This resource provides a quick and easy map of your child’s curriculum journey in History. 

History is an academic subject rich in powerful knowledge. It provides coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. Our curriculum objective is for our students to be able to locate themselves and their world within a much larger tapestry of time, in order to see the changes, continuities, patterns, diversity, interpretations and stories of the past. With one eye metaphorically on the past and one eye literally on the present, we aim to give students an informed platform to look towards the future.

 “Children cannot be what they cannot see.” And it’s not just about children. It’s about all of us. We cannot be a better society until we see that better society. I cannot be in the world until I see that I am in the world. – Marian Wright Edelman

In History, we want our students to succeed together. 

Our aims are to: 

•   Provide our students with a broad range of historical knowledge and understanding, including a sense of development over time, and an appreciation of the culture and attitudes of societies other than our own;

•    Allow our students to gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts;

•   Give our students power over their own knowledge whilst allowing them to evaluate critically the significance and utility of a large body of material, including evidence from contemporary sources and interpretations of historians;

•   Enable our students to engage directly with questions and present independent opinions about them in arguments that are well-written, clearly expressed, coherently organised and effectively supported by relevant evidence;

Allowing our students to do what matters most whilst gaining the confidence to undertake self-directed learning, making the most effective use of time and resources, and increasingly defining one’s own questions and goals.

Year 7

In Year 7, our students begin their studies considering how invasion, trade and religion affected people’s lives in Britain and the wider world between 1000-1588. Students explore the concepts of power and sovereignty, the role of religion within England and the wider world, and the lives of ordinary people. They consider how power and sovereignty are exercised, chart the changing relationship between rulers and ruled, embracing absolutism, differing forms of representation, and growing calls for change. 

Our students consider how historians learn their craft and begin our narrative in the ancient world as we explore the Silk Roads 2,000 years ago to allow them to form an image of the ancient world . An image of where empires and nations did not exist in their own time and space as disparate peoples but were closely intertwined with each other. Through the use of maps to develop a deeper understanding of geographical reaches and sense of the size of world, History students can see the nuance of connection between empires and nations along the Silk Roads. Allowing our students to make an accurate big picture, or schema, of world history during this period. 

Our students then turn their focus to the impact of the Norman invasion in 1066. This is considered to be one of the most significant turning points in England’s history as it changed English society forever: students consider the way in which England was ruled; the foundations of the class structure which has dominated English history; the introduction of castles and the language that is spoken as an official language in 55 countries. Whilst also exploring events happening in the wider world considering how this affected the lives of the people living in Britain. 

Our students travel through the medieval world, considering the lives of ordinary people in pre-colonial Africa and medieval England. Students study the developments made to the Church, state and society. A period marked by economic and territorial expansion; demographic and urban growth; the emergence of national identity; the restructuring of secular and ecclesiastical institutions. Students assess the impact that religious conflict has on society in Britain and the rest of the world, exploring The Crusades, the sequence of religious wars fought between the eleventh century, and the late medieval period, in which armies from the European Christian states attempted to wrest the Holy Land from Islamic rule, and which have left an enduring imprint on the relations between the rest of the world and the west. This fascinating period of history will allow our students to examine the importance of religion to medieval society both locally and globally. 

Our students reflect on the tensions between Church and Crown and consider the political, financial and theological motivations that precipitated King Henry VIII’s break from Rome. This break was a major turning point in history, affecting religious life in Europe, but also social, political, and economic institutions as well. Students begin to understand the narrative of the changing nature of European society, and the impact this has on the world today. Students then begin to consider where Britain’s position is in the world, and start to assess the growing impact of migration on Britain. This lays the foundation for generative understanding of the formation of the British Empire, which students will begin to consider in Year 8. 

Year 8

In Year 8, our students consider how the role of empires, trade and revolutions transform Britain and the rest of the world 1492 – 1900. Throughout the year, students will study moments of upheaval and revolution, as we move from the Renaissance into the Enlightenment and forward into the period of the Industrial Revolution. We examine the relative importance of human rights against economic and political motivations and finish with the fight for universal suffrage. Making clear connections to the earlier narrative exploring similarities and differences, change and continuity.

The narrative begins by examining The War of the Three Kingdoms. Students explore the causes of the tension between Parliament and the King, as well as the reasons for regicide in 1649. The Civil War is a key turning point in the development of Britain as a parliamentary democracy, and the establishment of the Commonwealth. The rise of the British Empire, and the reasons why Britain wanted it; the experiences of those ruled in the colonies. We will also assess the impact of enslavement through case studies in Jamaica and the development of the trade in enslaved people and Britain’s role within it. 

Our students explore The Age of Enlightenment and Revolution – a period of history characterised by revolutions  – political, social and economic affecting many areas of life. Students will learn about the emergence of free thinking, and the link that this has on the development of revolutionary movements. Politically, the period is characterised by a number of significant revolutionary movements which occurred in many parts of Europe and the Americas. The period is noted for the change in government from absolutist monarchies to constitutionalist states and republics. During this study students will consider the causes of the American Revolution, the French Revolution, the Irish Rebellion of 1798, the Haitian Revolution, the revolt of slaves in Latin America, and of course the wave of revolutions across Europe in 1848, among others. Students will examine the factors that led to these changes, drawing links between common factors and consider the impact of these revolutions in Britain and the rest of the world. 

