History

The History Team

Subject Leader –     Samantha Beasley

History Team

  • Andrew Evans – Deputy Leader I/C KS3
  • Kathryn Rogers
  • Geraint Faulkner
  • Michelle Linton
  • Louise Graham
  • Charlotte Cunningham
Why Study History?
  • History fires students’ curiosity and imagination, moving and inspiring them with the dilemmas, choices and beliefs of people in the past. It helps pupils develop their own identities through an understanding of History at personal, local, national and international levels. It helps them to ask and answer questions of the present by engaging with the past.
  • History prepares pupils for the future, equipping them with the knowledge and skills that are prized in adult life, enhancing employability and developing an ability to take part in a democratic society. It encourages mutual understanding of the historic origins of our ethnic and cultural diversity, and helps pupils become confident and questioning individuals.
  • History teaches pupils valuable life skills and they will be able to ask and answer valuable questions, Evaluate evidence, identify and analyse different interpretations of the past, summarise, prioritise and communicate ideas, and learn to substantiate any arguments and judgements they have. All of these skills are not only recognised but valued by employers.

What do we study in History at Caludon Castle?

Curriculum – Key Stage 3

Year 7

Our Year 7’s study a number of different eras from local to world History whilst covering the essential skills and knowledge to progress onto Year 8.

What skills will I learn in Year 7 History?

During Year 7, students would be expected to develop their Historical skills, including the concepts of chronology, empathy, cause, effect and consequence and the relative usefulness/reliability of sources. Students will also use and develop generic skills such as source analysis and evaluation skills, communication and presentation skills and collaborative work and team building skills.

What does the curriculum cover in Year 7 History?
Autumn Term
  • History skills
  • Lifestyles – A look at life in ancient Rome, from slaves and gladiators
Spring Term ·         Development of England – 1066 and all that, including the Battle of Hastings, the Feudal System and the Black Death
Summer Term ·         Power and Conflict – A study of Native American Indians, their lifestyle and how they came into conflict with white Americans

  • Castles! – Defence, attack and building the ideal Castle
What Field Visits will I go on in Year 7 History?

Autumn Term – A day visit to Kenilworth and Warwick Castles.   The purpose of the visit to some of the country’s finest castles is to discover the development of castle building over time and something of what it was like to live in a castle in the Medieval period.

Year 8

During this year, students are able to fully concentrate on their Historical skills in subject specific History lessons. Students explore the Tudor World and solve problems such as “Who should Elizabeth marry?”, they debate the growing power of Parliament and investigate the vast changes that occurred with the coming of the Industrial Revolution.

What skills will I learn in Year 8 History?

During Year 8, students would be expected to develop their Historical skills, including the concepts of chronology, empathy, cause, effect and consequence and the relative usefulness/reliability of sources. Students will also use and develop generic skills such as source analysis and evaluation skills, communication and presentation skills and collaborative work and team building skills.

What does the curriculum cover in Year 8 History?
Autumn Term
  • The Tudors – Henry VIII, wives, sons and religion
  • The Tudors – Elizabeth I, husbands, Spain and Mary, Queen of Scots
Spring Term
  • The Civil War – Charles I vs Parliament
  • The Stuarts – The Making of the UK and life in Stuart England
Summer Term
  • Britain and Empire – Change, working conditions and life styles
  • Victorian Crime – Jack the Ripper!
What Field Visits will I go on in Year 8 History?

Two different field visits are planned for Year 8;

Autumn Term – Hampton Court Palace.  A day visit which takes you to one of the finest palaces in the country.  The purpose of the visit is to discover how the Tudors lived and how “below stairs” worked in a large palace.

Summer Term – Black Country Museum, Dudley. A day visit which takes you back in time to a town in the Victorian era with a visit to the shops, a school, coal mine and a canal boat ride.

Year 9

During this year, students further develop their Historical Skills whilst concentrating on the major events of the Twentieth Century and the diverse cultures involved in the two World Wars. Students explore the world of the Trenches in the First World War and question the tactics used by British command, they debate the justification of the use of the Atomic bomb in 1945 and investigate the sinking of Titanic.

What skills will I learn in Year 9 History?

During Year 9, students will further develop their concepts of chronology, empathy, and cause, effect and consequence. Students will also use and develop source analysis and evaluation skills, communication and presentation skills and collaborative work and team building skills.

What does the curriculum cover in Year 9 History?
Autumn Term
  • First World War – Conditions, tactics and recruitment
  • First World War – Haig and the Battle of the Somme
Spring Term
  • Titanic – Life on board and the catastrophic events of 12th April 1912
  • Era of the Second World War – The Home Front, the Blitz, the Holocaust, Hiroshima and the Justification of War
Summer Term
  • Twentieth Century Turning Points – From the Space Race to the Assassination of JFK
What Field Visits will I go on in Year 9 History?

Two different field visits are planned for Year 9;

Autumn Term – Imperial War Museum, London. A day visit to the greatest collection of First and Second World War artefacts in the country, and a chance to step back in time in the Trench and Blitz experiences.

Summer Term – The Somme, Flanders. A 3 day residential visit to France and Belgium taking in the sites of one of the bloodiest battles ever fought, the Battle of the Somme, as well as some of the memorial and grave sites.

Curriculum – Key Stage 4

AQA GCSE History

This History Course examines some of the most important and fascinating events, people, politics and issues of the last thousand years.   As part of the course we study International Relations 1918-1939, looking at the increasing tension after the First World War  and what went wrong for the League of Nations. We will also study an in-depth unit on Germany, studying the Weimar Republic and how and why Hitler and the Nazis came to power in Germany.

For the “Historical change over time” element, the course examines Medicine over a thousand years from medieval to modern times including; the impact of Warfare, Technology, Biology and the creation of the NHS.

