Curriculum Mission Statement

History teaches us about the world in which we live today, who we are, where we come from and asks why? It is the memories of the past that provide a sense of identity, culture and a sense of the community we live in. History is a challenging & interesting subject which deals with big issues like power, discrimination and war. It can inspire students’ curiosity about the past in Britain and around the world. Through the study of History students are able to comprehend and understand the enormity of past events and the influence it has on their lives in modern-day Britain. It helps them to see, and respect, diversity and to understand more about themselves and the impact they can have on society. Students have the opportunity to use knowledge of historic events to influence their personal choices, attitudes and values they hold. History allows students to learn from past events, to ensure that past mistakes are used positively to improve society, but also to draw inspiration from those who have had a positive impact around the world.

Progression | Further/Higher Education and Careers

Jobs directly related to History include:

• Heritage manager
• Historic buildings inspector or conservation officer
• Museum education officer
• Museum or gallery curator
• Museum or gallery exhibitions officer
• Secondary school teacher

Jobs where History would be useful include:

• Academic librarian
• Archaeologist
• Archivist
• Broadcast journalist
• Civil Service administrator
• Editorial assistant
• Information officer
• PPC specialist
• Politician’s assistant
• Solicitor

Curriculum/Course Overview

How the subject supports pupils in making progress

In History, we want to ensure our pupils make as much progress as possible toward achieving their targets and fulfilling their potential. We therefore provide the following support:

• Intervention sessions aimed at KS4 students to offer support and to address areas for development.
• Weekly revision sessions for Year 11 students throughout the year to help support revision.
• Providing individual feedback specific to the needs of each pupil to ensure they are aware of the steps they must take to develop their skills and knowledge.
• Regular and challenging homework to consolidate and extend learning, communicated to parents/carers using ‘Show My Homework’
• Half-termly action plans to identify any pupils performing below expectations and implementing measures to support them in bridging any knowledge gaps and addressing misconceptions
• Evaluation of individual pupils and any ‘barriers to progress’ with action plans to overcome these

Assessment & Feedback

At Key Stage 3, pupils are measured against ‘age expectations’ meaning that a set of expectations is established in Year 7 that we would like all Year 7 pupils to be able to demonstrate, if they are to be on-track to achieve a good grade by GCSE. The level of expectation then increases appropriately in Year 8. Pupils will either be working ‘toward’, ‘at’ or ‘greater than’ their age expected level. Please click here for the History Age Expected Levels

In History, at both KS3 and KS4, pupils are given regular extended writing exam questions based on the new GCSE specification to practice their exam writing skills. Students also complete an ‘end of topic’ assessment in which they are tasked with demonstrating the skills developed throughout the unit of study they’ve just completed. Teachers then provide individual feedback on the work produced and give the pupils the opportunity to respond to the feedback, addressing misconceptions and deepening their understanding of the topic.

Staffing

Mrs L. Southwick  – Subject Leader

Miss E. Temple – Teach First (History)

Useful Links

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/

• http://www.historyonthenet.com/

• www.showmyhomework.co.uk