What is the Curriculum within History?

The Key Stage 3 curriculum lasts three years and covers units from the National Curriculum for History. Through the study of key historical events, we equip our students with the knowledge and skills required to analyse and evaluate the significance of these events.

Our curriculum is structured to foster and develop a love of History and create subject expertise whilst supporting progression onto KS4 and beyond. Students study a broad range of history including the story of migration to our shores, medieval and early modern Britain, the immediate impact of the transatlantic slave trade and its legacy, to the emergence of Britain as a leading industrial nation in the 19th and 20th centuries. It addresses the issues and events that have led to the emergence of British values at the heart of British society today. History enables students to study the past from a variety of viewpoints and to make connections and comparisons across time.

History at Key Stage 4

Following the Edexcel specification, our GCSE curriculum is designed to build on the key knowledge and skills acquired at KS3.

Our chosen topics are as follows:

• Crime and Punishment, c.1000-present + Whitechapel, c.1870 - c.1900.
• Early Elizabethan England
• Weimar and Nazi Germany
• Superpower relations and the Cold War

History at Key Stage 5

The study of History in the Sixth Form offers students the opportunity to further develop their understanding of the past by learning to analyse and evaluate evidence and interpretations across a wide period of History from the 15th to the 20th Centuries.

• UNIT 1 The Tudors; England, 1485-1603, represents a key turning point in the history of this country. As part of this varied and stimulating breadth study, spanning 118 years, students will identify and analyse significant examples of change and continuity across a range of key themes.
• UNIT 2 Revolution and dictatorship: Russia, 1917-1953, includes the Revolution of 1917, Civil War, The Terror, World War Two and the start of the Cold War as well as the impact of the communist regime on the people.
• UNIT 3 Coursework: Historical Investigation provides an opportunity to independently analyse, evaluate and contrast various aspects of Women’s Rights in Britain from 1850 to 1970.

What will Students Learn in History?

How are Students Assessed in History?

In History at Key Stage 3, we assess students’ understanding through a range of formative strategies. These include a range of questioning techniques and responsive teaching in lessons. Recap questioning at the start of each lesson, low stakes quizzing, plenary tasks and through extended written answers to assess students' knowledge and understanding.

In addition to the above, at Key Stage 4 & 5 we regularly assess students’ understanding using the assessment objectives set by the exam board. Clear and direct feedback is offered to all students via the use of individual Verbal Feedback, praise and Whole Class Feedback that is relevant covering common mistakes and/or correcting misconceptions.