For the British History element the course examines Restoration Britain concentrating on Fire, Plague and Pirates!

Further information on the exam syllabus can be found at: http://www.aqa.org.uk

Why study History at GCSE Level?

History at GCSE Level offers students a number of educational and career opportunities as it combines well with Arts, Science and Social Sciences.

History teaches us valuable life skills and by the end of the course you will be able to evaluate, analyse, communicate, present, organise, prioritise and summarise. All of these skills are not only recognised but valued by employers.

History provides an excellent foundation for journalism, law and business and more
than any other subject it is thought provoking, rewarding, relevant and FUN!

What does the curriculum cover in GCSE History?
Paper 1 Understanding the Modern World  (50% – 1 hour 45 Mins exam) Paper 2 Shaping the Nation (50% – 1 hour 45 Mins exam)
Germany 1905-1940

a)    Germany and the Growth of Democracy

b)    Germany and the Depression

c)     Life in Nazi Germany

Conflict and Tension 1918-1939

a)    Peacemaking

b)    League of Nations

c)     Outbreak of the Second World War

Health and the People c1000 to the present

a)    Medicine stands still

b)    Beginnings of change

c)    Revolution in medicine

d)    Modern medicine

 

Restoration England 1660-1685

a)    Crown, Parliament, plots and Court life

b)    Life in Restoration England

c)    Land, trade and war

d)    Historic environment

What Field Visits will I go on in GCSE History?

Two different field visits are planned for Year 10/11

Autumn Term – Berlin. A 5 day residential visit to the capital of Germany taking in the key sites of one of the most important cities for Twentieth Century History including the Reichstag, the Story of Berlin Museum, Check Point Charlie and the Olympic Stadium.
Summer Term – Hitler on Trial, A fully immersive revision day. 

Curriculum – Key Stage 5

AQA AS/A2 History

At AS/A2 level our students follow the AQA Syllabus, studying options C (Early Modern British History) and option N (European History).

Further information on the exam syllabus can be found at: www.aqa.org.uk/

Why study History at AS/A2 Level?

History at Advanced Level offers students a number of educational and career opportunities. Students who study AS or A2 History have access to a wide range of career and higher education opportunities. By the end of your course you will have learned how to evaluate and analyse information, how to weigh up evidence and different perspectives and how to communicate complex ideas efficiently.

These skills are recognised and valued by employers, universities and colleges. History combines well with Maths and Science subjects to create an attractive portfolio of qualifications, enabling a student to move on to a university science-based course. Combined with English and a Modern Foreign language it would provide a good basis for an arts or languages-based degree.

History AS/A2 provides an excellent foundation for a number of popular careers including journalism, law and business. History at Advanced Level is thought provoking, rewarding and relevant.

What does the curriculum cover in AS/A2 History?
AS Unit 1 – Option C (50% AS) AS Unit 2 – Option N (50% AS)
The Tudors; England, 1485-1547

Key Content:
a)  Henry VII, 1485-1509

I.        Consolidation of power

II.        Government

III.        Foreign Relations

IV.        Society

V.        Economic development

VI.        Religion

b)  Henry VIII, 1509-1547

I.        Character and aims

II.        Government

III.        Foreign Relations

IV.        Society

V.        Economic development

VI.        Religion

Revolution and Dictatorship; Russia, 1917-1929

Key Content:
a)  Dissent and Revolution, 1917

I.        Russia pre-1917

II.        Feb/March Revolution 1917

III.        Return of Lenin

IV.        Oct/November Revolution 1917

b)  Bolshevik Consolidation, 1918-1924

I.        Consolidation of the Communist Dictatorship

II.        Civil War

III.        Economic and Social developments

IV.        Foreign Relations

c)  Stalin’s rise to power, 1924-1929

I.        Power struggle

II.        NEP

III.        Economic developments

IV.        Government

 A Level Unit 1 – Option C (40%) A Level Unit 2 – Option N (40%)
England; turmoil and triumph, 1547-1603

Key Content:
a)  Mid Tudor Crisis, 1547-1563

I.        Edward VI – royal authority, relations with foreign powers

II.        Edward VI – Religious change

III.        Mary I – royal authority, relations with foreign powers

IV.        Mary I – Religious change

V.        Elizabeth I – royal authority, relations with foreign powers

VI.        Elizabeth I – Religious change

b)  Triumph of Elizabeth, 1563-1603

I.        Government

II.        Foreign relations

III.        Society

IV.        Economic development

V.        Religion

VI.        The last years

Stalin’s Rule, 1919-1953 
Key Content:
a)  Economy and Society, 1929-1941

I.        Agricultural and social developments

II.        Industrial and social developments

III.        Stalin cult

IV.        USSR by 1941

b)  Stalinism, politics and control, 1929-1941

I.        Dictatorship

II.        The Yezhovshchina

III.        Culture and society

IV.        Foreign Relations

c)  The Great Patriotic War and Stalin’s dictatorship, 1941-1953

I.        Impact of war

II.        Defeat of Germany

III.        High Stalinism

IV.        Superpower

 A Level Unit 3 – Historical Enquiry (20%)
How wars begin: The European Powers and the Origins of War 
Key Content:

a)    The Congress of Vienna

b)    1848 Revolutions

c)    Unification of Italy and Germany

d)    Bismarck

e)    From Balkan Crisis to European War, 1908-1914

What Field Visits will I go on in AS/A2 History?

Two different field visits are planned for Year 12/13

Autumn Term – Bosworth Battle Field, Leicestershire. The purpose of this visit is to walk in the footsteps of Henry Tudor on his route to taking the throne from Richard III and understanding how he established the Tudor dynasty.

Spring Term – Houses of Parliament, London.  The purpose of this visit is to understand the process of democracy and how the modern process was started in the Tudor age.