History

KEY STAGE 3

The national curriculum for history aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world.

• Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind.

• Gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry.’

• Understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses.

• Understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed.

• Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.

YEAR 7

What is history?

The Romans in Britain

The Normans

How religious and tolerant were people in the Middle Ages?

What was life like in the Middle Ages?

Who ruled in the Middle Ages?

England at War in the Middle Ages

England abroad in the Middle Ages

YEAR 8

How religious were Tudor Monarchs?

Tudor life

England at war – the civil war, Cromwell, restoration, end of the Stuarts – Glorious revolution

The French Revolution and Napoleon

The Industrial Revolution

The Victorians - religion, culture, schools, health, crime and punishment

The Empire and slavery

YEAR 9

The Civil Rights Movement

The First World War including female suffrage movements

The Second World War and the role of Churchill

The Holocaust

The USA in the 20th century including the Cold War

Modern Britain and the Welfare State

KEY STAGE 4

Qualification: GCSE History

Examination Board: Edexcel

Exam Specification

Students study four units.

· Medicine in Britain from 1250–present and The British sector of the Western Front, 1914–18: injuries, treatment and the trenches (Option 11) - This unit offers students a great opportunity to engage in the study of changes in the field of medicine. Some of the topics covered are medicine in medieval England, Medical Renaissance in England, changes to medicine from eighteenth century to present.

· The American West 1835 to 1895 (Option P3) – This unit gives students an insight into the early settlement of the West, development of the plains as well as conflicts and conquests.

· Early Elizabethan England (Option B4) - Students investigate religious issues, especially the Catholic threat to Elizabeth’s security, relation with Spain, policies towards the poor people, Tudor education and culture. Furthermore, students will engage with the role played by Mary Queen of Scots, plots and revolts against Elizabeth as well as explorations and voyages of discovery.

· Weimar and Nazi Germany (Option 31) - This unit offers a fascinating analysis of how, between two world wars, a democratic Germany became a one party dictatorship. Students examine political, social, economic and cultural aspects that led to this change. Some of the topics covered are the Weimar Republic and its challenges, the development and the growth of the Nazi Party, the Munich Putsch, how Hitler became Chancellor and the creation of a dictatorship, the police state, Nazi policies towards children, women, opposition, minorities and Jews.

Students will sit three exam papers at the end of Year 11.

Paper 1 – Medicine in Britain from 1250–present and The British sector of the Western Front, 1914–18: injuries, treatment and the trenches: equals 30% of the qualification carrying 52 marks lasting 1 hour 15 minutes

Paper 2 – The American West and early Elizabethan England: equals 40% of the qualification carrying 64 marks lasting 1 hour 45 minutes

Paper 3 – Weimar and Nazi Germany: equals 30% of the qualification carrying 52 marks lasting 1 hour 20 minutes