History

History Curriculum Vision

In History we deliver a curriculum that aims to stimulate, engage and challenge our students. We differentiate our curriculum across the board so that all students can strive to succeed. First and foremost, we want students to enjoy History and develop a love for the subject. Alongside this, we aim to build an appreciation of the academic rigour of the subject. We deliberately select topics that facilitate a greater understanding of the world and encourage individuals to become conscientious members of society. The aim is for them to study different aspects of the past so that they can engage with key issues such as conflict and understand what drives change. We incorporate second-order concepts into all our assessment cycles and introduce the skills they require to succeed in KS4 and KS5 from Year 7. Students leave us with an evaluative understanding of how historical events and individuals can shape the international political, social and economic landscape.

How do we help our students to ROAR?

Resilient: History is an academically rigorous subject and as a department we ensure that this academic challenge is evident at all levels with appropriate levels of support when needed. We do this from both a subject knowledge and conceptual perspective through departmental summative assessments.

Open-minded: History naturally lends itself to creating open-minded and well-rounded young people. We have selected subjects that deliberately encourage students to have an appreciation of events that have shaped both national and international discourse.

Aspirational: Throughout the whole curriculum we make clear links with the present day, encouraging students to become critical thinkers. We provide students with model answers at all levels, so that they understand what they should be aspiring to. The department has also set up a tutor system where A-Level students provide support and guidance to GCSE students.

Reflective: FIT is fully integrated into our curriculum which gives students ample opportunity to reflect on their progress and improve. We take care with the sequencing of our curriculum to facilitate students’ understanding of how different time periods are linked.

Year 7:

Intent:

The aim of history in Year 7 is to provide a foundation of knowledge and key skills required for further study. It also aims to build students’ cultural capital and understanding of the British Isles and its relationship with other worlds. Learners will gain an understanding of substantive concepts such as religion, economics, power, monarchy, and conquest, and will develop their understanding of the second-order historical concepts that they will have studied in primary school. Our goal is to provide a broad, balanced and bespoke curriculum which engages all students and fosters a love for the subject at an early stage of their secondary school career. The scheme of work also includes opportunities for students to improve their literacy and to begin to engage with academic writing and texts.

Implementation:

Year 8:

Intent:

In Year 8 students build on their prior historical knowledge and skills by considering how Britain developed during a period in which its power and influence were rapidly expanding. They will begin by exploring the significance of the late seventeenth century, analysing interpretations to assess how far this was a revolutionary period within Britain. This will help pupils to recognise the ways in which historical narratives are shaped by the experiences of those who write them. Studying the slave trade, the Industrial Revolution, and the British Empire, will provide learners with a contextual understanding of societal issues that occupy current discourse. Our final unit on World War One aims to provide them with a broad understanding of how the conflict affected different people and states throughout the world. It will further their ability to analyse causation, change and continuity, and significance.

Implementation:

Year 9:

Intent:

In Year 9 students begin by continuing to explore conflict in the twentieth century, exploring the events and legacy of World War Two. Our aim is for students to recognise the scale of the war and the ways in which it shaped international relations for decades to come. We then use our units on the Holocaust and genocide as opportunities to teach students about the dangers of prejudice and discrimination as well as to build an awareness of individual and societal considerations surrounding racism. By then studying campaigns for civil rights, we hope students will recognise the roles of individuals, legislation and ideologies in shaping change. As well as developing more responsible and respectful young people, this unit should provide a basis for analysing the reasons for change over time.

Implementation:

Year 10:

Intent:

In Year 10 students start studying for their first GCSE paper. They cover two units: Democracy and Dictatorship and Conflict and Tension. The students gain an understanding of the tumultuous period of history in Germany, which saw the failure of democracy that allowed Hitler to rise to power. On doing so, we hope to provide students with an understanding of differing political ideologies and how societies are shaped by each. This is knowledge that will help them to understand modern political parties and developments. Studying peacekeeping in the interwar years will develop their ability to analyse historical sources and to explore how international relations are affected by economic and political interests.

Implementation:

Year 11:

Intent:

Having begun their unit on Elizabethan England at the end of Year 10, students start Year 11 by continuing to explore Elizabeth I’s reign from an economic, religious, political, social and cultural perspective. In doing so, we hope students will continue to develop their understanding of historical interpretations and their ability to use evidence to support and challenge these. Health and the People, their thematic study, will introduce them to the history of how medicine and public health developed in Britain over a long period of time. It takes a conceptual approach to these developments and focuses on the impact that they had on British society. This help students to place modern health and medical developments within a historical context and to understand the factors that have led to progress.

Implementation:

Year 12:

Intent:

ln Year 12, students begin to develop their independence and continue to hone their analytical and evaluative skills. Their Britain Transformed breadth study gives them a strong understanding of British history between the years 1918-1997 and requires them to consider their knowledge within the framework of broader historical concepts such as causation and consequence, change and continuity and significance. They also build on their GCSE interpretation skills, making judgements on historians’ perspectives based on what they have learned. Additionally, studying the Witch-Craze introduces them to early modern sources and requires them to interrogate these by considering the contexts in which they were written.

Implementation:

Year 13:

Intent:

In their final year, students are encouraged to continue to develop their ability to analyse historical sources and interpretations. Their coursework unit focuses on the origins of the Holocaust, introducing them to historical scholarship and providing them with the opportunity to engage in academic research. Their unit on modern US history gives them a grounding in the American political system and helps them to contextualise modern-day social and cultural events and movements. It is hoped that students will leave Year 13 not only with a love for the subject but also with an appreciation for history as a discipline and a thorough understanding of how the contemporary world has been shaped by the past.

Implementation: