Year 7 – Conquest and Monarchy

From the moment Edward the Confessor dies without an heir you just know there is going to be trouble …

Starting our course at this momentous point we trace the origins and events of the Norman Conquest, not stopping when the arrow lands in Harold’s eye but also looking at how the Norman’s gained control of a hostile foreign land. In Year 7 we look at some of our most famous monarchs – Henry II and his tragic quarrel with Becket, and King John and his Magna Carta. Not forgetting the ‘ordinary people’, we look at the impact of Black Death and the Peasant’s Revolt on medieval society.  We spread our wings globally to consider the kingdom of Mali and medieval Islamic civilisations.

Students have 3 lessons per fortnight in Year 7 to cover this exciting period of Medieval History.

Year 8 – The making of Modern Britain

From the powerful Tudors to the doomed Stuarts, we look at the transformation of Britain, continuing with the issue of slavery and its eventual abolition. We also consider a revolution abroad, in France.

Students have 4 lessons per fortnight in Year 8 to study these transformative years.

Year 9 – Revolution and Conflict

We embark on an overview of 19th Century Britain, focusing on the Industrial Revolution, political upheaval and the demand for fair elections. The last part of Year 9 focuses on the conflicts of the first part of the 20th Century – World Wars I and II. We look at how these conflicts were caused, how they were fought and how they were won. These topics give valuable contextual understanding for those going on to study the Modern World at GCSE History and also allow all students to try and grasp just what impact these events had. We also look at the Holocaust and try to comprehend how it could have happened.

Students have 4 lessons a fortnight to in Year 9 to cover these important issues.

Formal assessment in KS3 takes the form of three Key Assessments per year focused on key historical skills – essay writing, source analysis and an historical enquiry. There are no end of year exams in History for Years 7-9.