We believe that pupils deserve a broad and ambitious History curriculum, rich in skills and knowledge, which immerses students in a range of cultures and engenders an enquiring and critical outlook on the world. We also encourage each pupil to express their views articulately and respectfully, rationally listen to others and give a well rounded answer with supporting factual evidence.

Staff and Facilities

Mrs Horton is our Head of Humanities, working with Mr Bates, Mrs Simpson and Mr Tyerman to deliver History lessons in our state of the art school building. Our Humanities classrooms are based on the 1st floor, with access to all our fully equipped Learning Resource Centre and ICT Suite.

Enrichment

Humanities club runs weekly and is open to all pupils. The club offers both an opportunity to support the learning or homework that has taken place as well as giving pupils the time to look deeper into an area of personal interest.

Curriculum

Year 7 Curriculum

In Year 7 History, students will cover a programme of study that introduces them to the Medieval world. After receiving a grounding in historical skills, pupils will consider the importance of the year 1066 and study the development of society over subsequent centuries. This will include a look at castles and how they changed over time, the Black Death, the Peasants Revolt and the wars of the Roses. By the end of the year, students will have moved on to the Tudor period.

Year 8 Curriculum

As pupils move into year 8 History, they cover topics which pose more challenging questions than ever before. The year begins with a study of the British Empire and Slavery. Pupils consider why the practice endured for so long, before considering how it was ultimately abolished. This is then followed by the Industrial Revolution and life in Victorian Britain. Year 8 conclude the year by looking at World War One.

Year 9 Curriculum

As pupils enter into year 9, they cover topics which continue to pose challenging questions. The year begins by studying the rise of Hitler in Germany and the causes and course of the Second World War. We then move on to look at the Cold War and the different ideologies behind this. The year is finished off by looking at Germany in 1890 which will lead the pupils into their GCSE course for year 10.

We follow the AQA syllabus for GCSE. This qualification is designed to encourage pupils to study different aspects of the past, so they can engage with key issues such as conflict, understanding what drives change and how the past influences the present. These themes are studied through a range of time periods from the reign of Elizabeth in 1568 up to the political changes in Asia in 1975. History gives the pupils the opportunity to think analytically as they learn about the key events that have shaped the world they live in. The course is assessed by two papers. The first paper is based on their understanding of Germany 1890-1945 and conflict in Asia from 1950 -1975. The second paper is based on their understanding of Health and people c.1000 to the present day and Elizabethan England 1568 – 1603.