History

DEPARTMENT STAFF

Subject Leader: Mrs. B. Payne

Subject Teacher: Ms. K. Vevers
                                Miss. P. Baah
                                Ms. E. Bisnath
                                Mr. D. McGinty

AIMS

The history department aims to create young historians who understand our shared stories and are curious about how they fit into them.

YEAR 7 CURRICULUM:

In Year 7, students look at England and the Medieval World. Starting with the Norman invasion of 1066, we look at the huge changes that England underwent over the next 400 years. In particular, we focus on the power of the king and the Church and how power is legitimately (or illegitimately) held. Our enquiries include:

  • How much did England change after the Normans?
  • How should we understand the Crusades?
  • How powerful was the medieval Church?

YEAR 8 CURRICULUM:

In Year 8 students will study the history of England, Britain and the British Empire from c1500-c1900. They will study the Tudor monarchs, the English Civil War and the British Empire. Our enquiries include:

  • How much did religion change under the Tudors?
  • Was Charles I to blame for his own downfall?
  • How important were sugar and cotton to Britain and its empire?

YEAR 9 CURRICULUM:

In Year 9 students study the role of conflict in the history of the 20th Century. Students look at the causes of WWI, the changes of the inter-war period, as well as WWII and the Holocaust. Our enquiries include:

  • Was World War One inevitable?
  • Should we blame the American Congress for the start of World War Two?
  • How should we understand the Holocaust?

GCSE CURRICULUM:

In Years 10 and 11 students use Edexcel GCSE History. There are three exams and no coursework. The different subjects are very diverse and students love both deepening their knowledge of familiar figures like Martin Luther King, and learning about less familiar figures such as Yassar Arafat. We study the following:

  • Paper 1 - Migration in Britain c800-present
  • Paper 2 - Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060-1088
  • Paper 2 - Conflict in the Middle-East 1945-1995
  • Paper 3 - The USA, 1954-75: conflict at home and abroad

More information is available here