History is the study of the past. However, it is also about interpretations of the past - how different people, including Historians, have viewed it. It provides us with a way to make sense of current affairs and understand the world around us. The study of History is critically important, as everything which is happening around us has been influenced by, and is a direct result of, that which came before it. We must understand what came before us to truly understand what is happening now.
History provides us with skills of analysis, discussion, and debate. Students will learn a wide range of skills such as chronological understanding, explanation of change and continuity and analysis of historical sources from the periods studied.
The Key Stage 3 Curriculum (Year 7-9)
The curriculum at KS3 is designed to allow students to understand the ‘big picture’ of History. By starting with the Ancient World and progressing chronologically through to the Modern Era students will be able to draw out similar themes across history (e.g. religion, science, government) and to understand change over time. Students will develop secure understanding of the chronological history of the British Isles as well as significant developments and events in Europe and the wider world including the Holocaust. They will ask and answer key enquiry questions around significant events, developments, and individuals to widen their knowledge about the world they live in today. Students will study key periods in British history including the reign of the Tudors, the English Civil War and 20th Century Britain, as well as studying world events such as the two World Wars and slavery. This is delivered in chronological order allowing students to have a sound grasp of the links and connections between individuals, events and developments.
The Key Stage 4 Curriculum (Year 10-11)
Course Studied: Pearson Edexcel GCSE History
Specification Link: https://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/GCSE/History/2016/specification-and-sample-assessments/gcse-9-1-history-specification.pdf
Description of the course:
Paper 1: Medicine in Britain
In this unit students will explore the main ideas about the cause, treatment, and prevention of disease through time. They will look at improvements in surgery and the Governments response to issues of public health. Students will examine case studies such as the Black death and the outbreak of Cholera to assess how far medicine improved in each time period. Finally, they will look at the role of factors such as science, religion, and individuals in the development of medicine.
Paper 1: The British Sector of the Western Front; injuries, treatment, and the trenches.
This unit is part of the wider medicine unit and allows students to examine how ideas about medicine were applied in a real- life situation- the Western Front during World War One. Students will look at the main injuries during the war and assess how far treatments improved at the time.
Paper 2: Early Elizabethan England 1558-1588
This unit explores the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, examining the religious and political events that took place during her reign including conflict between Catholics and Protestants. Students will examine the relationship between England and Spain, including event such as the Spanish Armada, and will explain why the lives of ordinary people changed during this time, including the growth of education and the theatre.
Paper 2: Super-power relations and the Cold War 1941-91
Within this unit students will examine the relationship between the USA and USSR after World War Two. Students will consider the reasons for an increase and decrease in tension during this period including event such as the building of the Berlin wall and the Cuban missile crisis. Students will be encouraged to explain the consequences of events and the relationship between them.
Paper 3: Weimar and Nazi Germany
This unit explores the development of Germany after WW1. Students will study the creation of the new Weimar Republic and examine the political failures and successes of this government, leading to the growth in support for the Nazi party. Students will examine the changes in the lives of German citizens under the Weimar government and then under the dictatorship of Hitler, considering how the experiences of women, children and minority groups changed during this period.
How the course is assessed:
Paper 1: Medicine in Britain and Western Front- 1 hour 15 minutes. 52 marks. 30% GCSE
Paper 2: Early Elizabethan England and Super-power relations- 1 hour 45 Minutes. 64 marks. 40% GCSE
Paper 3: Weimar and Nazi Germany- 1 hour 20 minutes. 52 marks. 30% GCSE.
All questions require extended writing and each paper consists of a combination of 4, 8, 12 and 16 mark questions. Assessment objectives are based around knowledge and understanding, explanation, source analysis and historical interpretations.