Our students will continue to explore this revolutionary period with the emergence of the Industrial Revolution, the great age of steam, canals and factories that changed the face of the British economy forever. Students assess the local impact of the Industrial Revolution in and around Manchester with a historic environment study of Quarry Bank Mill. The penultimate study of the year sees the cohort return to the British Empire, assessing the impact of the Empire in the ‘Scramble for Africa’. Our students finish Year 8 examining the birth of the suffrage movement and the struggle for women to achieve political equality. As well as examining the birth of the suffrage movement and the struggle for women to achieve political equality. Our students will understand the challenges faced by the establishment of the rights we take for granted today before answering the overarching question: how the role of empires, trade and revolutions transformed Britain and the rest of the world 1492 – 1900?

Year 9 

In Year 9, our students consider how political ideologies affect people’s lives in Britain and the World in the 20^th century. Students will be able to draw thematic links back to Year 7 and Year 8, considering the similarities and differences between the time periods. 

The narrative begins exploring how Europe went to war in 1914, considering the roles of individual countries within the conflict, before examining different experiences of ordinary people involved in the conflict from Britain and the rest of the world. Students further explore tensions that occurred both during and after the First World War, examining the causes, events and consequences of the Russian Revolution and the events that took place during the Easter Rising in Ireland in 1916.

Students consider whether the term ‘The Interwar Period’ is a helpful term for describing the period 1918-39. With a specific focus on Britain, the United States of America, and Germany, our students examine the peace treaties signed after the war and the impact that they had upon ordinary people as countries searched for stability, before considering whether 1922–29 was truly a ‘Golden Age’ for all.  Our students have the opportunity to compare the experiences of ordinary people during this period and examine historians’ interpretations. Moving into the 1930s, students will examine the world-wide economic issues that arose as a result of the Wall Street Crash in 1929, and its longer-term consequences. Students embark on a study of the period often referred to as the ‘Hungry Thirties’, with new challenges to the stability of countries globally during the period. With radical political groups – both Fascism and Communism – on the rise in this decade, students will consider why Facism took hold in Germany but not in Britain or America. 

Our students then consider how we should write about the Holocaust, and the challenging question of whether it can be compared to other genocides in the twentieth century. The Holocaust illustrates the dangers of prejudice, discrimination, antisemitism, and dehumanisation, raising important considerations about societal and individual motivations and pressures that lead people to act as they do – or to not act at all. As they study the recovered voices of victims and survivors of the Holocaust, students will develop a deeper appreciation of the complexity of the Holocaust in the context of wider factors such as historic anti-Semitism and the violence and brutality of the Second World War. Having studied and reflected on the Holocaust, students then reflect on more recent atrocities such as the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia and Herzegovina and consider whether these can be compared to the Holocaust.

Our students then consider key political, economic, social and international changes which helped to mould Britain in the second half of the 20th century. It explores concepts such as government and opposition, class, social division and cultural change up until the 1980s and its impact on the present day. It encourages students to reflect on Britain’s changing place in the world. Finally, students consider the history of terrorism, making them aware of issues in Northern Ireland, the Middle East and the USA.

Year 10

At the start of Year 10, our students begin the AQA GCSE course with a period study which focuses on understanding the modern world. Using their knowledge of European history, students explore the development of Germany during a turbulent half century of change which saw the development and collapse of democracy and the rise and fall of Nazism.

Our students consider Germany from 1871, assessing the role of Kaiser and the difficulties of ruling Germany; the desire for an Empire to rival other countries; the growth of parliamentary government; growing industrialisation; social reform and the growth of socialism. They then move on to explore how Germany emerged from the First World War as a much weaker country than that which had entered the conflict in 1914: the Kaiser had abdicated; the army was defeated; the economy in ruins; and law and order was under serious threat as a number of extremists groups tried to seize power. During this period, our students explore the challenges to the new leaders of Weimar Germany. Despite putting together a constitution which was one of the most democratic of its time, the new government was highly unpopular and soon faced uprisings in Berlin and Munich. In 1923, the failure to sustain reparations payments demanded under the Treaty of Versailles led to the French and Belgium occupation of the Ruhr and the rapid spiralling of prices in a period of hyperinflation.

Our students assess the role of Gustav Stresemann in restoring the German economy after 1924 and improving relationships with foreign countries. Germany was once again accepted into an emerging ‘international community’ which sought to work together during the 1920s to avoid another destructive war. Stresemann’s policies also led to greater political stability and less extremism in Germany itself. This ethos of collaboration and peaceful cooperation only lasted, however, until the onset of the Great Depression following the Wall Street Crash of October 1929. When people are unemployed, hungry and desperate, as millions were in Germany between 1930 and 1933, they often turned to extreme political parties offering simple solutions to their problems, and, by 1934, Hitler was in complete control of Germany.

