We have a wide and varied curriculum designed to equip students with progressive skills to support success. Students have up to 2 hours a week studying History. These are led by a dynamic and specialist team of teachers. The faculty is enriched with a number of wider opportunities; including a wide range of fieldwork and visits. These are all built into our Schemes of Learning and are very well received by the students. Students make great progress in History and student feedback and attainment reflects this.
Topics covered in History are detailed below
| Unit 1 – How the world was influenced up to 1066 | As pupils first experience of secondary History they will look at the various influences from around the world which led to the development of the Medieval period in Britain and ultimately 1066 which is the subsequent unit of work. Pupils will identify how power changed throughout Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece by learning about the starting point of democracy and how different societies began to develop. They also have an opportunity to identify the significance of the Silk Roads and how this created slavery but also enhanced trade and technology across the world. Following this, pupils also examine the impact of religion on the world and the spread of Islam and Christianity and how this influences the world and particularly Britain up to 1066. |
| Unit 2 - Battle of Hastings and 1066 | This topic builds the foundations of students understanding of History from one of the most infamous dates in British History. Students will begin by identifying the problem of succession in 1066, followed by a debate around who should take over as King. Following this, they will then explore the Battle of Stamford Bridge and the Battle of Hastings to uncover what happened at these events and evaluate how William won the English crown. At the end of this unit pupils will study the significance of 1066 and how it impacted on British History post-1066 and how it changed the way in which Britain was ruled by William the Conqueror. |
| Unit 3 – Life in Medieval England | This topic follows the previous unit chronologically and examines what life was like for varying people in Medieval England, following 1066. Pupils will explore the different elements of life in the Middle Ages such as living conditions, medicine, the influence of religion, and the monarchy. Students will also consider the diversity between the groups of people in the Middle Ages and how wealth impacted upon lifestyle, for example, noblemen and peasants. Finally, students will examine a case study about the Black Death, considering how it was spread, how people at the time believed it was caused and ultimately to be treated. |
| Unit 4 – Power – Monarchy v Church | This topic allows pupils to look at the balance of power between the Church and the Monarch which is a reoccurring theme throughout History. They will analyse whether the Monarchy or the Church had the most power during the Middle Ages, examining evidence from examples such as Thomas Becket and the short-term and long-term impact of the Magna Carta on democracy and consider how it changed the power of the Monarchy. Building on these themes, students will also study the religious and political causes of the Crusades whilst investigating how the different groups interpreted the importance of Jerusalem, and the significance behind the events. |
| Unit 5 – Tudor England | Within this topic, pupils will be able to consider change and continuity when moving into the Renaissance time period from the Medieval period in relation to power, the Church and the Monarchy. It will include a focus on examining religion during the Tudors – considering the significance of Henry VIII’s Reformation of the Church and Elizabeth’s Middle Way religious compromise. Students will then be able to evaluate the significance of events within Tudor England and explore how the various Monarchs shaped England which underpins the further challenges to the Monarchy in Britain. |
| Unit 1 – James I and the Gunpowder Plot | This topic continues pupil’s chronological journey through British History and the Monarchy and begins to explore the succession issues following Elizabeth I and consider the creation of the United Kingdom with the developing relationship between England and Scotland. Pupils then develop their knowledge of the religious factors within History to explore the reasons behind the Gunpowder Plot. This builds on the challenges of power and factors of religion which continued to affect Britain. Students also begin to develop their own historical interpretations further to assess whether the Gunpowder Plot was a conspiracy or a legitimate threat to a Protestant King. |
| Unit 2 – English Civil War | This topic allows students to advance their understanding of concepts of power and examine the consequences of the power of people when confronted with a tyrannical Monarch. Pupils will analyse the causes of the English Civil War as well as the events and the longer-term consequences. Pupils will also study interpretations of Cromwell and consider the differing viewpoints of his reign as Lord Protector, followed by England’s Glorious Revolution and investigate how this has impacted our lives today. |
| Unit 3 – The British Empire and Slavery | Students explore the ideas behind the development of the British Empire and how it both helped and hindered Britain and other countries around the world. Pupils will evaluate the varying impact which Britain had around the world and the differing interpretations of the British Empire. Pupils then examine the Transatlantic Slave Trade through sources to analyse the immediate and longer-term impact on individuals and society. This then leads to a contemporary understanding of the legacy of slavery across the USA, the Civil Rights Movement and linking to ongoing issues in the news today. |
| Unit 4 – The Industrial Revolution and Jack the Ripper | This unit focuses on change and explores a technological revolution and the consequences of this within Britain and the wider world. Pupils will be encouraged to link the causes of the Industrial Revolution to the beginnings of the British Empire and significant modern events, allowing students to see these developments within the wider context of History. Students will analyse the various changes and consider the impact which the Industrial Revolution had on living and working conditions for many different groups of people. Pupils will then use this knowledge to investigate the murders of Jack the Ripper and how this was influenced by the effects of the Industrial Revolution. |
