History is taught throughout KS3 in mixed ability teaching groups by a team of specialist staff. Pupils in Year 7-9 have the equivalent of two single periods of history each week.

The department is housed in it’s own suite of rooms and is well resourced with a wide range of text books and other support materials. An extensive video library allows history to be brought to life and a collection of CD RoMs encourages pupils to develop their research skills.

Assessment

Pupils are frequently given spelling tests on key vocabulary and short factual tests to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key events and an appreciation of chronology. In addition they complete at least four longer assessments each year which require pupils to undertake independent research and to produce extended writing. Assessments are marked with an effort grade and a national curriculum level. In years 8-9 pupils sit a formal examination.

Topics Studied at KS3

Year 7

• What is History?
• The Roman Empire
• The Middle Ages

Assessments

• An Iron Age Holiday Brochure
• Were the Romans Civilised?
• Who was the real Boudicca?
• Why did William win the Battle of Hastings?
• Who was the most successful King in the Middle Ages?

Year 8

• The Making of the UK 1500-1750, which includes the Tudors and Stuarts.
• Black Peoples of the Americas
• Britain 1750-1900, which encompasses the Industrial and Agricultural Revolutions.

Assessments

• Why did Henry VIII close the monasteries?
• Witchcraft
• Oliver Cromwell – hero or villain?
• A comparison of the lives of factory workers and slaves.

Year 9

• Causes of the First World War
• Trench Warfare
• Versailles Settlement
• Womens Suffrage
• Dictatorships and Democracies
• The Holocaust

Assessments

• What were the causes of World War I?
• Trench Diary
• Was the settlement of Versailles fair?
• Why did some women get the vote in 1918?
• How did Hitler rise to power?
• An individual research task on a turning point in the Second World War.

All pupils have an individual portfolio in which they store all completed assessments and completed exercise books allowing them to review their progress across the three years of KS3.

History at KS4

History is a popular choice at KS4. Pupils are taught in mixed ability groups by specialist staff.

The GCSE syllabus taught is Edexcel Syllabus C, The Schools History Project. This consists of three major units of work

• The American West 1840-95
• A Local Study – Great Parndon in Edwardian Times
• The History of Medicine from Pre-History to Modern Times.

Pupils sit two examinations and undertake two coursework assignments

Examinations

Paper 1 (2 hours)

• Two questions on the American West
• Two questions on the History of Medicine

Paper 2 (1hour 45)

• This paper is designed to test pupil’s skills in using and interpreting evidence and consists of 8 questions on a nominated topic from the History of Medicine.

Coursework

Both pieces of coursework are completed in year 10 and are worth 25% of the final GCSE grade.

The tasks set are on the following topics

1. Law and Order in the American West.
2. Was the Edwardian period a Golden Age for people living in Great Parndon?