Our intent is to make our students aware of the context of history in forming ideas about where we have come from and how our political, economic and social circumstances have developed.
Our Key Stage 3 curriculum is broad ranging and designed to get students interested in historical issues and build a foundation of knowledge to aid them if they choose GCSE History.
Our GCSE curriculum is taught from Year 9 to 11 and covers 4 units including Britain: Health and the People, America: Opportunity & Equality, Conflict and Tension in Asia and Elizabethan England. Students are encouraged to investigate the topics beyond what is taught in lessons and the assessment cycles really focus on acquiring and recalling knowledge followed more in-depth essay style questioning.
We raise the aspirations and ambition of our students by:
- Studying key skills to provide the frameworks and approaches that explain how History’s features at different eras are shaped, interconnected, change over time and what the future might hold.
Our students develop confidence and resilience through:
- Learning about causation and consequence of historical events. This learning is used to produce extended pieces of writing based on exam questions.
- Experiencing success and progress through assessments of knowledge, understanding and skills developed through a broad and balanced curriculum.
- Ensuring that knowledge develops into deeper understanding and meaningful cognitive schema for students by synthesising links across the topics taught and regular practice of knowledge recall.
We create awe and wonder in and out of the classroom by:
- Creating a curiosity and fascination about the past and individuals that will remain with them for the rest of their lives, through passionate teaching and real life events.
We help students achieve at KS3, KS4 and beyond by:
- Equipping students with knowledge about historical events, individuals, changes and similarities at a range of local, national and world wide levels.
- Preparing them thoroughly for their external and internal examinations through Pre-Public Examinations and regular practice of exam questions in lessons and for home learning.
- Using extensive retrieval practice and low stakes testing to ensure knowledge is embedded and develops into richer, long term cognitive schema shown in exam style essays and rigorous feedback.