History

Year

Topic(s)

Why this? Why now?

Year 7

How did the Normans change England?

How powerful were medieval kings?

The study of Norman rule in England explains how England moved from an Anglo-Saxon society to a Norman, feudal system. It also shows how castles and other key features of the English landscape were created.

The medieval kings unit follows the successors to the Normans and show how the power of the English kings was challenged by the Church, the Nobles and the people at various times during the Middle Ages. This will then allow us to explore how the relationships between King, Parliament and the people continued to change during the Tudor and Stuart periods. The units will focus on the key concepts of kingship, aristocracy and the power of the Church

Year 8

How did Britain move towards being a true democracy during the 1800 and 1900’s?

Why was World War One such as significant event?

The second unit will link backwards to the social problems of the Industrial revolution and connect these changes to a desire for political reform. This will then lead to a study of the struggle of the Women’s Suffrage movement, looking at their campaigns and methods.  The unit will explain importance concepts of democracy, Suffrage, political reform and equality and underpin later studies of dictatorship and political oppression. This allows students the ability to discuss and engage in key issues in modern Britain. It will also foreshadow the World War One unit of work.

Students will study the outbreak of World War One, including its longer and shorter-term consequences. This will continue into the summer term where students will look at the events
of the war, as well as how the war shaped the World after 1918. Students will evaluate sources and explore the impact that the Empire had on the war.

Year 9

Who should be held most accountable for the Holocaust?
 

Why was the Cold War such a dangerous period for the World?

Students will then focus on a thematic study of the genocide in the 20^th Century, using the Holocaust as a case study. This unit will trace the History of antisemitism, exploring issues of persecution and prejudice and allow students to make judgements about the role of key groups within the Holocaust.

Students will also begin the study of the Cold War. This will lead on from previous work on WWII and reintroduce themes of Communism and democracy. Students will be able to explain the causes of the Cold War.

Year 10

Medicine Through Time: Medicine in the era 1900-Present.

 

Study of the Historic Environment: Western Front in WWI

 

Weimar and Nazi Germany 1918 – 1939

Students will complete the thematic unit of Medicine through Time, ending with the development and advances in modern medicine. Students will then be able to judge change and continuity (and the reasons for it) across a broad period of time.
 

The last part of Medicine through Time is through exploring the context of the Western Front and the development of medicine during WWI. This explores issues of key individuals, technologies and extensively develops the source skills of students.
 

Students will study the legacy of the First World War, building on what they learned in Year 9 and developing their understanding of how Germany was affected. Students will use sources and evaluate interpretations about the challenges and recovery of the Weimar Republic in 1919-29.

Year 11

The Cold War

 

Henry VIII and his ministers.

The Cold War unit will be continued and completed. The first topic is to explore the origins of the tensions between the superpowers after WWII. The unit 2 then focusses on three key crisis points during the Cold War. Unit 3 culminates in a study of Détente and the eventual collapse of Communism during the Gorbachev era.
 

Students will complete their GCSE studies with Henry VIII and his ministers. They will explore the rise and fall of Cardinal Wolsey as well as Henry’s Great Matter. The role of Thomas Cromwell in achieving the Annulment and introducing the English Reformation will also be studied. Finally, Cromwell’s fall from power will be assessed.