History

Team Leader: Ms W Smith
History builds upon a number of skills which can be used in all subjects and future employment. Pupils will develop a wide range of skills in enquiry, cause and consequence, knowledge and understanding as well as significance and interpretation.
Within History pupils learn to develop their own learning skills such as:
- Independent enquiry – Learning to ask questions to develop their knowledge of key events
- Effective Participation – Getting involved in lessons through project work and re-enactments
- Creative Thinking – Thinking about the importance of key events from a range of perspectives
- Team Work – Working together with pupils on key tasks to reach a common goal
Curriculum Overview:
In Years 7 and 8 pupils study the key events in history during one lesson each week. Pupils learn source skills as well as content knowledge. There are a wide range of assessments to test all the key skills and prepare pupils for KS4 and their GCSE exams.
Key Stage 3:
Year 7 topics include:
- Key Skills in History
- Battle of Hastings
- Medieval Life
- The Tudors
- The Stuarts
Year 8 topics include:
- The English Civil War
- The Transatlantic Slave Trade
- WW1
- WW2
- The Cold War
Key Stage 4:
The History GCSE exam is with Edexcel and made up of 5 units within three exams that are completed at the end of Year 11:
Study in Depth (World History) – American West : 1830-95
Skills/Source Study of Modern History – USA at Home and Abroad : 1954-1975
Study in Depth (British History) – Elizabethan England : 1558-1588
Study of Change Over Time (World History) – Medicine Through Time : 1250 – now (present day) and The Western Front (1914-1918)
Here is a recommended wider reading list for KS4 pupils.
How to support pupil learning:
- The History VLE pages have a wealth of material to support pupils’ home learning.
- KS4 intervention sessions are hosted by the History team, but attendance in lessons is key to success.
- KS4 Revision Guides are available to order and purchase.