History
Our vision as a department is to help students understand our culture, our heritage and how the world we live in today has been influenced by history, whilst developing a range of skills that helps them progress in the modern world.
Our approach is broadly chronological to British and European History, following the national curriculum. The topics chosen are carefully considered to ensure pupils understand the main key events and concepts of British and world history. Embedded in the Key Stage 3 curriculum are three thematic topics ‘through time’ covered to deepen chronological understanding and enable comparison across time periods.
The department sets “Meanwhile Elsewhere” homework to give pupils the opportunity to learn about a broader range of history. We have also worked hard to diversify the curriculum and uncover hidden historic voices. Through recent changes to our curriculum we consider elements of women’s history as well as LGBTQ+ aspects. For example, Year 8 will study Anne Lister this year as part of the Industrial Revolution topic and we will be looking at Janina Ramirez’s book Femina in Year 7.
Curriculum
Topics are chosen for their obvious historical worth giving a grounding in the main issues and developments in British and world history such as; power and authority in medieval and early modern England; the British Empire; slavery and civil rights; the World Wars; and thematic studies such as terrorism through time.
All topics hook pupils into developing key skills such as explanation, evaluation and source and interpretation analysis and explore a variety of historical concepts such as change and continuity, significance, cause and consequence.
We also ensure a strong focus on key terminology, literacy and extended reading and writing. All units include scholarly reading. Academic texts are used to assess real historical interpretations.
Assessments in Key Stage 3 cover key skills such as source analysis, evaluation of interpretations and explanation. These are deliberately designed to build through Key Stage 3 and are returned to frequently. The skills we teach at Key Stage 3 build to the more complex requirements at Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5. Essentially, topics and skills become more complex into Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 but the foundations are built at Key Stage 3.
Knowledge also builds in a similar way. We revisit a number of key concepts such as ‘power and authority’ and Empire throughout Key Stage 3 and into Key Stage 4 and 5. Teachers continuously link back to previously taught material and attempt to develop links to other parts of the curriculum taught in other subjects such as PBE, Geography, English and Music (for example we use slave songs to bring the topic of the transatlantic slave trade to life.)
At GCSE the exam board is AQA and we study:
Paper 1: Understanding the Modern World:
- Period study: Germany 1890-1945
- Wider world depth study: Cold War in Asia 1945-1975
Paper 2: Shaping the Nation:
- British depth study with historic environment: Elizabethan England 1558-1603
- Thematic study: Health and the People c1000-present
At A Level the exam board is also AQA to provide continuation of skill development from GCSE. There are a number of stipulations set by the exam board in relation to period coverage/ overlap between topics. Therefore we have chosen to study:
Paper 1: Breadth Study:
- The Tudors 1485-1603
Paper 2: Depth Study:
- Russia 1917-1953
Coursework: 4500 essay normally based on a topic on leadership within Germany 1871-1990 or a topic spanning 100 year period of the student’s choice. Recent topics have been as diverse as the Civil Rights Movement in the US, the decline of 17th century Spain, China and the Qing dynasty 1815-1905, the late Bronze Age collapse between 1250 BC to 1150 BC.
Literacy and reading is at the very core of the History curriculum. It is implicit in EVERY lesson we teach. For every topic we also set ‘Scholarship Readings’ which encourage students to tackle more complex text in a structured way.
Numeracy is encouraged where possible. For example we have a number of homework tasks which require pupils to analyse and manipulate statistics such as WW1 casualty figures for Cheltenham soldiers.
We try to embed careers by discussing the skills that history as an academic discipline provides and how these relate to real world jobs.
The study of history clearly links to the broader whole school curriculum areas of identity, society, the world around us and skills and future lives. These areas are implicit in everything we teach. Without an understanding of our history it is very unlikely that pupils can really understand their own position in society/identity/ the current political situation etc.
Approaches to Learning and Assessment:
In essence, we are trying to develop highly analytical pupils who are able to assess and evaluate both primary and secondary sources whilst developing their own line of argument. Schemes of work have been discussed and planned by the department around a set of common objectives. These cover both essential knowledge and understanding as well as second order skills such as causation, change and continuity and analysis of interpretations. Assessments are based both on factual recall and longer written answers.
Supporting Individual Students
Pupils with individual needs follow the same curriculum as other pupils by completing similar but more accessible tasks. We believe in scaffolding and structuring work so that it is accessible for all students.
Invite only revision sessions are run at Key Stage 4 and skills specific revision sessions are run for pupils at Key Stage 5.
Lessons are designed to challenge both pupils’ skills and academic knowledge. All of our assessments are very ambitious and aim to challenge the brightest of pupils. Pupils are set challenging homework tasks including academic reading.
We highlight a number of competitions run by various historical bodies such as the Historical Association throughout the year and have had a number of pupils who have gained commendations for their work. We also run a Key Stage 3 History Club and a Sixth Form History Society.
Pupils who are keen readers are encouraged to review the online booklists that have been produced for each key stage and to read widely from our well stocked library.
Each year we have a number of students who aspire to read History or a related subject at university. These students are supported in their applications and those applying for Oxbridge receive additional coaching from the Head of Department.
Extra-Curricular Opportunities
We have a number of ways we enrich the curriculum. On a normal year we would go on a number of annual trips such as:
- Year 7 Goodrich Castle day trip
- Year 8: 3 day Battlefields trip to Belgium and France
- Year 9 :PALS National Archives talk.
- Year 10: Historical site visit
- Year 12/13 – 7 day trip to Berlin and Krakow including Auschwitz (every 2 years)
- Year 12/13 trip to Hampton Court including a historical sources workshop.
We run a ‘History and Archaeology club’ for Key Stage 3 and a Sixth Form History Society which debates a wide variety of historical topics.
In addition, we have provided Sixth Formers the opportunity to go to lectures organised by the Historical Association both in Bristol and Oxford. We have sent one student every year (for the past 3 years) to the Historical Association Great Debate competition at Bristol University – after undertaking internal heats. As and when possible we also encourage external speakers into school to talk to students.
Key Stage 3 Curriculum Map
(click the links below for more information)
Key Stage 4 Curriculum Map
(click the links below for more information)
September – November | November-January | February – April | April-June | |
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Year 10
Germany 1890-1945 |
Unit: 1890-1923 |
June (Y9) – Oct (Y10) | November – February | March-June | |
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Year 10
Health and the People |
Unit: Medicine and Treatments | Public Health through time |
July – October | November – January | February-March | March-May | |
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Year 11
Elizabethan England 1558-1603 |
Unit: Elizabeth’s early life, initial problems, marriage and succession | The Elizabethan Religious Settlement, Mary Queen of Scots and the Catholic and Puritan threats | Unit: Elizabethan exploration, the war with Spain and the Armada | Unit: The Elizabethan “Golden Age” and poverty |
July – October | November – May | |
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Year 11
Cold War in Asia |
Unit: Korean War | Unit: Vietnam War |
Key Stage 5 Curriculum Map
(click the links below for more information)
A2 Module The Tudors 1C | September – May |
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Year 12 | Unit: The early Tudors (Henry VII and Henry VIII) |
Year 13 | Unit: The early Tudors (mid Tudors and Elizabeth I) |