History
Our History curriculum equips students with vital knowledge to understand the world today.
Curriculum Intent
We aim to teach a diverse and varied curriculum. We explore significant events, people, themes and experiences from the past to inspire students to become developing critical thinkers who have the confidence and communication skills to voice their opinion and stand up for what they believe in.
We teach that History is a construct, a deliberate storytelling of the past, and encourage students to form their own opinions, question information and engage in debates.
We are working to decolonise the curriculum and we teach our students to spot and challenge discrimination in all its forms. We believe in celebrating success and progress in History, and hope our students leave our lessons.
Key Stage 3
Our curriculum is chronological. In Year 7 we study the Norman invasion and structure of mediaeval society. The scope then widens to the Silk Roads, before we return back to England to see how these wider connections caused upheaval through the consequences of the Black Death.
In year 8 our students look at the significance of the European Reformation in the post-Renaissance world. We study Enlightenment ideas and how expectations of rights and freedoms changed during the American, French and Haitian revolutions. We study abolition and undertake a local study of the impact of slavery.
In Year 9 students explore women’s suffrage. We uncover a child’s view of WW1 through a Herne Hill memoir, and this thread of human stories is continued with an examination of accounts of the Holocaust.
We end with the swinging sixties, the Brixton riots and life behind the Iron Curtain.
Key Stage 4
We study the Edexcel History GCSE. Students who study GCSE History will begin with a thematic study of the history of medicine, which culminates in a source-based case study focused on medicine in the trenches of the Western Front during the First World War. We then go back in time to explore the reign of Elizabeth I and the lives of people living in Elizabethan England.
Our final two topics examine different aspects of the twentieth century, beginning with the Cold War. This is a fascinating topic that works really well with our final topic on the USA, taking a particular look at the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement.
Key Stage 5
Students who study A Level History will explore three periods of history in tandem.
The Paper 1 breadth study is focused on Tudor England, which holds stories of political and religious development in a tumultuous period in English history.
The Paper 2 depth study concentrates on Russia (1917-53), with a political narrative that fascinates our students.
Our final coursework unit looks at the British Empire in Africa, focusing on colonisation, decolonisation, and the imperial legacy for former British colonies. This engages students with one of the most fluid and important historical debates currently taking place today.
