Curriculum Statement
The History department offers a comprehensive and engaging curriculum for students to learn and thrive. From KS3 to A level, students study a broad range of texts that strive to enthuse, interest and engage.
The history department offers a full and comprehensive curriculum which has been designed to engage our students in key periods and events in local, national and world history, such as African Kingdoms in year 7 and the Indian Murghal Empire in year 8, which helps students gain a much clearer picture of our place in the world and a better understanding of the contribution of global cultures to our unique island history. Opportunities for students to reinforce their learning are made at every stage of the curriculum so that students who decide to study history at GCSE are well equipped to do so. Finally, the history department is proud to offer a complete range of trips and visits across all year groups to support and supplement their understanding of this fascinating subject.
Year 7
Terms 1 and 2
Students will learn important skills needed in history before learning about Anglo-Saxon England, the Battle of Hastings and the Norman conquest. Students will be offered the opportunity to investigate the castle defences at Dover castle and learn about the significance of African kingdoms in the early medieval period.
Terms 3 and 4
Students will study the influence of the Church on medieval society with a local history study on the role of Rochester Cathedral. Students will also examine the growth of medieval towns, the arrival of the Black Death in 1348 and the causes and consequences of the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381.
Terms 5 and 6
Students will study the rule of King John in order to challenge the view that King John really was a bad king. In term 6, students will investigate the Wars of the Roses and study the significance of the arrival of the Tudor dynasty in 1485.
Year 8
Terms 1 and 2
Students will examine the challenges to the Catholic Church in 16th century by looking at the causes of the Reformation and changes to the English Church and services under Henry VIII, Mary I, Edward VI and Elizabeth I. In term 2, students will study the causes of the English Civil Wars which lead to the death of Charles I in 1649.
Terms 3 and 4
In term 3, we will examine Britain’s involvement with the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the causes of empire. Students will consider the British colonisation of Australia and the rise and fall of the Indian Mughal empire.
Terms 5 and 6
Students will study the study the Industrial Revolution and how this affected the lives of both the rich and the poor. In term 6 students will explore the causes of the First World War and examine the Battle of the Somme in 1916. At the end the term, students will consider the frailty of the peace treaty and its consequences.
Year 9
Terms 1 and 2
Students will look at the rise of the Nazis and the causes of the Holocaust. We will explore how the Holocaust was allowed to happen and the role of the propaganda and indifference in this.
Terms 3 and 4
Students will consider the American Civil Rights’ movement beginning with a look at segregation in the southern states of the USA. Students will consider a number of case studies including Little Rock and the role of individuals including Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks.
Term 5 and 6
Students will examine the relations between the superpowers post 1945 and the beginnings of the Cold War. We will explore the Korean war, the Cuban missile crisis before the eventual collapse of communism in the USSR.
Year 10
Term 1 and 2
Students study Elizabeth I, the problems of her legitimacy and the Elizabethan Religious settlement, the challenge of Mary Queen of Scots, plots and revolts at home, The Spanish Armada, Elizabethan society and exploration and discovery during Elizabeth’s reign.
Term 3 and 4
Students will begin their study Weimar and Nazi Germany by looking at the early problems of the Weimar Republic between 1918 and 1923. Students will look at recovery during the “Golden Years” of 1924-1929 and the rise of the Nazis and the establishment of a dictatorship under Adolf Hitler between 1933-1939.
Term 5 and 6
Students will examine life in Nazi Germany, including the role of the Gestapo and SS, the use of propaganda. Students will consider how successful Nazi policies towards women and young people were and evaluate if living standards improved for society in general. Finally, students will examine the Nazi persecution of minorities, including the boycott of Jewish shops and businesses and Kristallnacht.
Year 11
Term 1 and 2
Students will ideas about the cause of disease and approaches to prevention and treatment in medieval England and the influence of individuals such as Galen. The will examine how society reacted to the Black Death. In term 2, students will consider continuity and change during the Medical Renaissance with a case study of the Great Plague of 1666.
Term 3 and 4
The industrial revolution brought further developments in surgery and medicine but also saw the growth of unhealthy towns and related diseases amongst the working classes. Students will look at the work of individuals such as Edward Jenner and John Snow and the impact of the First World War on medical progress. Students will then consider medicine in modern Britain before beginning to revise for their final exams.
Term 5 and 6
Exam season.
Year 12
Students studying A level history will have their paper 1 lesson on British Empire C1857-1967 at Greenacre Boys’ School. Please refer to their website for an overview of this course.
Term 1 and 2
Students start their study of Democracy and Nazism in Germany, 1918-1945. They will study the establishment and early years of the Weimar between 1918-1924.
Term 3 and 4
Students will study “The Golden Age” of the Weimar Republic between 1924-1928.
Term 5 and 6
Students will study the collapse of democracy and the fall of the Weimar Republic between 1928 and 1933 and the establishment of a Nazi dictatorship under the leadership of Adolf Hitler.
Year 13
Term 1 and 2
Students will study the Nazi dictatorship between 1933 and 1939 and Hitler’s consolidation of power.
Term 3 and 4
Students will study the Racial State between 1933 and 1945 and examine Nazi policies towards the Jews and other minorities.
Term 5 and 6
Students will study the impact of the Second World War on German society.
For more information please contact
Mr D Naughton
Head of History
Link to Pearson/Edexcel GCSE History
https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/home.html
Link to OCR Entry Level
https://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/entry-level/
Link to AQA GCE History
https://www.aqa.org.uk/