Curriculum Intent 

Through teaching history, I intend that pupils will: increase their factual knowledge of British history from the ninth century onwards (which will always stand them in good stead from pub quizzes to University Challenge); have fun; and use and develop their powers of empathy and critical thinking.

Curriculum Map

Curriculum Justification

Our Key Stage Three History Curriculum will explore the political and social development of our nation in some depth, and tackle three key concepts of particular relevance in our current climate: the separation of church and state; the development of our constitution; and the gradual accretion of our rights over the centuries.

Pupils have often requested that we investigate the historical causes of current events. Recently, we have studied the roots of the current crises in Ukraine and Russia, and the historical context of the ongoing Palestine : Israel conflicts.

In Key Stage Four students follow the AQA GCSE syllabus, from which the following four units have been chosen.

The USA 1840 – 1895, Expansion and Consolidation: chosen so as not to repeat prior learning and instead to raise pupils’ geographical and political awareness of Britain’s key ally, currently the most powerful and… interesting… nation on Earth.

Conflict in Asia 1950-75: chosen to raise pupils’ geographical and political awareness of an increasingly relevant part of the world, including the Korean Peninsula, China, Taiwan, and Viet Nam.

Britain: empires, migration and the People 1170-Present: this unit provides to explore the fascinating extent to which Britain is a mongrel nation. Who invaded us, whom we invaded, where did it all lead? We’re here and it’s now.

Normans 1066-1100: chosen for the valuable opportunity it provides to revisit, consolidate and embed the first topic studied in Key Stage Three, thereby emphasising the scale of the learning journey that has occurred, and to link forward to the medieval religiosity and papal ambition of the A-level’s Age of the Crusades unit.

Reading and Vocabulary

Reading from sources is a key skill in historical investigation. Whatever era is studied, pupils will come across new words with unexpected and specific meanings. Pupils come to understand these meanings through a variety of activities including, but not limited to: games like Key Word Bingo and Shouty Farmers; etymological investigations; examples and counter-examples; and modelling. Many students have enjoyed reading the Old English of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, especially concerning The Lindisfarne Raid and the Battle of Chippenham.

British Values

Through their absence and their presence, these ideas crop up repeatedly throughout history. Here are some examples of where pupils will see British Values in action – and more often, unfortunately, the costs of their being disregarded.

Democracy – the Fifteenth Amendment; the USSR’s choice to boycott the UN in 1950; Brexit

The rule of law – Laws of William the Conqueror; St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre

Individual liberty – indentured servitude; the abolition of the Atlantic Slave Trade; decolonisation

Mutual respect – The creation of The Danelaw; post-WWII migration into Britain; The European Union

Careers relevant to this subject

Studying history can lead to a great number of excellent careers as diverse as the media, government, heritage organisations, conservation, teaching, archives, museums and galleries, the police and law. Artificial intelligence may be able to conjure up historical facts (and might even do it accurately one day – don’t hold your breath) but only a real person with solid knowledge and understanding of facts and processes will be able to make useful and entertaining contributions to society.