|Members of staff:||Mr S Forsyth – Department Leader
Miss D Ross
Mr J Huthart
Mr D Kilkenny
Mr A Warkman
The intention for the KS3 curriculum is for student to gain a broad understanding of the History of Britain from the Romans through to the end of the 20th Century. Learners will gain a coherent knowledge of past as well as developing an understanding of how people in the past were ruled, how they lived, what they believed and how life changed. Students will learn how to communicate their understanding of the past effectively, how to use sources and interpretations and develop second order skills such as identifying similarities, differences and judging significance.
At GCSE level, students will study for two years and will give them a full GCSE in History. The aim of the course is to help learners to understand some of the most important events that have happened in Britain and the World.
|Key Stage 3|
|Content:||Year 7:||Year 8:||Year 9:|
|Autumn Term 1:||Who was the Greatest British Ruler? Learners will explore how interpretations of different monarchs have been formed and how convincing those interpretations are. They will look at a wide range of rulers from Boudicca to Richard III as an overview to the topics they will study in Year 7.||The Stuarts – Was the world turned upside down? What effect did the gunpowder plot, Civil War, Plague and Great fire have on those who lived in England in the 1600s?||Britain in the 1800s – did life in England cause suffering? Working and living conditions will be examined throughout the 1800s to reach a conclusion about which caused more suffering and why improvements started to be made.|
|Autumn Term 2:||What have the Romans ever done for us? This topic starts with the story of Romulus and Remus and the foundation of Rome. Learners consider how politics, religion and society shaped life for its citizens. Students consider how the Romans impacted on life in Britain.||Why could Britain afford an Empire? Students explore the origins of the British empire by looking at the formation of the United Kingdom and early exploration. Learners examine how the changes in England during the industrial revolution facilitated a growth in Britain’s global control.||Was World War One the War to end all wars? What caused the conflict to start, what were the major battles and how was the war brought to an end?|
|Spring Term 1:||How similar were the Saxons and Vikings? Focusing on why these groups moved to Britain, learners also compare and contrast how similar Saxon and Viking cultures were and how both groups influenced life in England.||Did Britain change the world? Using America, Europe and Australia as case studies, students will decide how much Britain changed the world politically, economically, socially, militarily and religiously.||Hitler’s rise to power and life in Nazi Germany|
|Spring Term 2:||Why did William win the Battle of Hastings? Students will explore who was the most legitimate claimant to the English throne in 1066 and why William won the Battle of Hastings.||Did Britain change the world? The study of Britain’s role in the world continues with India and Africa. Particular focus is paid to the pre-British India and the events leading to the Indian rebellion.||Could World War Two have been avoided? Could a fairer treaty after the First World War, or a more effective international body have avoided a second world war?|
|Summer Term 1:||How did Kings control England, and how did England control Kings? Continuing their study of the Norman conquest, learners will look at how castles, the feudal system and religion were used to control the population. Exploring how far Magna Carta, Parliament and the peasants’ revolt turned the tables on royal power.||Why did the Trans-Atlantic slave trade last for 300 years? Learners will examine the motivations for the slave trade, who in Britain was involved in the slave trade and its impact in Britain, Africa and America. Students will consider the
abolitionist movement and the opposition faced in Britain as well as the Civil War in determining why slavery continued for so long.
|World War Two – Causes and major battles|
|Summer Term 2:||Who was the most significant Tudor? Exploring the reigns of Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I, learners will make their decision on who had the greatest impact on England.||Have the rights of African Americans improved since the Civil War? Using a study of reconstruction America to the present day, students will be asked to make a judgement on how far the rights of African Americans have improved and the overall success of the civil rights movement.||What happened to the Hecht family? Using the example of the Hecht family, students will gain an understanding of how people were affected by the Nazi’s racial policy and anti-Semitism.|
|Key Stage 4|
|Content:||Year 10:||Year 11:|
|Autumn Term 1:||Conflict and Tension
Treaty of Versailles and League of Nations
|Norman Conquest – How William secured power|
|Autumn Term 2:||League of Nations and Hitler’s Foreign Policy||Norman conquest – how the Normans changed England|
|Spring Term 1:||America – Roaring Twenties||Empires, Migration and the people – Vikings, Normans and Angevins.|
|Spring Term 2:||America – Depression, New Deal and WW2||Empires, Migration and the people – Expansion of the Empire; America, India and Africa|
|Summer Term 1:||America – Post war boom and civil rights movement||Empires, Migration and the people – Fall and legacy of the Empire|
|Summer Term 2:||Norman Conquest – claimants to the throne||Revision for GCSE exams.|
|Revision Links for GCSE Course:|
|How can parents support their child’s progress in this subject?
1. Ask them about what they have been studying. Get students to explain why events happened and why they were important.