Curriculum
History
Why study History?
Understanding past events and people and their significance gives students a better insight into the world around them. We believe in the importance of not just learning history but learning from history. The study of History equips pupils with the ability to critically analyse source material, assess the merits of different arguments, hone their debating skills, and recognise bias and propaganda.
How will I study history?
Pupils study History through big enquiry questions. Each enquiry covers a sequence of lessons. At the end of that sequence of lessons pupils are equipped to formulate their own answer to the enquiry. These are genuine historical debates amongst academic historians. Pupils learn historical concepts that are revisited regularly in different periods of time, locations and people allowing pupils to gain a deeper understanding. Alongside this, pupils learn to be historians developing their disciplinary knowledge understanding methods of historical enquiry, how evidence is used to make historical claims and understand why there are different interpretations of the past.
What will I study at key stage 3?
In Year 7, pupils explore historical enquiries that span the Anglo-Saxon to Tudor period. This includes:
- How did the two biggest religions in the medieval world coexist?
- How did England become a united country under the Anglo-Saxons?
- If the Normans brought trouble to Britain.
- The significance of the Magna Carta.
- If 1348 really was the end of the world.
- Was there a Mid Tudor Crisis or was it a period of trauma and survival?
In Year 8, pupils move through the study of Mughal India and end at Britain’s industrial revolution. Pupils explore enquiries that cover:
- Who was the greatest Mughal of them all?
- “The Divine Right of Kings” – the will of God or the will of the people?
- Did enlightenment cause revolution?
- Why is the British Empire on trial? Was there an Indian mutiny or a war of independence?
- Did the abolition of slavery end slavery?
- Which better describes the Industrial Revolution: Dark satanic mills’ or ‘progress and improvement?’
In Year 9, pupils move into the twentieth century to present day. Historical enquiries explore:
- Was the First World War a war worth winning?
- How democratic was Britain by 1930?
- How far did new ideas cause conflict?
- Why were the Nazis able to implement the Final Solution?
- How was America shaped during the twentieth century?
- Who was the most inspirational female leader of all time
What will I study at key stage 4?
At Key Stage 4, pupils take a Modern depth study on Germany 1890-1945. Pupils study Weimar and Nazi Germany. This covers the Weimar Republic, Hitler’s rise to power, Nazi control and dictatorship, life in Nazi Germany.
As a thematic study, pupils study Migration, empires, and the people c790 to the present day. This explores ideas about:
- Conquest and settlement.
- The birth of British identity, British colonisation, and expansion.
- Migration to and from Britain.
- The role and events in the development of empire and British identity.
As a British depth study, pupils explore early Elizabethan England. They focus on the Queen, government and religion, challenges to Elizabeth I at home and abroad, and Elizabethan society and the age of exploration. They will also explore a specific Elizabethan site in depth focusing on its historical context and examining the relationship between a specific place and associated historical events and developments.
In addition, pupils undertake a period study focusing on superpower relations and the Cold War. This covers the origins of the Cold War crises, attempts to reduce tension between the East and West and the collapse of Soviet control of Eastern Europe.
Assessment at key stage 4
History AQA 8145
| Overview | Focus |
|---|---|
|
Section A: Germany, 1890–1945: Democracy and dictatorship Section B: Conflict and tension between East and West, 1945–1972 |
| Overview | Focus |
|---|---|
|
Section A: Elizabethan England c1568-1603 Section B: Migration, empires and the people c790 to the present day |
Enrichment
The History Ambassadors programme runs for KS4 where pupils can participate in research activities, meet with guest speakers and support younger pupils in the Key Stage 3 History club. We also offer enrichment trips to places such as the International Slavery Museum, the Imperial War Museum and the Battlefields of France and Belgium or Berlin, Germany. The History department also runs Oulder Hill Remembers which focuses on key events that should be remembered in school. We are affiliated to the Royal British Legion which also allows the department to be involved in local and national acts of remembrance. In lessons, History is brought to life through re-enactments, the exploration of artefacts, original film footage and model making. Pupils can take part in school-wide competitions to increase their engagement and enhance their subject knowledge. Intervention sessions to consolidate prior learning and ensure maximum progress are at the heart of our delivery model.
Careers
The study of History can lead to future careers ranging from Researcher, Museum Archivist and Journalist to Librarian, Business Consultant and Editor. Famous History graduates include Louis Theroux (documentary filmmaker, author), Jonathan Ross (TV presenter), Joe Biden (US President) and Gordon Brown (ex-British Prime Minister).