-KS3 History

Curriculum

Intent

History at Rainford seeks to explore the concepts of identity, significance, change and continuity, whilst allowing the students to understand their place in the modern world.  Students will develop an understanding of the changing nature of power; of the growing rights of the people and the creation of a multicultural diverse society in Britain and the wider world.  In tandem pupils will explore examples of the capacity for human destruction and creation both locally, nationally and internationally.  We also aim to develop transferable skills that can be used across the curriculum including critical thinking, analytical skills regarding textual and visual sources and extended writing skills.  We seek at every opportunity to develop literacy across the curriculum, providing learners with opportunities to engage in historical reading, extended writing and debate.

Implementation

Within History we have created a curriculum with a myriad of aspects which enable pupils to engage with, and consider, diverse and challenging topics throughout history, allowing students to enhance their understanding of the modern world.  In addition to the creation of an engaging curriculum the History team use a range of innovative and imaginative teaching and learning strategies to stimulate students and foster enthusiasm and passion for the subject.  New schemes of learning cover local, national and international history from c. 1000 to the present day – allowing an understanding of students’ place in the world and the journey to where we are now.

The specialist team within the department will use knowledge organisers, regular reading homework, technology and enrichment opportunities to engage students and to develop their knowledge and understanding.  Staff use stimulating and thought-provoking video, discussion tasks and extended writing tasks which foster enthusiasm for the subject, by promoting the consideration of contrasting interpretations of the past; whilst also preparing students for the written and conceptual demands of further study of History. A 7-year assessment journey will enable students to develop the knowledge and skills required for success in terminal examinations at GCSE and A-Level.

At KS3 the chronological journey allows all students to build up their understanding of the development of Britain and its place in the modern world.   Each lesson embeds the terminology and skills required for success in terminal examinations at GCSE and A-Level.  In addition to formal examinations we will use a range of low-stakes and periodic assessment to embed understanding and develop the application of subject specific skills.  Assessments are coordinated across the department with clear progression and continuity throughout the key stages.

Impact

We want to ensure that students make outstanding progress relative to their starting points and are equipped to access further qualifications.   We want not just academic success but students to have an appreciation and understanding of modern society in Britain and the wider world; to question established thinking and consider others’ opinions.

Students should leave the History department at Rainford with an understanding of the changes and continuity in modern Britain and the wider world, alongside a sense of empathy and understanding of different cultures.  We want students to gain confidence in literacy and expressing their opinions gaining these transferable skills for academic study but also for higher education and the demands of modern employment.

Possible careers and opportunities

Studying History provides pupils with a breadth of transferrable skills that will equip them for a variety of careers in an increasingly competitive jobs market. These skills would be ideal for pupils who are considering careers in the following sectors: archaeology, journalism, education, law enforcement, the military and government.

Facilities

We have four modern and well equipped classrooms dedicated to History in East Block, E106, E107, E109 and E110.

Support

As a department we offer various levels of support to pupils including 1-to-1 intervention, after school revision classes and holiday sessions to prepare pupils for their GCSE examinations. Moreover, all key information resources, knowledge organiser have all been placed on Google Classroom to support your child’s learning.

Extra-Curricular

The History Department offer various opportunities for pupils to pursue their passion for their subject outside of lessons. In the past academic year, pupils have had the opportunity to attend lunchtime ‘Horrible Histories’ club, view and take part in an exhibition in collaboration with the Anne Frank Trust UK and a school trip to the Imperial War Museum North in Salford.

Year 7 Curriculum:

Autumn term

Pupils will spend the first half of the autumn term studying the Norman invasion of England. They will focus specifically upon the succession crisis following the death of Edward the Confessor, the Battle of Stamford Bridge and the Battle of Hastings. In the second half of the autumn term, pupils will study how the Normans consolidated their rule in England. They will focus specifically upon the Harrying of the North, castles, religion and law and order.

Spring term 

Pupils will spend the first half of the spring term studying a number of formative events that occurred in Medieval England from 1200 to 1485. They will focus specifically upon the Magna Carta, the Black Death and the Peasants’ Revolt. In the second half of the spring term, pupils will study the foundation of the Tudor dynasty. They will focus specifically upon the War of the Roses, Henry VII, Henry VIII and the Reformation.

