History

Section 1: Principles at Key Stage 3

History at Judgemeadow in KS3 is used as a vehicle for teaching the students to critically analyse events, text and sources and then to explain through writing extended answers, expressing their ideas, and supporting with valid evidence. For this reason the events of 1066 are perfect for students to develop an understanding of different points of view, provenance of sources and to explain why things happened.

Where possible we teach chronologically. Whilst not every period can be covered it makes sense to approach the units we do teach in that order. In Year 7 we carry out a study of 1066 and then the impact of Norman control of England. This is followed by a look at medieval life and the balance of power between church and state. In Year 8 we teach the Industrial Revolution and how Britain became the first industrial nation. This unit gives the students a useful grounding in social changes the impact of which can still be seen around the world today. We follow this with an introduction to 20th century history including the First World War and the rise of the Nazis. It is essential for every student to study the Holocaust which we teach within a broader unit about prejudice of all kinds. We have a moral responsibility in a tolerant, secular system to teach about all kinds of prejudice and discrimination. The current curriculum model requires this to be taught in year 8 for all students to be able to study the unit.

We have a series of summative assessments in place which mirror the skills required for KS4. Each assessment is designed to cover a variety of topics not just the most recently taught. All of these assessments need to be modified to fit in with the new curriculum model and the temporary ‘strands’ model that has been a necessity because of the volume of shared groups in 2019-20.

Section 2: Connectedness (linking and co-ordinating)

As previously detailed we use KS3 as a vehicle for teaching the skills necessary to succeed in KS4. These skills are also important life-skills. The assessment model that was introduced in 2017 included formative tasks and summative assessments that mirrored the questions that they would encounter in KS4.

Some areas of study from KS3 are useful for topics in KS4 but not essential. Our KS4 Crime & Punishment unit benefits from a recall of medieval England (Year 7), political changes during the Stuart monarchy (Year 7) and social changes during the Industrial Revolution (Year 8). However, we have designed Year 9 to be a bridging year giving the students wider context of the aftermath of the First World War, the Peace Treaties and particularly the causes and events of the second World War. This is intended to facilitate the teaching of the Cold War. Since we began teaching the new GCSE and International Relations 1919-39 was no longer an available option our KS4 students have struggled to grasp the Cold War and needed contextual lessons before beginning the actual course.

Our teaching groups in KS3 and KS4 are mixed ability so every student is given the same opportunity to succeed. There are no tiers of entry so all will need to tackle the same questions and master the same skills.

The core principles underpinning the Edexcel KS4 course are to provide a curriculum that “will engage students with a broad and diverse study of the history of Britain and the wider world and give them skills that will support progression to further study of history and a wide range of other subjects”. Two of the four units we currently teach were chosen to provide continuity of resourcing and teacher’s expertise as they were units taught with our old specification: “Russia & the Soviet Union, 1917-41” and “Superpower Relations & the Cold War 1941-91”. For the thematic study we opted for “Crime & Punishment in Britain, c1000-present” as we believed that this was the most interesting and accessible for all of our students. For the period study we adopted “Henry VIII & his Ministers, 1509-40” as again we saw this as the most interesting and accessible. We have taught some aspects of the Tudors in previous KS3 models.

Section 3: five year impact

We want to enthuse and engage students so that they gain a love of the subject and the desire to take their studies beyond the classroom. It is impossible to teach every aspect of History so the topics are ones that we believe will achieve this aim. Without a grasp of History and personal motivation we cannot expect students to understand UK current affairs and global events. For example, an understanding of the Industrial Revolution and how this concept has been exported beyond our shores will help people to appreciate the human impact on climate change.

As previously explained, we cannot teach every important event in British or world history so we chose key turning points, such as the events of 1066 and the Industrial Revolution, where students can see real change and understand the causes and consequences of it. The new Year 9 model give students the opportunity to study key aspects of the 20th century which have strong political resonance today. At the same time these units will serve as a strong grounding for the beginning of their KS4 studies.

Section 4: Teaching and Learning

At both KS3 and KS4 the History curriculum is ‘knowledge rich’. Students are required to learn, process, recall and deploy a vast amount of factual detail in order to support longer written responses. As previously explained, we use KS3 to embed skill and familiarity with exam style questions in order to prepare students for KS4. In line with whole school priorities we have incorporated many the “Effective Learning Strategies” into our lessons at KS3 and KS4 to effectively train the students to commit the necessary factual details to their long-term memories. Most of question/assessment types are scaffolded and modelled for students to understand their complexities at KS3. This practice continues, in more depth, at KS4. Feedback for formally assessed work is targeted and the department follows the college procedures on the ‘green-pen improvements’.

We have been using retrieval practice for many years. There are multiple examples of what were formerly called ‘Knowledge tests’ across both key stages. In the last two academic years we have adapted/created more retrieval practice tests that are marked out of 20 for easier comparison. These tests are repeated with students to embed key facts/dates and names which are essential if students are to access the higher levels on assessments. Shorter retrieval practice is also being introduced in many areas to review students’ understanding of previously taught issues and to address misconceptions. The use of concrete examples to illustrate concepts has always been intrinsic to the teaching History, a knowledge rich subject as previously mentioned.

