History

Curriculum intent

Principles and Purpose of the History Curriculum

‘We study history to learn about the past by exploring diverse people and places from different periods.’

The purpose of the history curriculum is to help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. We want to inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past and learn to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, assess arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. Studying history will help students to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time.

Entitlement

All pupils will study a broad range of content from the past 1000 years, they will access a range of evidence and historical scholarship through their enquiries.

Coherence

Our curriculum is chronologically sequenced with a focus on period, place, and people, which deliberately builds on and develops conceptual and disciplinary knowledge.

Mastery

We want our pupils to be able to link new knowledge to previously taught content and understand the different ways they connect.

Representation

All pupils will encounter a curriculum in which they can see themselves whilst offering a range of diverse experiences that provide the opportunity to broaden their knowledge.

Education with character

Through the curriculum, pupils are given many opportunities to debate historical controversy and to share and reflect on a range of topics. Within their school and local communities, there are moments for students to extend their learning beyond the classroom, such as remembrance and commemoration of significant events.

KS3 Curriculum

The diagram on the following page sets out the route that we expect pupils to take through our curriculum. It shows that the curriculum is chronologically sequenced, with Year 7 grounded in the medieval period before moving to the European Renaissance. This is developed in Year 8, exploring the Renaissance in England, before moving on to the Industrial period. Year 9 then zooms in on the 20th century, or the modern period. Within each period there are opportunities to explore a variety of places, locally, nationally, and globally, whilst hearing from a range of diverse voices that consider different experiences. There are 6 units in each year with some more substantive. Each unit includes an overarching, or central, enquiry question that will provide the core knowledge for our summative assessment. Each enquiry has a secondary concept at its core, such as cause and consequence; change and continuity; significance, similarity, and difference; and historical interpretation.

KS4 Curriculum

At Key Stage 4 pupils are on an academic pathway to develop their disciplinary knowledge and deepen their substantive knowledge across four key units of an exam specification.

GCSE History is a writing based subject, requiring skills of analysis, evaluation, and interpretation.

Students will learn through rigorous practising of essay and source analysis skills.

Course information:

Exam board: Edexcel

Year 10 Term 1: Paper 1 - Medicine Through Time, c1250 to the present

Year 10 Term 2: Paper 3 - Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1919-1939

Year 10 Term 3: Paper 2 - Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-1991

Year 11 Term 1: Paper 2 - Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-1991

Year 11 Term 2: Paper 2 - Henry VIII and his Ministers, 1509-1547

Paper 1 – Written examination: 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Paper 2 – Written examination: 1 hour and 50 minutes.

Paper 3 – Written examination: 1 hours and 30 minutes.

GCSE History is assessed through four assessment objectives:

AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the key features and characteristics of the periods studied (35%).

AO2: Explain and analyse historical events and periods studied using secondorder1 historical concepts (35%).

AO3: Analyse, evaluate and use sources (contemporary to the period) to make substantiated judgements, in the context of historical events studied (15%).

AO4: Analyse, evaluate and make substantiated judgements about interpretations (including how and why interpretations may differ) in the context of historical events studied (15%).

Careers linking to the subject

History is one of the Russell Group Universities' 'facilitating' subjects — so-called because choosing them at A-level allows a wide range of options for degree study. One of the most flexible of qualifications, history provides an excellent pathway to degrees such as history, law, English and philosophy, and beyond that to a range of interesting careers that include law, public relations, politics, journalism, teaching, media research and the civil services.

Key Contact

Sindy Paul

Director of Learning - Humanities

Sindy.Paul@heathlaneacademy.org.uk