Why do we learn History?
Head of Department
Our Approach
Phase/Key Stage introduction(s)

Why do we learn History?

The History department at Ark Boulton supports all pupils to become effective Historians. History is an important subject as it provides pupils with the knowledge and skills to fully participate in a pluralistic and democratic society. The purpose of our History curriculum is to enable pupils to answer and frame historical questions to become independent and confident historians. The substantive knowledge pupils acquire through our curriculum enriches their sense of identity as it provides them with an understanding of their place within the local, national and global context. Further, the knowledge focus of our curriculum is transformative, equipping pupils with the cultural literacy required to compete with their contemporaries and in turn upskill their communities. Additionally, through the pursuit of history pupils learn how to analyse evidence and draw informed conclusions, skills which are important in a range of subjects and professions.

Head of Department

Head of History

Mrs M Khanom

Our Approach

The purpose of our History curriculum is to enable pupils to answer and frame historical questions to become independent and confident historians. The substantive knowledge pupils acquire through our curriculum enriches their sense of identity as it provides them with an understanding of their place within the local, national and global context. Additionally, through the pursuit of history, pupils learn how to analyse evidence and draw informed conclusions, skills which are important in a range of subjects and professions.

Phase/Key Stage introduction(s)

At KS3 the curriculum is chronologically designed to embed an understanding of significant periods within British history, along with equipping pupils with the necessary analytical and evaluative skills to become great historians. 

At KS4, pupils will work towards a GCSE in history following the Edexcel specification. 

Year 7

Autumn

1.    Byzantine empire (story summary)

2.    Islamic civilizations (Baghdad and knowledge)

3.    Western Christian world

4.    Norman Conquest

5.    Normans in Sicily (story summary)          
Spring

1.    Byzantine Empire – First Crusade

2.    Barons challenge English monarchy

3.    Mongol expansion OR Mali Empire

4.    Edward I (English expansion in the British Isles) - very short enquiry (e.g. two lesson), so won’t come up as piece of extended writing in assessment

5.    Black Death.  
Summer

1.    Late medieval kingship (Wars of the Roses)

2.    Renaissance and Humanism

3.    Reformation in Germany

4.    Henry VIII’s Break with Rome (story summary)

5.    Reformation and resistance (Morebath)

 

All Year 7 subjects Next Year 7 Subject - Maths

Year 8

Autumn

Life in Medieval England

Corruption of the Catholic Church

The English Reformation

Elizabethan Era                                                
Spring

The Domestic System

The Industrial Revolution

How did Britain change by 1900?
Summer

The British Empire

The British Empire in Africa, India, China.

Was the British Empire a force of good or evil?

The Slave Trade

 

All Year 8 subjects Next Year 8 Subject - Maths

Year 9

Autumn

1. Introduction to revolutions.

2. French Revolution

3. Haitian Revolution

3. Suffragette movement

4. Russian Revolution.  
Spring

1. Consequences of WW1

2. Nazi Germany

3. Causes of WW2.  
Summer

1. The Holocaust

2. The League of Nations

3. The Partition of India

4. European Union

5. Immigration

6. War on Terror

 

All Year 9 subjects Next Year 9 Subject - Maths

Year 10

Autumn

1. Introduction to Medicine through time.

2. Medieval Medicine

3. Renaissance Medicine

4. 17th and 18th c medicine

5.19th and 20th Medicine

6. Modern Day medicine.  
Spring

1. Medicine on the Western Front 1914-18

2. Elizabethan England - Queen government and religion 1558-69

3. Challenges to Elizabeth at home and abroad

4. Elizabethan society in the Age of Exploration 1558-88.
Summer

1. The Weimar Republic 1918-29

2. Hitler's rise to power 1919-33

3. Nazi control and dictatorship 1933-39

4. Life in Nazi Germany 1933-39    

 

All Year 10 subjects Next Year 10 Subject - Maths

Year 11

Autumn

1. The Weimar Republic 1918-29

2. Hitler's rise to power 1919-33

3. Nazi control and dictatorship 1933-39

4. Life in Nazi Germany 1933-39
 
Spring

1. Challenges to Elizabeth at home and abroad

2. Elizabethan society in the Age of Exploration 1558-88

3. Revision (RS: Reteach and Revision) 
Summer

Exams

 

All Year 11 subjects Next Year 11 Subject - Maths