| Unit 1 - Women’s freedom in the 20th Century | Following studying the developments of Britain up to 1900, students will then consider how Britain changed to become more democratic and specifically how this impacted upon the perception of women. Pupils will explore this through the use of sources, interpretations and gaining new knowledge about Suffrage in Britain throughout the 20th Century. Specifically, they will focus on the Suffragette and Suffragist groups and the wider impact of these and a deeper and more modern focus on the impact of women on 20th century politics, science and progress. |
| Unit 2 – The First World War | In this first unit of year 9 students will begin to consider the causes, events, and consequences of war and conflict throughout the 20th Century. This begins with studying the short-term and long-term causes of the First World War and then considers British soldier’s experiences on the Western Front. Pupils will also analyse the experiences of soldiers from the Empire but also take into consideration how the war ends with the Treaty of Versailles and the long-term implications this had for other countries such as Russia and Germany. |
| Unit 3 – The Rise of Nazi Germany | Through this unit pupils will continue their journey through the major events in the first half of the 20th century by looking at how the First World War impacted across the world, specifically with the Rise of Hitler in Nazi Germany. Pupils will examine the political chaos which followed the First World War in Germany with the impact of the Treaty of Versailles and the Great Depression. This will allow pupils to analyse why people voted for Hitler to become Chancellor in Germany and then continue to evaluate what life was like in Nazi Germany. |
| Unit 4 – The Holocaust | In this unit students will explore the events of the Holocaust in-depth and examine the different stages of the Holocaust in Europe which eventually led to mass genocide. Pupils will study the various groups of people who were persecuted against and evaluate how this progressed from stereotyping to a physical division and finally on to concentration camps and systematic genocide. Pupils will also look at the future implications for this through the United Nations and consider what it can teach us as a human race. |
| Unit 5 – The Second World War | Pupils will consider the events of the Second World War and be able to compare the causes and nature of warfare to the First World War which they previously studied. They will also examine the leadership of Winston Churchill, analyse the impact of Total War on the home front and evaluate the overall effect on Britain from fighting a second major war in a century. Pupils will then consider how the Second World War was a worldwide turning point in warfare which changed the nature of conflict in the long-term. |
| Unit 1 - Medicine in Britain 1250-present | This first unit for GCSE is a thematic study which provides students with the opportunity to understand change and continuity across a long period of History in Britain beginning with the Medieval period and ending with the modern day. Students will examine the causes, treatments and prevention of diseases over time by considering the significance of the time periods, the individuals and the various factors which influenced Medicine. They will focus on big areas such as the Black Death, the Plague, the introduction of the NHS and the discovery of DNA and explore how these events have influenced Medicine. This unit allows students to analyse the bigger picture of medicine and make comparisons between the different periods of History. In this unit students will also complete a depth-study on the historic environment of medicine in the Western Front trenches during the First World War. Pupils will also begin to see how medical advancements changed how people could care for soldiers and use sources to evidence their own knowledge. |
| Unit 2 - Elizabethan England 1558-1588 | The second unit students study at GCSE is their British Depth Study which is focused around Elizabeth I and how she ruled, the challenges she faced and how society developed during her reign. The unit focuses on a shorter time span than the first unit to give pupils the time to comprehend the complexity of society, Elizabeth’s challenges and the divisive issue of religion. This unit gives pupils the chance to build on their learning at Key Stage 3 with their prior knowledge of Tudors, concepts of power and the problems with religion during the 16th century. Therefore, students will examine features of Elizabeth’s reign such as the issues of succession, the Spanish Armada and the voyages of discovery during this period. |
| Unit 1 - The American West 1835-1895 | Unit 3 of the GCSE curriculum is focused on the American West. It is focused over a smaller time span of 60 years so that pupils can see the developments over time and make connections of cause and consequence clearly. The unit looks at the early settlement of the West analysing the Plains Indians way of life, the encouragement of migration and any conflict and tensions which arose in the early settlement. Students will then examine the developments of the Plains and the consequences of this for the Plains Indians alongside the changes in farming and the cattle industry. Finally, students will then analyse how the life for the Plains Indians were destroyed and the conflict and tension resulting from this, therefore developing their understanding of change as well as cause and consequence. |
| Unit 2 - Weimar and Nazi Germany 1918-1939 | Germany developed a democracy known as the Weimar Republic. They will then analyse the various events of the 1920s which led to the Rise of Hitler and Nazi Germany which is designed to build on their learning from Key Stage 3. Students will then continue chronologically and explore what life was like in Nazi Germany including how people were controlled, how people tried to oppose the Nazis and how the Nazis influenced all areas of life such as education and work. Students will then use their knowledge to apply this to be able to analyse sources and interpretations from the time and beyond in order to create full judgements and demonstrate their understanding of the topic. |
Learning Journey
For more information about History in the Curriculum contact Stacey Thornton sthornton@roundhill.bepschools.org
