Overview

Our carefully sequenced Key Stage 3 History curriculum is designed to provide all students with a broad and secure understanding of key aspects of British and world history from 1066 to the present day. Through the study of significant events, individuals and developments, students gain an appreciation of the processes that have shaped the modern world, exploring history through local, national and international perspectives. The curriculum also develops the knowledge, skills and curiosity necessary for successful progression to GCSE History and further study beyond.

Recent discussions surrounding secondary history education have rightly emphasised the importance of maintaining the academic rigour and integrity of the discipline. In response, our Year 7 and Year 8 curriculum follows a clear chronological framework, enabling students to develop a strong sense of chronology—one of the fundamental concepts of historical understanding. This approach helps students to recognise continuity and change over time, establish connections between historical periods, and place events within a broader historical context.

In Year 9, students engage with a bespoke curriculum centred on the theme of Protest in the Twentieth Century. Through six diverse case studies drawn from Britain, the United States and South Africa, students explore how individuals and groups have campaigned for change. The course examines a range of issues, including gender equality, racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, democracy, trade unionism and environmental activism. As far as we are aware, this unique programme of study is distinctive to our school.

With its explicit focus on human rights, democracy, tolerance and environmental responsibility, the curriculum makes a significant contribution to students’ wider personal development and citizenship education. It also supports the promotion of fundamental British values, helping students to become informed, thoughtful and engaged members of society.

 

 

 

 

Autumn Term

Content and Skills

1.The Norman Conquest, c1066 – 1087.

2.Life in Medieval England, c1087 – 1485

Examining Norman control of England and what life was like in medieval England.

How is it assessed?

 In the first Year 7 Assessment in October.

There will be three elements in that assessment:

1.Facts test (questions drawn from the Knowledge Organisers).

2.Annotation of image sources, demonstrating knowledge.

3.Extended writing question.

Spring Term

Content and Skills

1.Tudor England,1485 – 1603

2.Stuart Period, 1603 – 1714.

Examining early modern English history, under the Tudor and Suart dynasties.

How is it assessed?

In the end of year exam (see below).

Summer Term

Content and Skills

1.Britain’s role in the Transatlantic slave trade, c1560 – c1830.

2.British Empire, c1550 – c1900.

Examining the rise (and impact) of the British Empire, with an explicit focus on the slave trade.

How is it assessed?

End of year exam at the end of May

There will be three elements in the assessment:

1.Facts test (questions drawn from the Knowledge Organisers)

2.Annotation of image sources, demonstrating knowledge.

3.Extended writing question.

Autumn Term

Content and Skills

1.The Industrial Revolution and Victorian England, c1760 – c1900.

2.The Era of the First World War, c1900 – 1918.

Examining the Industrial Revolution and the early years of the Twentieth Century, including the First World War.

How is it assessed?

 In the first Year 8 Assessment in November.

There will be three elements to the assessment:

 

1.Facts test (questions drawn from the Knowledge Organisers)

2.Annotation of image sources, demonstrating knowledge.

3.Extended writing question.

Spring Term

Content and Skills

1.Consequences of the First World War, c1917 – 1919.

2.Inter-war years, 1918 – 1939.

Examining the consequences of the First World War with specific focus on Germany and Russia.

How is it assessed?

This knowledge will be tested in the end of year exam (see below).

Summer Term

Content and Skills

1.Second World War 1939 – 1945.

2.The Jewish Experience and the Holocaust, 1933 – 1945.

Examining the key events and turning points of the Second World War, including a specific study of the Holocaust.

How is it assessed?

End of year exam in early June

There will be three elements in the assessment:

1.Facts test (questions drawn from the Knowledge Organisers)

2.Annotation of image sources demonstrating knowledge.

3.Extended writing question.

Autumn Term

Content and Skills

1.Britain and the struggle for the right to vote.

2.US Black Civil Rights Movement.

Examining our first two case studies of Twentieth Century protest – focusing on female and racial political equality.

How is it assessed?

Assessed in the first Year 9 Assessment – December.

 

There will be three elements to the assessment:

1.Facts test (questions drawn from the Knowledge Organisers)

2.Annotation of image sources demonstrating knowledge.

3.Extended writing question.

Spring Term

Content and Skills

1.South Africa and the campaign against Apartheid.

2.Britain – the campaign for LGBTQ+ rights.

Examining our third and fourth case studies of Twentieth Century protest – focusing on the struggles against Apartheid in South Africa and the campaign for gay rights in the UK.

How is it assessed?

This knowledge will be tested in the end of year exam (see below).

Summer Term

Content and Skills

1.County Durham – the Miners’ Strike of 1984.

2.People Power and Protecting our planet.

Examining our two final case studies of Twentieth Century protest – the miners’ strike of 1984 (with a local history dimension) and the much wider and recent study of environmental protest.

How is it assessed?

End of Year Exam in early June

There will be three elements in the assessment:

1.Facts test (questions drawn from the Knowledge Organisers)

2.Annotation of image sources, demonstrating knowledge.

3.Extended writing question.

We follow the Edexcel GCSE History specification. The four units we study are as follows:

  • Medicine in Britain c1250 – present (including The British Sector of the Western Front). Paper 1 topic, worth 30%.
  • Early Elizabethan England 1558 – 1588. Paper 2 topic, worth 20%.
  • Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941 – 1991. Paper 2 topic, worth 20%.
  • Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918 – 1939. Paper 3 topic, worth 30%.

Here is a link to the specification:

Edexcel GCSE History (2016) | Pearson qualifications

We follow the Cambridge OCR A Level History specification. The four elements of the course are as follows:

  • Britain 1900 – 1951. Worth 25%
  • The Crusades and the Crusader States. 1095 – 1192. Worth 15%.
  • Russia and its Rulers 1855 – 1964. Worth 40%.
  • Independent Investigation (topic: female suffrage). Worth 20%.

Here is a link to the specification:

Cambridge OCR Level 3 Advaned GCE in History A (H505) Specification

We follow the AQA A Level Politics course. It has three elements (all exam):

  • Government and Politics of the UK. Worth 33%.
  • Government and Politics of the US and Comparative Politics. Worth 33%.
  • Political Ideas. Worth 33%

Here is a link to the specification:

A-level Politics 7152 | Specification | Specification At A Glance | AQA