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History

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In History, we want students to learn the necessary knowledge and skills to help them understand how we, as a nation, have arrived 'here' at this point in time, and also to help them make sense of the present. We want to encourage our young people to engage critically with issues of heritage, and understand and be able to participate in the debates surrounding public representations of the past. We want students to develop an understanding of how key aspects of culture, technology and society have developed over time, and encourage them to respect and empathise with all communities, past and present.

Key Stage 3

The Key Stage 3 curriculum has been designed to develop a chronological understanding of British history from the Medieval period to the present day. Students are able to draw comparisons and make connections between different time periods and their own lives. Students at Hertswood also begin to understand diversity and relationships between different groups within society, and their own identity as a part of this. Challenging topics throughout KS3, including the Holocaust and slavery, encourage empathy and a mature response.

Key Stage 4

At Key Stage 4, students study four topics from the Edexcel curriculum. The aim is to develop their understanding of key events, periods and societies, in British and wider world history. They gain an insight into the wide diversity of human experience, and build upon their empathy skills from Key Stage 3. Whilst studying these GCSE topics, students develop transferable skills such as organising and communicating their knowledge in different ways and reaching judgements.

Key Stage 5

At Key Stage 5, students study three topics in depth from the OCR curriculum and choose a fourth topic on which to base their non-examined essay. As well as studying topics in detail, Key Stage 5 offers an opportunity to enhance and refine their historical and transferable skills. Students will be required to work independently, reach substantiated conclusions, understand why different interpretations have been constructed and use a range of sources.

Year	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Year 7	Medieval Life and Rulers	Renaissance Life and Rulers	The Industrial Revolution 1750-1900
Year 8	World War One and Germany between the Wars	Nazi Germany and World War Two	Slavery and Civil Rights in Britain and America 1700-1960
Year 9	Change and Continuity in Britain 1066 - 1750	Change and Continuity in Britain 1750 - Modern	Case Study: WWI
Year 10 GCSE	The Reigns of King Richard I and King John	American West	American West Weimar and Nazi Germany
Year 11 GCSE	Weimar and Nazi Germany	Revision	Revision Exams
Year 12 A Level	Britain 1930 - 1997 Civil Rights in the USA 1865–1992 The American Revolution 1740–1796	Britain 1930 - 1997 Civil Rights in the USA 1865–1992 The American Revolution 1740–1796	Britain 1930 - 1997 Civil Rights in the USA 1865–1992 The American Revolution 1740–1796 Non exam assessment: Topic based essay
Year 13 A Level	Britain 1930 - 1997 Civil Rights in the USA 1865–1992 Non exam assessment: Topic based essay	Civil Rights in the USA 1865–1992 Non exam assessment: Topic based essay Revision	Revision Exams

Independent Learning Resources

The Knowledge
Quizlet
Seneca Learning
Textbooks and revision guides created by the exam boards (Edexcel for GCSE and OCR for A Level)

Useful Links

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