• Understand the Past: Learn about key events, people, and cultures that have shaped the modern world.

• Develop Critical Thinking: Analyse sources, question reliability, and form well-reasoned conclusions. Encourage students to manage and explain complex ideas.

• Think Chronologically: See how events connect over time and understand change and continuity.

• Explore Different Perspectives: Appreciate diverse experiences, beliefs, and viewpoints across history.

• Build Key Skills: Improve research, organisation, and communication through evidence-based arguments.

• Informed Citizenship: Understand today’s world by learning how the past influences politics, society, and global issues.

• Empathy & Cultural Awareness: See the world through others' eyes by studying different times, places, and peoples.

• Stronger Decision-Making: Use lessons from the past to make better, more thoughtful decisions in life and work.

• Career Preparation: Gain transferable skills valued in law, media, teaching, business, public service, and more.

Key Stage 3 & 4

Key Stage 5 (A Level)

Assessments will build upon knowledge and skills as students move through each Key Stage. Assessments support student’s progress across 3 key strands: knowledge, source analysis and extended writing. Assessments have been carefully designed to encourage students to link prior learning with new knowledge to improve retention of information. Our assessments, particularly, at KS3, are designed to build confidence with smaller multiple-choice questions building up to lengthier essay and skill-based questions. This allows all students to access our subject and go on to achieve. Assessment at KS3 will create a solid foundation of knowledge and skills for students to build upon as they enter KS4. All students will be supported regardless of their gender, personal background, starting point from key stage 2 or SEND need and our schemes for learning will include opportunities for students to understand how to improve and reflect on not only their historical knowledge, but also their wider literacy and written communication skills.

GCSE Exam Board: Edexcel - Medicine in Britain, Conflict at Home and Abroad, Anglo-Saxon and Norman England and the American West.

A-Level Exam Board: OCR - Russia, Civil Rights in the USA and Modern British political, economic and social history.

Home learning is set every fortnight through the online platform, Educake. All history students will be set fortnightly quizzes where they will be required to answer retrieval questions based on the work they have been studying in class. Students studying GCSE History can also set themselves quizzes and questions based on topics that have been pre-selected by their teacher. This is strongly encouraged as it supports revision for practice and final exams.

Students can attend History club each half term. Students will be able to engage in a historical project which focuses on a significant period of history. Previous projects have included the making of Roman Coins using air-dry clay, creating a board game on the Terrible Tudors and researching key historical figures to recognize Black History Month around school. Trips and visits are planned for both KS3 and KS4 students to bring classroom learning to life. The department also have lots of links to historical organisations and local politicians who often come into school to speak to students and offer workshops.

A history qualification opens the door to a wide range of careers - not just in education or museums. The skills gained from studying history (critical thinking, research, communication, and analysis) are highly valued in many industries. Jobs include: History Teacher / Lecturer, Archivist, Museum Curator, Heritage Officer, Archaeologist, Academic Researcher, Civil Servant, Diplomat / Foreign Service Officer, Policy Advisor, Political Analyst, Lawyer / Legal Assistant, Journalist, Editor / Publisher, Project Manager.