprived areas of London. Students will explore the difficulties of the area and the problems the authorities faced. Students will further develop their knowledge and understanding, with questions focusing on historical skills such as similarity/difference, change and continuity, significance and causes/consequences of change. skills around concepts of causation and significance. | Students have a clear understanding of how key features in the development of crime and punishment were linked with the key features of society in Britain in the periods studied. This will involve a clear understanding of patterns of change, trends and turning points, and the influence of attitudes in society, individuals, institutions, science, technology and how they worked together to bring about change. They will demonstrate a detailed knowledge of case studies covered in this unit. Students recognise the causes of crime in Whitechapel and the difficulties in policing the area. They can explain the problems the authorities faced in trying to apprehend ‘Jack the Ripper’. | Formative assessment: Teacher uses different strategies during discussion and tasks to assess students' understanding of the subject. Students will be assessed through exam style questions. |
Spring Term
| What are we learning? | What knowledge, understanding and skills will we gain? | What will excellence look like? | How will this be assessed? |
| Early Elizabethan England | Students will gain knowledge of the Elizabethan Era. They will evaluate the challenges faced by Elizabeth I. Students will explore the background and character of Elizabeth I and what challenges she had to face both from abroad and at home. Students will gain detailed knowledge of the different plots and revolts against Elizabeth. Students will consider the difficulties of being a female ruler and evaluate by using sources what life was like for people living in Elizabethan England. Students will further develop their historical skills such as causation, change and continuity, consequence, similarity and difference. | Elizabeth. Students can explain the impact of the religious settlement and how difficult the settlement was to enforce. Students can explain why Mary, Queen of Scots was a problem and how threatening the Catholic plots were against Elizabeth. Students can form a developed judgement of the factors influencing key events and turning points. | Students will be assessed through exam style questions and also they will be assessed through an end of unit assessment. Students will be assessed on their knowledge and understanding of the characteristics of the period. They will need to describe features of the period, explain reasons why particular events happened and also need to make a judgement on how far they agree and think about both sides of an argument. |
Summer Term
| What are we learning? | What knowledge, understanding and skills will we gain? | What will excellence look like? | How will this be assessed? |
| Hitler’s Rise to Power 1919-1933 | Students will begin to develop an understanding of how Hitler remodelled the Nazi Party and grew support in the 1920s. For example, through the Munich Putsch and Hitler writing his book Mein Kampf. Students will understand and explain how events such as the Wall Street Crash pushed German people away from German democracy and towards supporting Hitler and his rise to becoming Chancellor in 1933. | Students will be able to recall the events that enabled Hitler and the Nazi party to get into power in 1933. Students will develop a deep understanding of the events leading up to Hitler’s rise to power by analysing sources and interpretations as well as answering exam-style questions. This will help students to question the reliability of these sources and how they can be useful. |
Teachers will use formative assessment to check knowledge and understanding. Students will be assessed on this knowledge using exam-style questions using historical skills to analyse sources and interpretations. Students will complete an in-class assessment on this topic from a past GCSE paper. |
| Nazi Control and Dictatorship 1933-1939 |
Students will begin to study how Hitler created a dictatorship in Nazi Germany and used various methods of control to stop anti-Nazi views and opposition. Students will study various areas of life in Germany such as how Hitler created a police state and how he controlled religious views in Germany. Students will also study how propaganda and censorship were used in Germany during the 1930s and how effective these were. Students will learn about the opposition to the Nazis in Germany and how effective this was. | Students will be able to recall knowledge on how the Nazis controlled all aspects of life in Germany and explain Hitler’s move into power during the 1930s. Students will be able to analyse how successful this control was through sources and interpretations. They will be able to determine this success through exam-style questions. |
Teachers will use formative assessment to check knowledge and understanding. Students will be assessed on this knowledge using exam-style questions using historical skills to analyse sources and interpretations. Students will complete an in-class assessment on this topic from a past GCSE paper. |
| Life in Nazi Germany 1933-1939 |
Students will take a closer look into the lives of the German people who lived in Nazi Germany. Students will develop an understanding on the lives of women and young people and Nazi traditionalist views of these groups. Students will look at how the Nazis worked on the issue of unemployment and the lives of workers in Nazi Germany. Students will study the treatment of minority groups and Jews and how the Nazis persecuted these groups. | Students will be able to explain how the Nazis changed the lives of people in Germany and describe the Nazis views of different groups. Students will use source and interpretation skills to showcase the lives of German people within different groups of society. Students aiming for excellence will be able to successfully answer exam-style questions looking at how the Nazis changed the lives of people during this era. |
Teachers will use formative assessment to check knowledge and understanding. Students will be assessed on this knowledge using exam-style questions using historical skills to analyse sources and interpretations. Students will complete an in-class assessment on this topic from a past GCSE paper. |
Year 11 Curriculum Overview
Spring Term
| What are we learning? | What knowledge, understanding and skills will we gain? | What will excellence look like? | How will this be assessed? |
| Superpower relations and the Cold War 1941-91 | Students will explore the Superpower Relations and the Cold War (1941-91). Students will analyse the tensions between the USA and the Soviet Union, key events like the splitting of Berlin after World War Two, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the nuclear arms race, and the Cold War’s end. It examines how these factors increase and decrease tension between the two countries, along with the way in which this shaped global politics and conflicts. | Students can make explain the consequences of key events, looking at the role they played within the years 1941-91. Students will also be able to explain the causes, events and consequences of key events within the Cold War to form a narrative account. Finally, students will be able to explain in detail the impact of key events within this time period and how they increase or decrease tension between the two countries. | Teachers use different strategies during discussion and tasks to assess students understanding of the subject. Students will also use past paper question in order to test students understanding of both the content and exams skills. Finally, students will undertake a formal exam at the end of year 11. |
| Exam skills | Students will study effective exam skill practice involves mastering several key areas. They will start by recapping the exam structure and question types, such as source analysis, essays, and interpretation questions, they will practice answering past papers under timed conditions to improve time management and exam technique. This will help in order to Build these skills to help them perform confidently and effectively in exams. | Practice answering past papers under timed conditions to improve time management and exam technique. Students will develop their ability to critically analyse sources, identifying their purpose, content, and context. They will enhance their essay writing by structuring arguments clearly, using evidence effectively, and addressing different viewpoints. Regularly review feedback on practice answers to identify strengths and areas for improvement. | Regular use of past paper questions completed in class both supported and in exam conditions in order to aid students' confidence in exam writing. |
