History

History is centred around equipping students with the skills they need to become a force for change within the Modern World. By learning about the histories of different people and locations, students will be prepared to challenge the status quo and enact change where necessary in the world around them.

Key concepts such as interrogating evidence and interpretations, analysing significance and determining cause and consequence will provide students with the skills needed to become independent thinkers. History also enhances the understanding our students have for different people and cultures, ultimately leading to a more respectful and safe society. Through their study of History, students will learn to confidently present their views in a well-considered and carefully constructed way, acknowledging other people’s viewpoints as well as critically evaluating evidence to support their own. Overall, historians will study the past in order to understand their present and positively contribute to a brighter future.

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CRITERION A

Knowing & Understanding

Criterion b

Investigating

criterion C

Communicating

criterion d

Thinking Critically

Statement of INQUIRY

Ancient Civilisations demonstrate ingenuity and innovation

Approaches to Learning
  • Create novel solutions to authentic problems
  • Design improvements to existing machines, media and technologies
Statement of INQUIRY

Conflict forces civilisations to change their identities.

Approaches to Learning
  • Consider multiple alternatives, including those that might be unlikely or impossible
  • Consider ideas from multiple perspectives
Statement of INQUIRY

Different perspectives create alternative views of space and time.

Approaches to Learning
  • Design improvements to existing machines, media and technologies
  • Create original works and ideas; use existing works and ideas in new ways
Statement of INQUIRY

Different perspectives lead to different yet valid interpretations of personal identities.

Approaches to Learning

Consider ideas from other perspectives and points of view in a debate. Seek out criticism and feedback from others, including teachers and peers, and make informed choices about including it in one’s work.

Statement of INQUIRY

Global interactions have led to permanent changes in culture and identity, as far back as the 1500’s.

Approaches to Learning
  • Collect, record and verify data
  • Make inferences and draw conclusions
Statement of INQUIRY

Female monarchs were significant for their gender alone, regardless of their impact on governance or identities.

Approaches to Learning
  • Evaluate evidence and arguments
  • Consider multiple alternatives, including those that might be unlikely or impossible
Statement of Inquiry

Different perspectives create alternative views of women’s behaviour and how that has influenced their identity and relationships with society.

Approaches to learning
  • Access information to be informed and inform others
  • Make inferences and draw conclusions
Statement of Inquiry

Global interactions have led to permanent changes in culture and identity, as far back as the 1500’s.

Approaches to learning
  • Revise understanding based on new information and evidence
  • Consider ideas from multiple perspectives
Statement of Inquiry

Conflict forces civilisations to change their identities.

Approaches to learning
  • Evaluate evidence and arguments
  • Use appropriate forms of writing for different purposes and audiences
Statement of Inquiry

Enslavement of Man

Approaches to learning
  • Access information to be informed and inform others
  • Present information in a variety of formats and platforms
Statement of Inquiry

The British Empire’s control over India demonstrates how colonial power shapes economic, social, and cultural systems, influencing the development and identity of a nation.

Approaches to learning
  •  Give and receive meaningful feedback
  • Use intercultural understanding to interpret communication
Statement of Inquiry

The creation of a modern country

Approaches to learning
  • Practise observing carefully in order to recognise problems
  • Understand the benefits and limitations of personal sensory learning preferences when accessing, processing and recalling information
Approaches to Learning
  • Research skills: Locating, interpreting, and evaluating sources.
  • Critical thinking: Comparing perspectives, making inferences, and drawing conclusions.
  • Communication skills: Writing structured arguments and participating in discussion/debate.
  • Social skills: Respectfully engaging with different viewpoints and group work during inquiry tasks
Approaches to Learning
  • Research: Source analysis, identifying bias, assessing credibility.
  • Critical Thinking: Comparing perspectives, recognizing cause/effect, evaluating impact.
  • Communication: Writing persuasive essays, delivering presentations, creating timelines.
  • Social Skills: Engaging in group discussion, listening respectfully to differing views.
Approaches to Learning
  • Research: Locate and evaluate sources (e.g. speeches, newspapers, government documents).
  • Critical Thinking: Analyse historical impact, determine cause and effect, and evaluate significance.
  • Communication: Construct structured arguments, write extended responses, and discuss in debates.
  • Collaboration: Engage in group work, such as case studies and source interpretation.
Approaches to Learning
  • Research – Source reliability, comparing interpretations, synthesising causes.
  • Critical Thinking – Analysing complex cause-effect relationships.
  • Communication – Structuring extended writing responses and debates.
  • Self-management – Planning research and preparing for assessments.
Approaches to Learning
  • Critical Thinking – Analysing and evaluating sources for bias, purpose, and reliability.
  • Research – Selecting and referencing different kinds of historical evidence.
  • Social Skills – Respectfully engaging with emotionally challenging content and perspectives.
  • Reflection – Considering ethical implications of studying genocide
Statement of inquiry

What were the consequences of the Communist Dictatorship?

