History

History is an endlessly fascinating and intriguing subject and its study is vital for understanding why the modern world is the way it is. Through a study of the past pupils develop knowledge of people, places, developments and trends over time and an understanding of the processes which bring about change. Through looking at the lives and experiences of people in the past pupils understand the triumphs and challenges of individuals as well as the merits of empathy and resilience. History also teaches pupils a wide range of transferable skills that are vital to many occupations, and to thriving in the modern world, such as critical thinking, analysis and evaluation.

Our Curriculum

The KS3 curriculum has been re-written to broaden and deepen pupils’ understanding of British, European and world history. The curriculum is generally organised chronologically, with pupils in Year 7 first studying a migration of peoples to Britain prior to the Medieval period. Then students focus on Medieval history from 1066 through to the Renaissance, via England’s Medieval monarchs and late-Medieval crises. In Year 8 pupils look at early modern England, the development of the industrial revolution, suff rage, slavery and empire. This leads into Year 9 work on Twentieth Century history including the World Wars, Russian Revolution and the impact of the Holocaust. Overall, the aim is to give pupils a broad experience of different sorts of history, as well as providing those who choose to study the subject at GCSE a firm knowledge base on which to build. At GCSE pupils study five topics: The People’s Health 1250 - 2000, The Elizabethans 1580 - 1603, Framlingham Castle, The Making of America 1789 -1900 and Living Under Nazi Rule. The curriculum is regularly reviewed and currently we are working on modernising its content with a strong emphasis on skills and analysis across all topics.

To view a copy of the History KS2 - 4 Learning Journey click here.

History is taught using a range of written and visual materials. Source analysis and evaluation is an important skill; this is developed throughout KS3 and GCSE. Other aspects of the discipline of history are also taught. For example, pupils are also taught how to structure answers, so that there is an argument, supported with evidence and an explanation of its relevance to the argument. This begins in Year 7, with support and scaffolding, and by the time pupils begin their GCSE course the practice is well-established. Pupils are assisted with this by homework tasks, many of which involve recall tasks that support the long-term knowledge acquisition needed for extended answers. This broadens or deepens their understanding of the topic and enables them to understand why historians write in the way they do.

Pupils are able to immerse themselves in the past in lessons and with homework tasks. Where possible, visits are organised to support this, such as the Year 10 field trip to Framlingham Castle, the Year 9 trip to Imperial War Museum Duxford and others.

To view a copy of the OCR History B (Schools History Project) curriculum click here.

Assessment in History

Pupils’ knowledge and writing is regularly assessed throughout. At KS3 this is usually done at the end of a unit of work. It is more frequent at GCSE. Teachers use their marking to identify gaps in knowledge and understanding and then address misconceptions through their teaching. Feedback is dedicated to adjusting written work and then applying new skills to similar questions on new historical topics. With written work, challenges and barriers are immediately picked up and then worked on in the next piece of work.

▪ Year 7

▪ Year 8

▪ Year 9

The curriculum is monitored in a variety of ways, with both pupils and teachers having a voice. Content is tweaked as required and the effectiveness of assessment, teaching and learning evaluated. Teachers believe whole-heartedly in life-long learning themselves and so seek to develop their own subject knowledge, as history is a subject that is revised and reinterpreted by scholars.