Summer term

Pupils will spend the first half of the summer term studying the Black Tudors and Elizabeth I. They will focus specifically upon evidence of equality and integration within the Tudor period, Mary Queen of Scots, the Spanish Armada and the ‘Golden Age’. Pupils will spend the second half of the summer term studying Charles I and the English Civil War. They will focus specifically upon the personality of King Charles, the ‘Divine Right of the King’, causes of the Civil War and the reasons why King Charles was beheaded.

Assessment

Pupils’ progress will be assessed against departmental progress ladders. Pupils will be assessed formally in our whole school assessment fortnights which occur twice a year. In addition, pupils will be assessed, alongside knowledge recall, in order to develop the core historical skills needed to progress further in the subject in subsequent years.

Resources

To help support pupils’ learning, we have detailed knowledge organisers on each topic taught. To help develop pupils’ vocabulary and encourage a passion for reading, we also set four pieces of reading homework a term which are published on Google Classroom. Further resources are available on Google Classroom.

Year 8 Curriculum:

Autumn term

Pupils will begin Year 8 by studying the impact that the Industrial Revolution had on Britain between 1750 and 1900. They will focus on how people’s lives changed. Students will also study how crime and punishment developed in the Industrial period, with a case study on the crimes of Jack the Ripper. 

Spring term

Pupils will spend the first half of the spring term studying the Transatlantic Slave Trade. They will focus specifically upon European attitudes towards Africa, the triangular trade route, slave auctions and the impact Britain’s involvement in the slave trade had upon the country. In the second half of the spring term, pupils will study the British Empire. They will focus specifically upon prevailing imperial attitudes of the time, colonies and dominions, trade, attitudes towards the British Empire and its legacy.

Summer term

Pupils will spend the first half of the summer term studying aspects of the First World War. They will focus specifically upon long and short term causes of the First World War, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, trench warfare, the Battle of the Somme and the General Haig. Pupils will spend the second half of the summer term studying further aspects of the First World War. They will focus specifically upon censorship, women at war, the Treaty of Versailles and the impact of the First World War on Britain’s position in the world.

Assessment

Pupils’ progress will be assessed against departmental progress ladders. Pupils will be assessed formally in our whole school assessment fortnights which occur twice a year. In addition, pupils will be assessed, alongside knowledge recall, in order to develop the core historical skills needed to progress further in the subject in subsequent years..

Resources

To help support pupils’ learning, we have detailed knowledge organisers on each topic taught. To help develop pupils’ vocabulary and encourage a passion for reading, we also set four pieces of reading homework a term which are published on Google Classroom. Further resources are available on Google Classroom.

Year 9 Curriculum:

Autumn term

Pupils will spend the autumn term studying the Holocaust. They will focus specifically upon Hitler’s rise to power, Anti-Semitism in Germany, Kristallnacht, the Final Solution, the establishment of extermination camps and the Holocaust’s legacy. Students then move on to explore the physical impacts of war on the battlefield and the legacy it leaves on a society, exploring how the allies (Britain, the USSR and the USA) were impacted by WW2

Spring term

Pupils will spend the spring term studying the key events of the Cold War, exploring how the nature of warfare changed after WW2 to one of threats and propaganda. They will focus specifically upon the Yalta Conference, the Truman Doctrine, the division of Berlin, the Hungarian Rising and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Summer term

Pupils will spend the summer term investigating how America became THE global superpower. Students will focus on how America grew from WW1 to have a booming economy and the societal changes that occurred within this. This allows students to make synoptic links across what we have studied from year 8 to year 9. 

Year 7, 8 and 9 Curriculum:

Assessment

Pupils’ progress will be assessed against departmental progress ladders. Pupils will be assessed formally in our whole school assessment windows which occur twice a year. In addition, pupils will be assessed using historical skill-based questions, alongside knowledge recall, in order to develop the core historical skills needed to progress further in the subject in subsequent years