We are incorporating aspects of Dual Coding to support our students. At KS4 we have timelines for each unit allowing the students to create a chronological view of the curriculum. These are coded to also allow students to see the impact of particular issues, locations or people across the units. For example the Henry VIII timeline includes codes for students to see issues relating to the reformation and others to see issues related to the succession.

curriculum overview

year 7
Term	Topic	Formative Assessment	Summative Assessment
Autumn 1	Depth study on the Normans which will facilitate the teaching of key skillsWho should be King?Battle of Hastings	Who should be King?Edgar as a formative	summative choice of candidate Deep mark, green pen improve(Explain)+At least two retrieval practice tests.
Autumn 2	Battle of Hastings cont	Modelling PEE paragraphs on “Why the Normans won the Battle of Hastings” (students free-write and then green pen after seeing an exemplar)	William: Hero or villain? Table. Formatively modelled in first two rows, summatively assessed in bottom rows (sources). Students green pen following feedback.+At least two retrieval practice tests.
Spring	Norman feudal systemNorman castlesDeath of BecketPeasants’ Revolt (briefly teach Black Death as context)Village life	Where should you build your castle? Use site D for formative exemplification. Students choose a site for summative marking	Becket sources: multiple chances for modelling before summatively assessing.+At least two retrieval practice tests.
Summer 1	Depth study of the Stuarts which will facilitate understanding of the social and religious changes relevant for the GCSE Crime topic	James I and the Gunpowder PlotThe English Civil War	Summative EXAM 1 on the Normans at the beginning of the term
Summer 2	Trial and execution of Charles I Cromwell/Commonwealth

year 8
Term	Topic	Formative Assessment	Summative Assessment
Autumn 1	Study of the Industrial revolution to give context to the GCSE Crime topicIndustrial RevolutionFactory Life	Factory sources. Good or bad? Use 2 sources formatively (table?)	Summatively asses 2 sources Deep mark, green pen improve(Explain)+At least two retrieval practice tests.
Autumn 2	Luddites Social Change: Growth of citiesCity life Political changes: Voting/suffrage/Trade Unions		Agreement/disagreement with hypothesis; “The luddites were right to protest.” How far do you agree?
Spring	Study of the 20th century to give context to the GCSE Russia and Cold War topics World War One: Origins, recruitment, events, why Germany lostYear 8 homework topic: Slavery
Summer 1	Topics World War one cont. Nazi Germany
Summer 2	Topics Prejudice/Holocaust

year 9
Term	Topic	Formative Assessment	Summative Assessment
Autumn 1	Peace to War Recap end of WW1,Peace treaties.Conference roleplay
Autumn 2	CDA League of Nations: Successes and failuresDecision makingAppeasement: Why AppeasementMunich ConferenceNazi-Soviet Pact Events of World War TwoOverview Powerpoint BlitzkriegEvacuationD-Day decision makingSoviet success Atomic bomb
Spring	Topics Study of the Cold War to give grounding to the GCSE unit. Edexcel exam board recommend the continuation of KS3 History beyond 1945.Origins: Conferences Soviet takeover of Eastern EuropeBerlin as a case study
Summer 1	(Peaceful co-existence) Hungary Czechoslovakia Summits
Summer 2	CubaAssassination of JFKVietnam for context

year 10
Term	Topic1	Topic 2	Topic 3	Topic 4	Topic 5
Autumn 1	British Depth Study:Henry VIII and his Ministers, 1509-40	Henry VIII & Wolsey, 1509-29
Autumn 2	British Depth Study: Henry VIII and his Ministers, 1509-40	Henry VII & Cromwell, 1529-40	The Reformation & its impact, 1529-40
Spring 1	British Depth Study: Henry VIII and his Ministers, 1509-40	The Reformation & its impact, 1529-40 (cont.)	Thematic Study: Crime and punishment in Britain, c1000-present	Crime & punishment in medieval England, c1000-c1500	Crime & punishment in early modern England, c1500-c1700
Spring 2	Thematic Study: Crime and punishment in Britain, c1000-present	Crime and punishment in 18th and 19th century Britain, c1700-c1900	Crime & punishment in modern Britain, c1900-present
Summer 1	Topics Thematic Study: Crime and punishment in Britain, c1000-present	Crime & punishment in modern Britain, c1900-present (cont.)	Whitechapel, c1870-c1900: crime, policing & the inner city
Summer 2	Whitechapel, c1870-c1900: crime, policing & the inner city (cont.	Modern Depth Study: Russia & the Soviet Union, 1917-41	Tsarist Russia and effects of World War One.	February Revolution	Summer homework: Research/comprehension tasks

year 11
Term	Topic1	Topic 2	Topic 3	Topic 4	Topic 5
Autumn 1	Depth Study: Russia and the Soviet Union, 1917-41	Provisional Government	Bolshevik Revolution (October Rev.)	Bolshevik rule 1917-18	The Civil War, 1918-21
Autumn 2	Depth Study: Russia & the Soviet Union, 1917-41	Creation of the totalitarian state	Economic & Social Change (War Communism/NEP)	Struggle for Power, 1924-28	Use of terror in the 1930’s, propaganda & censorship Collectivisation
Spring 1	Modern Depth Study: Russia & the Soviet Union, 1917-41	5 Year plans Social Change under Stalin	Period Study: Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941-91	Crime & punishment in medieval England, c1000-c1500	Crime & punishment in early modern England, c1500-c1700
Spring 2	Period Study: Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941-91	Cold War Crises, 1958-70	Berlin Cuba Czechoslovakia	Arms limitation
Summer 1	Period Study: Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941-91	The end of the Cold War, 1970-91	Détente Afghanistan 1979 Carter Doctrine Reagan & the ‘Second Cold War’
Summer 2	EXAMS