History

The aim of History is to help students learn about the significant people and events of the past.  They will learn to make connections between different areas and develop their historical understanding.

Within the History curriculum students will have access to learning resources including text books, videos & DVDs, the use of ICT and opportunities to carry out investigations outside of school.  Students will investigate a wide range of people, places and events.  They will explore events that have shaped our history, looking at the people, policies and alliances involved and asking whether if lessons can be learnt from the past.  Students will be encouraged to develop their enquiry skills and will complete research projects.

Thematic units of work on:

Year 7	The Norman conquest; power and politics	The Reformation and the Tudors. An inquiry of the impact of significant individuals on continuity and change	Protest over time. From the Harrying of the North to the Toxteth Riots. A study of causes and consequences	History mysteries. Case studies: Princes in the towers Jack the Ripper. How do historians use sources to reach conclusions?
Year 8	Black people of the Americas. A social history	Women and the vote in the UK. The impact of the Suffragettes	War over time, a thematic study of how wars have been fought	Modern conspiracy theories: from the moon landings to the twin towers

The history department follows the AQA syllabus. This includes two British studies and two world studies. For our British studies we look at medicine through time, from the medieval period to present day. We look at the impact of significant individuals and how they helped to shape the development of medicine. We also examine factors such as war, government and chance that have an impact on continuity and change with in medicine. Our second British study will be a depth study into how Elizabeth I has shaped this country. This will also include a study of the historical environment.

For our world studies we will examine the causes and consequences of World War I. In this unit students will also be taught the importance of narrative accounts within history. Our second world study is Democracy and Dictatorship in Germany 1918-1945, where students will examine sources for their interpretations. We will also consider the significance of key events and their impact on German society and politics.

Year 9	The Kaiser’s Germany	The Weimar Republic	Hitler’s Germany	Medieval Medicine	Renaissance Medicine
Year 10	Industrial Age and Modern Medicine	Causes of WWI The situation before 1918	Triggers and impact of WW1	The US enters the war and its conclusion	Elizabeth’s court and Parliament
Year 11	Life in Elizabethan times 1568-1603	The Historic Environment Elizabethan country hoses	Elizabeth I, troubles at home and abroad	Germany and WW1	Medicine over time and Elizabeth

At A-level the department continues to follow the AQA syllabus allowing students to further develop skills gained at GCSE. Students will be expected to complete essays that assess historical debate by applying knowledge. They must take a clear line of argument while evaluating both sides and reach substantiated judgments.  Students will also be expected to examine historical sources for their value and validity of interpretation. The topics we cover are The Making of Modern Britain 1951-2007 and Russia and its Rulers. There is also a Non Examined Unit which requires students to develop their research skills on a topic of their choosing which must address a historical debate that covers a 100 years.

Unit 1: Tsarist and Communist Russia 1855 – 1964

Year 12	Autocracy and the rule of the Tsars	Serfdom and the demands for change and reform	The challenge to autocracy (Liberal and Socialist opposition)	Russia at war, the revolutions and the establishment of Bolshevik government
Year 13	The emergence of Communist dictatorship and consolidation of authority	Leninist and Stalinist Society and the use of terror.	The Stalinist dictatorship and the USSR in wartime	The rise and fall of Khrushchev – The state of the USSR in 1964

Unit 2: The Making of Modern Britain 1951-2007

Year 12	The Conservative Government and the affluent society 1951-64	The 60’s. The Wilson Labour Government	The end of post war consensus 1970-79 from Heath to Callaghan
Year 13	The Impact of Thatcherism, 1979-87	Towards a new consensus: Major and the realignment of Labour. 1987-1997	The era of new Labour 1997-2007