History
Subject Overview
History is the study of past events and human experiences over time. It helps us understand how societies, cultures, and civilizations have developed and changed. Studying history allows us to gain insight into the causes and effects of events that have shaped the world we live in.
Curriculum Intent
History enables us to understand the diversity of the past, the importance of individual voices as well as global stories. History is inclusive. It highlights the importance of every story.
Learning history teaches students to understand the complexities of people’s lives, the relationships between different groups and the diversity of societies. This helps us to better understand the world in which we live. We want students to recognise that History is constructed and contested. Students are encouraged to ask perceptive questions, challenge constructs of the past and use evidence to make substantiated judgements.
Historical scholarship teaches students that current debates in history are inherently political and have a direct connection to current issues. We want students to become global citizens who have an awareness of the wider world around them and can use skills that equip them to create their own judgements on the past.
Curriculum Implementation
Year 7
The curriculum at KS3 is taught chronologically. In Year 7, students begin by learning about how society changed in the Roman period. They analyse and assess contrasting interpretations of Roman life to help them to create their own judgements on the past. Our key themes in Year 7 focus on power and control. Students are taught about how Medieval Kings tried to gain and keep control, and how Early Modern monarch’s faced challenges to their power.
Year 8
In Year 8, students assess the extent to which societies changed and the impact this has had. They study how economic, political and religious change affected different Kingdoms in Medieval and Early Modern Africa and how the British Empire and technological advances affected Britain during the Industrial Revolution. Students also evaluate the extent to which the British Empire has impacted the way that we see ourselves and others and the reasons why many people across the world migrated to Britain in the 20th century.
Year 9
In Year 9, students assess the extent to which governments are able to influence and control their populations, and the reasons why groups of people have protested and resisted those in charge throughout the 20th century. Students learn about the different suffrage campaigns for Votes for Women, WW1 and the experience of ‘forgotten’ armies during WW1. They also study how different dictators in Europe have maintained and kept their power, and how the British Civil Rights Movement was influenced by the American Civil Rights Movement.
KS4 (Edexcel Specification):
In GCSE History, students study the following key topics:
Paper 1: Medicine in Britain, c.1250-present day.
- Paper 2: Early Elizabethan England, 1558-1588 (this includes learning about the main challenges to Elizabeth I’s rule and Elizabethan life and society)
- Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941-1991
Paper 3: Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918-1939
Curriculum Impact
Formative assessment
It is important that our students learn to write like historians, using high-level academic and historical vocabulary. Consequently, students are regularly tested on subject-specific vocabulary and key concepts in every topic.
We use a range of ‘responsive teaching’ formative assessment approaches to identify gaps in knowledge. and useful next steps for the teacher and pupil. This includes:
- Short, regular knowledge-based tests and retrieval practice based on substantive knowledge, key concepts and key vocabulary
- Mini-whiteboard questions
- Chronology tests/ chronology retrieval practice
- Extended written work in response to enquiries/big questions
- Regular live, formative feedback
Summative Assessments – There are two summative assessments per year (please see the section on Assessment and Feedback for more details)
Curriculum Map
Enrichment Opportunities
Students are encouraged to access the super curriculum in History which includes trips to different museums and workshops, recommendations on excellent and engaging history podcasts, and additional reading to develop their understanding of the past. We run two competitions each year – the Historical Fiction competition for KS3 students and the Great Debate for KS4 students. Please see our curriculum map for a list of super curricular activities.
Supporting Students
We support SEND, EAL and more able learners through differentiation and targeted support. Students are encouraged to pursue learning opportunities beyond the taught curriculum by accessing the History super curriculum (see the History curriculum map).
How Parents/Carers Can Support Their Child
Parents can support learning by discussing historical events and their relevance today, watching historical films and visiting the museums that we have suggested in the super curricular activities.
We also encourage students to read historical fiction and nonfiction texts. We have a suggested reading list available for each year group.
Useful websites:
- Carousel (individual quizzes will be set by class teachers and posted on Teams)
- Historical Association
- BBC Bitesize – History
- History Extra
Assessment and Feedback
There are two main assessment points in History for KS3 and KS4. The first assessment point is in HT2. Students' progress will be assessed as follows:
KS3:
- Chronological understanding
- Knowledge tests – Open questions and MCQ’s
- Written tasks – usually based on source analysis or a key historical debate linked to an enquiry question.
KS4:
- Regular quizzing in class and for HW (on an online platform – Carousel)
- Chronology tests
- Exam questions (in class)
- Mock exams (one in the first term of Y10 and one at the end of Year 10)
- Year 11 mock exams (Dec-Jan) which test students on all 3 GCSE exam papers.
Future Pathways
Students studying history can pursue a wide range of future careers, including roles as archaeologists, museum curators, historians, teachers, journalists, and researchers. They also develop valuable skills such as critical thinking, analysis, and communication, which are highly sought after in fields like law, politics, public policy, and cultural heritage management. Additionally, history graduates can work in areas like publishing, media, and international relations, where their knowledge of past events contributes to informed decision-making and effective storytelling.