Approaches to Learning
  • Critical Thinking – Comparing different historical interpretations.
  • Media Literacy – Understanding Cold War propaganda and censorship.
  • Research – Investigating primary and secondary sources.
  • Communication – Expressing historical arguments clearly and with supporting evidence.
Back to KS4 Subjects
ks4 history

Our design ensures a popularity of option at GCSE and high success at both GCSE and A Level. By using highly effective teaching methods within the classroom, sharing best practices within the departments and regular and varied methods of assessments, we have ensured a high standard in History.

Statement of enquiry

Societies’ changing beliefs, knowledge, and power structures shape the development of medicine and influence human progress.

Statement of enquiry

Societies’ changing beliefs, knowledge, and power structures shape the development of medicine and influence human progress.

Statement of enquiry

Conflict accelerates innovation and transforms medical practices through the interplay of technological advancement, human need, and institutional response.

Statement of enquiry

Leadership, belief, and conflict shape national identity and influence the stability of societies.

Statement of enquiry

Leadership, belief, and conflict shape national identity and influence the stability of societies.

Statement of enquiry

Leadership, belief, and conflict shape national identity and influence the stability of societies.

Statement of Inquiry

Societies respond to crisis through different systems of power and ideology, which can lead to stability, conflict, or radical transformation.

Statement of Inquiry

Authoritarian regimes use propaganda, fear, and policy to shape society and control opposition, with lasting impacts on individual freedoms and cultural identity.

Statement of Inquiry

Rival ideologies and competing global ambitions can lead to long-term conflict, division, and international instability.

Statement of Inquiry

Crises between superpowers reveal the fragility of peace, the dangers of ideological division, and the potential for diplomacy to avert catastrophe.

Statement of Inquiry

Changes in political leadership, ideology, and diplomacy can transform global relationships and end long-standing conflicts.

Back to KS5 Subjects
KS5 HISTORY

History is centred around equipping students with the skills they need to become a force for change within the Modern World. By learning about the histories of different people and locations, students will be prepared to challenge the status quo and enact change where necessary in the world around them.

Paper 1:

Britain in Revolution 1625-1701
KT3 How far was there social and intellectual challenge, 1625–88?

Paper 2:

Russia in Revolution, 1894 – 1924
KT1 The rule of Tsar Nicholas II, 1894 – 1905
Taught Simultaneously

Statement of inquiry

Changing populations, social structures, and revolutionary ideas together reshaped 17th-century Britain—driving urban growth, altering power and gender dynamics, and challenging traditional authority through new political and scientific thought.

Approaches to Learning
  • Critical Thinking Skills – Essential for assessing causes, consequences, change over time, and significance.
  • Interpret data and make reasoned arguments. Identify trends and draw conclusions. Consider multiple perspectives and evaluate evidence
  • Communication Skills – Students need to structure extended responses clearly and persuasively.
  • Organise information logically and coherently. Use historical terminology appropriately. Structure arguments with evidence.
Paper 1:

1 Britain in Revolution 1625-1701
KT4 Economy, trade and empire, 1625–88

Paper 2:

Russia in Revolution, 1894 – 1924
KT2 End of the Romanov era

Statement of inquiry

Innovations in agriculture, global trade expansion, and strategic mercantilist policies during 1625–88 interconnected to transform Britain’s economy—reshaping rural labour, urban finance, and imperial networks.

Approaches to Learning
  • Critical Thinking Skills – Essential for assessing causes, consequences, change over time, and significance.
  • Interpret data and make reasoned arguments. Identify trends and draw conclusions. Consider multiple perspectives and evaluate evidence
  • Communication Skills – Students need to structure extended responses clearly and persuasively.
  • Organise information logically and coherently. Use historical terminology appropriately. Structure arguments with evidence.
Paper 1:

Britain in Revolution 1625-1701
KT1 The quest for political stability, 1625–88

Paper 2:

Russia in Revolution, 1894 – 1924
KT3 The Provisional government and its opponents, February–October 1917

Statement of inquiry

Conflicts over monarchy, republican experiments, and restored governance between 1625–1688 challenged and redefined notions of authority and legitimacy—revealing the fragility of political systems and the enduring search for stable government.

Approaches to Learning
  • Critical Thinking Skills – Essential for assessing causes, consequences, change over time, and significance.
  • Interpret data and make reasoned arguments. Identify trends and draw conclusions. Consider multiple perspectives and evaluate evidence
  • Communication Skills – Students need to structure extended responses clearly and persuasively.
  • Organise information logically and coherently. Use historical terminology appropriately. Structure arguments with evidence.
Paper 1:

Britain in Revolution 1625-1701
KT2 Religion: conflict and dissent, 1625–88

Paper 2:

Russia in Revolution, 1894 – 1924
KT4 Defending the Bolshevik revolution, October 1917–24

Statement of inquiry

Struggles over religious identity and authority—from enforced Anglican uniformity to dissenting movements and anti‑Catholicism—shaped 17th-century Britain’s politics, community cohesion, and beliefs about tolerance.

