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History

History

Subject leader: Mr Andrew Harrison

“We aim to develop deeper applied learning through the use of REAL in our lessons. We aim for our students to become critical thinkers, able to recognise and understand the complexity of the historical world, and by extension, the world around them. Students should understand that the past is constructed and contested and should be able to form an opinion on this. A chronological framework of history built around key substantive concepts should enable them to contextualise any new knowledge they acquire.  Students should be able to use these historical skills to become analytical citizens and flexible thinkers, able to apply these historical skills in different contexts.”

By the end of KS3, students should

  1. Know and understand the history of Britain as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day.
  2. Know how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world.
  3. Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind.

By the end of KS4, students should

  1. Have developed and extended their knowledge and understanding of specified key events, periods and societies in local, British, and wider world history; and of the wide diversity of human experience.
  2. Have developed their understanding of the interconnectivity of events, times and places across history.

Content

Year 7 Topics: Migration to the UK, The Norman Conquest, the Black Death, the English Civil War, the Islamic Empire, the British Empire.

Year 8 Topics: Benin Empire, Slavery, the Industrial Revolution, the story of the vote (suffragettes), 20th Century wars and the Holocaust, the Making of Modern Britain.

Assessment

There is a very robust assessment programme in place for Key Stage 3. Pupils complete an assessed piece of work once a half-term.  Assessments are marked and awarded a level. Pupils to reflect upon and use a boost task to improve their skills for the next assessment.

Once a year pupils will complete a full assessment which will test their understanding of all the topics covered over the course of the full year.

Homework

Homework is set once per short term. Pupils and parents can access this from home through Satchel. Pupils will also record that homework has been set and the due date in their planners. A choice of homework will be offered. Each short term students should complete:

  • One Independent learning task from the sheet they have in their books
  • The reading homework which is issued every short term

How Parents and Carers Can Support

  • Encourage your child to ask teachers for help if there are any difficulties
  • Check that homework is being done
  • Help your child understand keywords
  • Check spellings
  • Help your child research topics when needed
  • Help prepare revision resources and tests to check understanding
  • Encourage the use of any additional resources for information, for example the library, the Internet etc
  • Encourage your child to attend any after school revision

Additional Support Available/Useful Links

Year 7 (All Folens)

Invasion, Plague and Murder – Britain 1066-1485 (ISBN 9781850083443)

Renaissance, Revolution and Reformation – Britain 1485-1750 (ISBN 9781850083450)

Year 8 (All Folens)

Industry, Reform and Empire – Britain 1750-1900 (ISBN 9781850083467)

Technology, War and Identities – A World Study After 1900 (ISBN 9781850083474)

Websites

Reading List

  • Bawden, Nina: Carrie’s war
  • Branford, Henrietta: Fire, bed and bone
  • Edwards, Dorothy: A strong and willing girl
  • Morpurgo, Michael: War horse
  • Paulsen, Gary: Nightjohn
  • Toksvig, Sandi: Hitler’s canary

Exam Board and syllabus code

Edexcel GCSE History

Content

The new History GCSE will involve 2 papers that pupils will sit at the end of the course in Year 11.  There is no coursework or controlled assessment for GCSE History.

Paper 1: Medicine in Britain 1250 - present

Section A – Period study

Paper 2: The Norman Conquest. The American West

Paper 3: Weimar and Nazi Germany

Assessment

Pupils will be assessed on an ongoing basis using GCSE style questions. They will be more formally assessed using mock exams at regular points throughout the GCSE process

Homework

Once every two weeks students should complete:

  • One independent Learning task from the sheet in their book

Once every short term

  • The reading task which will be issued by the teacher

How Parents and Carers Can Support

  • Encourage your child to ask teachers for help if there are any difficulties.
  • Check that homework is being done.
  • Help your child understand key words.
  • Check spellings.
  • Help your child research topics when needed.
  • Help prepare revision resources and tests to check understanding.
  • Encourage the use of any additional resources for information, for example the library, the Internet etc

Additional Support Available/Useful Links

Websites

Textbooks - Revision Books

  • Oxford AQA GCSE History: Britain: Health and the People c1000-Present Day Revision Guide (9 – 1) ISBN 9780198422952
  • Oxford AQA GCSE History: Elizabethan England c1568-1603 Revision Guide (9-1) ISBN 9780198422938