Our History curriculum gives pupils the story of how Britain became the country it is today, and of its place in Europe and the wider world, travelling from 1066 to today across Years 7 and 8. From Year 9, pupils begin a three-year GCSE course that includes units on medicine from 1250 to the present day, the Cold War, early Elizabethan England and Weimar and Nazi Germany. Throughout, we want pupils to become curious, capable and collaborative historians who ask their own questions about the past and want to find out the answers for themselves.
Reading like a historian
Pupils are taught across KS3 and KS4 to read and analyse sources in History, both primary and secondary. Pupils are shown how to draw valid inferences from a source and then how to use various methods to evaluate how valid these inferences are and therefore how useful a source is.
Speaking like a historian
Through modelled phrases and sentence starters like ‘the most important cause was… because…’ and ‘this source is useful for… but limited because…’ pupils are expected to back up every point that they make with evidence and to explain their reasoning out loud. Pupils are taught to use the precise language of the subject, such as cause, consequence, continuity and significance.
Thinking like a historian
History isn’t a list of facts to memorise, so pupils learn to make judgements about the past. They weigh up causes against each other, decide how much really changed over time and what stayed the same, and judge which events and people mattered most. They also come to understand why historians can look at the same evidence and still disagree.
How we teach it
At Key Stage 3, topics run in chronological order so that each period builds on the one before it. Each topic is framed as an enquiry; a question pupils investigate together and answer for themselves such as ‘How did the Normans conquer England?’ Pupils learn to develop five historical skills which are regularly revisited throughout years 7 and 8 so that pupils grow steadily more confident with them.
The GCSE course then runs over three years: Year 9 gives pupils an overview of each of our four topics, Year 10 begins to revisit them in greater depth alongside exam technique, and Year 11 deepens and stretches that understanding further.
Throughout all Key Stages, prior learning is kept secure through recall questions at the start of every lesson as well as regular quizzes on Teams that allow a teacher to identify misconceptions and gaps and correct them.
How we check understanding
Every half term, pupils sit an assessment that looks at their factual recall, chronological understanding and ability to understand and apply the content they have learnt. We also regularly use quizzes and formative assessment lessons to monitor pupil understanding and correct any gaps that emerge. At GCSE, pupils regularly practice exam style questions and then learn how to improve through model answers and through teacher guided assessment. Feedback is provided in the form of Next Step Tasks which give pupils specific guidance on the knowledge or skill they need to develop to make progress.
How we support every learner
All lessons have various levels of scaffolding provided that ensure every pupil can access the curriculum. In class, we regularly model reading of key texts to enable pupils to understand the work they have been given as well as providing guided models for paragraph and essay writing.
What great looks like
Years 7, 8 and 9
Pupils can explain why events happen, what makes something significant and how things have changed or stayed the same over time. They can begin to evaluate these key areas and can also make valid inferences from sources and judge their usefulness. Pupils can also understand historical interpretations and use their own knowledge to comment on them.
Years 10 and 11
Pupils build key chronological knowledge of the four units we study and understand the key developments.
Pupils can fully evaluate sources, judging their usefulness through accuracy and provenance, as well as using their own knowledge to judge various historical interpretations.
Pupils can write structured responses to various questions that explains pupil understanding, using detailed knowledge to support this and can also use this knowledge to evaluate various debates and questions.
Help at home by…
- Asking your child what question they are investigating in History and what their answer is so far, then asking “how do you know?” Pushing them to give evidence is exactly how we want them to think.
- Visiting castles, museums or even a local war memorial together, and asking who built it, when, and why as places like these turn the past into something pupils can see.
- Watching a historical film or documentary together and talking about how it tells the story, including what it might have left out or exaggerated and why.