Approaches to Learning
  • Critical Thinking Skills – Essential for assessing causes, consequences, change over time, and significance.
  • Interpret data and make reasoned arguments. Identify trends and draw conclusions. Consider multiple perspectives and evaluate evidence
  • Communication Skills – Students need to structure extended responses clearly and persuasively.
  • Organise information logically and coherently. Use historical terminology appropriately. Structure arguments with evidence.
Paper 1:

Britain in Revolution 1625-1701
KT5 How revolutionary, in the years to 1701, was the Glorious Revolution of 1688–89?

Paper 2:

Russia in Revolution, 1894 – 1924
KT4 Defending the Bolshevik revolution, October 1917–24

Statement of inquiry

The Glorious Revolution (1688–89) introduced revolutionary political, religious, and financial reforms—transforming Britain into a constitutional monarchy, fostering religious toleration, expanding parliamentary power, and unleashing a financial revolution that reshaped state‑citizen relations.

Approaches to Learning
  • Critical Thinking Skills – Essential for assessing causes, consequences, change over time, and significance.
  • Interpret data and make reasoned arguments. Identify trends and draw conclusions. Consider multiple perspectives and evaluate evidence
  • Communication Skills – Students need to structure extended responses clearly and persuasively.
  • Organise information logically and coherently. Use historical terminology appropriately. Structure arguments with evidence.
Paper 1:

Britain in Revolution 1625-1701
Key Topic 5 How revolutionary, in the years to 1701, was the Glorious Revolution of 1688–89?

Paper 2:

Russia in Revolution, 1894 – 1924
Revision Paper 1 and Paper 2

Statement of inquiry

The Glorious Revolution (1688–89) introduced revolutionary political, religious, and financial reforms—transforming Britain into a constitutional monarchy, fostering religious toleration, expanding parliamentary power, and unleashing a financial revolution that reshaped state‑citizen relations.

Approaches to Learning
  • Critical Thinking Skills – Essential for assessing causes, consequences, change over time, and significance.
  • Interpret data and make reasoned arguments. Identify trends and draw conclusions. Consider multiple perspectives and evaluate evidence
  • Communication Skills – Students need to structure extended responses clearly and persuasively.
  • Organise information logically and coherently. Use historical terminology appropriately. Structure arguments with evidence.
Statement of Inquiry

Attempts to unify a divided society through constitutional reform both the potential and limitations of political systems.

Approaches to learning
  • Critical Thinking: Evaluate the effectiveness of Bismarck’s policies and the Weimar Constitution.
  • Research Skills: Investigate the causes and effects of political crises like the War in Sight or the 1918 revolution.
  • Communication: Practice academic writing and structured argument.
  • Social Skills: Engage in historical debates and group inquiry.
Statement of Inquiry

Authoritarian regimes use ideology, law, and force to reshape society, identity, and the balance of power.

Approaches to learning
  • Critical Thinking: Explore causality and consequence in the creation of a totalitarian state.
  • Research Skills: Use primary and secondary sources to investigate events like the Night of the Long Knives.
  • Communication: Develop structured arguments in essays and debates.
  • Social/Collaboration Skills: Participate in group analysis of policies and propaganda.
Statement of Inquiry

Nations emerging from dictatorship use legal, political, and social reforms to rebuild identity, restore justice, and promote stability.

Approaches to learning
  • Critical Thinking: Comparing ideologies (CDU vs SPD) and evaluating long-term outcomes.
  • Media Literacy: Analyzing political speeches and propaganda from the FRG era.
  • Research Skills: Investigating sources from early FRG and occupation authorities.
  • Communication: Presenting group projects on key events and policies.
Statement of Inquiry

When political systems collapse, nations must navigate historical memory, economic inequality, and international diplomacy to achieve unity.

Approaches to learning
  • Research Skills: Investigate primary sources (e.g., Kohl’s speeches, refugee interviews).
  • Thinking Skills: Evaluate contrasting viewpoints about reunification (economic burden vs national triumph).
  • Communication Skills: Debate and present on the costs/benefits of reunification.
  • Social Skills: Collaborate on a Cold War map analysis project.
Statement of Inquiry

Social and economic structures evolve through conflict, innovation, and policy, shaping the identity and development of a nation.

Approaches to learning
  • Research: Analyse primary sources (e.g., propaganda, legal texts on pensions or women’s roles).
  • Communication: Present findings in group discussions and visual timelines of class and economic change.
  • Thinking: Use cause-and-effect frameworks to connect policy changes with long-term impacts.
  • Self-Management: Develop revision cards tracking key policies and their social/economic effects.