Our students then explore life in Nazi Germany, where all aspects of Germans’ lives were controlled by the government. Unemployment was virtually eliminated; roads, schools and hospitals were built; people saved for foreign holidays and conditions in work improved. Under Nazi rule, the economy improved and stability was restored, as behind the propaganda machine of the Nazi party Hitler was able to do as he liked. But these successes came at a high price: Hitler’s totalitarian regime limited personal freedoms and opposition was dealt with harshly. Our students explore the Nazi belief in the supremacy of the Aryan race, and its horrific consequences for those deemed ‘enemies of the state’ as they were ruthlessly persecuted. Membership of the Nazi Party was necessary in practice for anyone who wanted to get on in life, while the Nazis instituted medals for mothers with large families, clubs for boys and girls to practise their skills, and a new school curriculum rewritten to reflect Nazi Ideology. Our students will evaluate who benefited and suffered under Nazi rule and how World War Two affected the lives of German people. 

Year 10 then continues to build upon the changing nature of power as our students embark on a fascinating wider world depth study focusing upon Conflict and tension between East and West, 1945–1972. This study enables our students to understand the complex and diverse interests of different states and individuals and the ideologies they represent. Our students focus on the causes and events of the Cold War from 1945 and seek to show how and why conflict occurred and why it proved difficult to resolve the tensions which arose during the Cold War. As the battle between capitalism and communism takes hold and the need to assert dominance, actions and reactions between the superpowers bring the world to the brink of Nuclear War in 1962. Our students consider the new revolutionary movements during this time in Asia and Europe. Students also consider the role of key individuals such as Winston Churchill, Harry Truman, Stalin and Castro, to name just a few. This tense period of time allows our students to consider how different groups shaped change and affected and influenced international relations. 

Year 11

Our students begin with a thematic study exploring Britain: Health and the people: c1000 to the present day. This thematic study enables our students to gain an understanding of how medicine and public health developed in Britain over a long period of time. Presented with the following questions throughout the study – Why has there been progress in the health of the British people? How and why has the pace and scale of medical development varied at different times? What impact has medical progress had on people and society? How and why have different factors been more important than others for individual medical developments? What is the significance of key individuals or events in the history of medical development?  Our students will consider the causes, scale, nature and consequences of short and long term developments, their impact on British society and how they were related to the key features and characteristics of the periods during which they took place. Although the focus of this study is the development of medicine and public health in Britain, our students will draw on wider world developments that impact on the core themes. Students will have the opportunity to see how some ideas and events in the wider world affected Britain and will promote the idea that key themes did not develop in isolation, but these ideas and events should be referenced in terms of their effects on the core theme for Britain and British people. 

Our students then embark on a fascinating period of history with a British depth studies including a historic environment study of Elizabethan England, c1568–1603 allowing our students to study in depth the last 35 years of Elizabeth I’s reign. This period focuses on the major events of Elizabeth I’s reign considering economic, religious, political, social and cultural standpoints, and arising contemporary and historical controversies. Our students will explore Elizabeth’s troubles at home and abroad and the many challenges that she faces during her reign. The difficulties of being a female rule during the time: the problem of marriage and the succession; the strength of Elizabeth’s authority at the end of her reign, including Essex’s rebellion in 1601. Students explore life in Elizabethan times considering whether the period should be considered in fact be considered ‘A ‘Golden Age’: exploring living standards and fashions; growing prosperity and the rise of the gentry; the Elizabethan theatre and its achievements; attitudes and responses to poverty; English sailors: Hawkins and Drake; circumnavigation 1577–1580, and Elizabeth consistent voyages and trade; the role of Raleigh. 

At the end of their school journey, our students will understand that: 

History is who we are and why we are the way we are. Anyone can make history, but only someone great can write it. History always passes the final Judgement. We learn from history that we don’t learn from history. If you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything, you are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree. We are not the makers of history, we are made by history. The past changes a little each time we retell it. Those that do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, however if faced with courage, need not be lived again. History is the present, that’s why every generation writes its anew, but what most people think of as history is its end product. People who make history know nothing about history, you can see that in the sort of history they make. Hindsight is the historian’s necessary vice. 

From studying History GCSE, you can go on to study it at A-Level. This can lead to studying all sorts of subjects at University or onto exciting History based apprenticeships. For example:

• Paralegal;
• Heritage Engineering technician.

Check out the range of apprenticeships here for which you need good History skills or take a look at some more information about History based degrees here.

History is a facilitator subject so will open the door to many different careers. Students who study geography are successful in career areas such as:

• Journalism;
• Law;
• Politics;
• Archaeology;
• Teaching.

Or study it with other subjects such as:

• English;
• Archaeology;
• Law;
• Business.

The Curriculum Overview provides information as to how the curriculum is sequenced to enable students to build their knowledge and skills towards ambitious endpoints in each subject area. Click the picture to enlarge it and read more. Each terms’ learning is complemented by a knowledge organiser. 

Check them out