History

Overview

Year 7 students begin with a skills overview such as source analysis, interpretation, understanding significance and the constantly intertwining relationship between change and continuity and do this by exploring the significance of events such as when and how did the Normans conquer England? Was the Black Death really a disaster? How has history interpreted the significance of the Crusades?

Understanding of each topic is consolidated via an assessed piece of written work in which students are actively encouraged to self-evaluate their own comprehension of each topic area and, with guidance, provide a platform at each assessment on which to continually build their skills.

From Year 8 onwards, these skills are further honed as students begin to explore the development of Britain and her relationship with the rest of the world from the Industrial Revolution and the building of an empire, right up to the events that triggered WWI as well as the war itself and it’s aftermath. This is something the faculty has recently introduced to Year 8, as previously these topics were covered at Year 9, with the aim being to have the Year 9’s beginning to focus on GCSE syllabus by Summer term.

Curriculum content

Age related milestones

Chronology
Change & Continuity
Cause & Consequence
Significance
Sources & Interpretation
SPaG

Overview

Subject aims and learning outcomes

GCSE specifications in History will support students in learning more about the history of Britain and that of the wider world. The study of history at GCSE will inspire students to deepen their understanding of the people, periods and events studied and enable them to think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, make informed decisions, and develop perspective and judgement. This, in turn, will prepare them for a role as informed, thoughtful and active citizens.

GCSE specifications in history will enable students to:

• develop and extend their knowledge and understanding of: specified key events
• periods and societies in the history of their locality, Britain, and the wider world;
• and of the wide diversity of human experience
• engage in historical enquiry to develop as independent learners and as critical and
• reflective thinkers
• develop the ability to ask relevant questions about the past, to investigate issues
• critically and to make valid historical claims by using a range of sources in their
• historical context
• develop an awareness of how and why different interpretations have been
• constructed about people, events and developments from the past and why they
• may have been accorded significance
• organise and communicate their historical knowledge and understanding in
• different ways and reach substantiated conclusions
• recognise that the discipline of history and a knowledge and understanding of the past helps them to understand their own identity and significant aspects of the world in which they live, and provides them with the basis for further wider learning and study.

Exam board and course

Curriculum Content

2018/19 Assessment components

Assessments