History

Key Stage 3

History students at Key Stage 3 are able to experience oy the richness and diversity of British and world history from the Iron Age to the end of the Cold War. Students gain a knowledge of the history of our island and why our history has been shaped in the way it has. Students will also gain an understanding of pan-European and worldwide trends and ideologies, together with key turning points and a foundation in understanding differences between political systems.

Year 7
Year 7 historians begin an exciting journey through the past, beginning with the very first Wottonians of the Iron Age, gaining knowledge of the major turning points of the Medieval Era, together with the complex religious Reformation of the Tudor dynasty. Year 7s will begin to embed key historical skills begun in KS1 and 2 and become proficient in handling and evaluating sources, understanding chronology, constructing supported judgements together with a writing about causation, change, continuity and consequences.

Year 8
Year 8 historians will challenge the world in which they live through a reflective investigation of the Stuart Era and the Revolutions of the Industrial period. Year 8s will gain knowledge of how events like the Gunpowder Plot, the English Civil War, the Glorious Revolution, Empire and the transatlantic Slave Trade have shaped the history of our island and the wider world. Year 8s will add further to their skill set through an understanding of how and why historical interpretations are formulated.

Year 9
Year 9 historians will gain knowledge on the key turning points of the 20th century to enable them to consider the patterns of change and consequence and the impact of these turning on their current lives and their future lives. Year 9 will ask questions of war, society, politics, the economy, human rights and representation in the 20th century. Key topics include the First and Second World Wars, together with the Cold War era. Year 9s will add further to their skill set by extending their abilities to write an extended explanation using PEEL and continue to improve source evaluation skills through the use of the source technique, QOPE.
House competitions for Yr 7: Minecraft castle building competition and general knowledge quiz. Yr 8: The British Kings and Queens challenge. Yr 9: The famous people from history challenge.

Key Stage 4

GCSE historians approach their studies with ambition and enjoyment in order to achieve success. They build resilience as they move through the course, becoming well-rounded students with a solid grounding in political, social and economic systems/movements/events over the last 1000 years. Specific knowledge will be gained in International Relations 1919-1975 including the key debates of what historians have proposed about whether appeasement was the right choice and who caused of the Cold War. Learners will also have a solid grasp of the impact of migration on Britain and how the period 1688-1730 was a turning point in the creation of the British Empire. Learners will also gain a detailed knowledge of the USA 1919-1948 (a depth study). Skills are developed throughout the course including understanding interpretations, handling sources, constructing detailed PEEL paragraphs and the ability to supporting a point fully.
GCSE students have 5 lessons of History per fortnight and the OCR History A: Explaining the Modern World History unit J410 has the following options:

  • Component 1: International Relations 1918-1975 with The USA 1919-1948
  • Component 2: Migration to Britain c.1000 to c.2001
  • Component 3: The Impact of Empire on Britain 1688- c.1730 with Urban Environments (Spitalfields)

A GCSE trip to Spitalfields is available. This is a walking tour of the district of London.

Key Stage 5

A level historians will build upon the progress that they made at GCSE in terms of their knowledge and skills. They develop skills of independence and project management which they will need if they move on to higher education settings. Specific knowledge and skills gained will give any learner the background knowledge and skills they will require to embark upon a history related undergraduate degree. Skills include source and interpretation responses, researching and writing an historical investigation, plus the ability to write various different essay responses including thematic essays making judgements across a period of time of more than 100 years. The 3 specific units that are taught are the Early Tudors 1485-1558 (English history unit), Germany 1919-1963 (Non-British history unit) and US Civil Rights 1865-1992 (A thematic history unit).

A level students have 9 lessons of History per fortnight. The department teaches the following OCR modules H505:

Year 12 Modules

  • The Early Tudors 1485 – 1558
  • Dictatorship and Democracy in Germany 1919–63

Year 13 Modules

  • US Civil Rights 1865-1992 (Historical Themes)
  • Historical Investigations (coursework)
Enrichment
  • The department runs the History Mystery Detective Club for Year 9 pupils.
  • A Sixth Form trip has run once every two years. Previous trips have visited Krakow and Berlin.
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