Welcome to the History Department

Overview

The history department strives to promote, foster and encourage pupils’ interest, knowledge, understanding and participation in the nature and understanding of history.

The department aims to provide an enriching, positive and rewarding experience for all pupils and ensure that they achieve their full potential regardless of gender, culture, class, or ethnic origin; by this, making history accessible to all, using differentiation throughout its delivery to all Key Stage’s.

At Key Stage 3 the department and its members will deliver the National Curriculum for Key Stage 4, the history department uses Edexcel. When the pupils progress into the Sixth Form they undertake an AS and A2 GCE in history that is examined by Edexcel.

Pupils will be taught the following skills in the abovementioned themes in Key Stage’s 3 and 4:

• Breadth and Depth of study
• Chronological understanding
• Knowledge and understanding of events, people and changes in the past
• Historical interpretation
• Historical enquiry
• Reading
• Understanding texts
• Speaking and listening
• Finding things out using, for example, ICT
• Organisation and communication
• Writing

Rationale

History is yesterday, today and tomorrow. Therefore, history is essential to a pupils’ understanding of the many facets of life today that have been shaped by yesterday and that in turn can help shape the future. History fosters debating and thinking skills that are developed through its implementation in a pupils’ education and such skills can be transferred not only to other subjects but to society and daily life. Therefore, history is taught to the highest standard throughout all of the Key Stage’s.

Aims:

The History department aim to:

• Ensure access to the curriculum for ALL pupils regardless of academic and physical ability, race, class, language, culture, religion or special educational needs.
• Ensure a broad, balanced, relevant and differentiated range of educational experiences for ALL pupils
• Provide an environment where all pupils are respected and valued and their uniqueness recognised and celebrated, which is secure, welcoming and safe.
• Recognise that all pupils have a valuable contribution to make to the learning process and each other’s success, safety and well-being.
• Educate against and challenge ignorance, prejudice and discrimination.
• Recognise and address but never condone the existence of racism and sexism in society.
• Help prepare all pupils for adult life and the world of work in a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic society
• Raise an awareness of the existence and needs of those who suffer prejudice and discrimination
• Celebrate and reflect the cultural, ethnic and religious diversity of the school and community
• Respond and relate to the requirements of the schools equal opportunity policy.

 

Staff

Christopher Doel -        Head of Department – teaches: Key stages 3, 4 and 5

Geraldine Quinlan -       Assistant Headteacher – teaches: Key stages 4

Mark Thorley -            Curriculum Leader Year 9 – teaches: Key stage 3 and 5

Ian Moore -                  History teacher: Key stages 3, 4 and 5

 

Expectations

History Department rules for written work

Always write using BLUE or BLACK ink

Use GREEN ink to make corrections or to mark work.

Use a straight line to cross out mistakes.

Do not use tippex.

 

General rules for conduct

Always:

Act in a polite manner.

Treat your peers and teacher(s) with respect.

Raise your hand if you need to speak to a teacher.

Have your planner on your desk.

Have the correct books.

Hand-in homework on time.

Arrive on time for lessons.

Total silence during examinations

Do not:

Eat or drink during lessons.

Shout out in class.

Walk around the class during lessons without permission from a teacher.

Equipment / Presentation

The department has a ranged of book resources for all age ranges taught and beyond. ICT resources are numerous and each key stage has a bank of resources to use with, for instance, the Interactive White Board.

The department has the use of two full time classrooms and numerous others. School trips fare highly on the yearly calendar with, for instance, trips to the Cabinet War Rooms for year 11 to compliment their coursework, and Whitechapel in East London where students get a historical tour of where Jack the Ripper operated in the nineteenth century; this also compliment their coursework.

Overview of History at The Convent

Key Stage 3 (Year 7-9)

Year 7

In year 7 students are introduced to the nature of history and what the historians’ craft is. Once they have completed this stage, they investigate the complexities of the Roman Empire and Its Rise and Fall. Following this, students look at the Medieval world which is followed by a comparison with the Islamic Civilization. Students look at how both developed and how they were shaped by certain events.

Year 8

In year 8 students are introduced to the complexities of the Tudor world. They look at Tudor society, religion and politics together with, for instance, literature, art and marriage. A look at the key Monarchs is interesting where students get to investigate how religion played such a key role in how the United Kingdom has been shaped. This is followed by a look at the Stuarts and how their world functions, with a look at the same aforementioned themes. The year concludes with a look at what the Tudors and Stuarts did for us.

Year 9

In year 8 students begin with a general look at Change between 1750 and 1900. They look at how aspects like politics, medicine and health, population, work, education and religion contributed and were affected by the Industrial Revolution. Students investigate in depth working conditions, how living conditions changes and, for instance, how the Victorians looked at history. A mock GCSE coursework investigation on Edwardian Britain follows this. The aim is for the students to look at ‘The Sinking of the Titanic’ and the class structure at the time. The two World Wars are looked at next, with the rise of the Dictators in Europe once World War One had concluded. The Cold War follows which ends with the 1980’s and how the world witnessed the collapse of the Berlin Wall.

Key Stage 4 (Year 10-11)

In year’s 10 and 11 students begin with an overview of the key skills in history that are required at GCSE level. Once this has been completed, students look at the USA between 1941 and the 1980’s; called The Divided Union. Following this, students either investigate Hitler and Germany between 1930 and 1939, or The end of apartheid in South Africa: 1984-1994; these two units form the remainder of year 10.

In year 11 students complete their coursework assignments in the first term; initially looking at The Role of Women during the Second World War, which is followed by Jack the Ripper which focuses on a social history of nineteenth century England, specifically, London and the East End. The Soviet Union between the 1930’s and the 1980’s concludes the taught part of the GCSE course. Revision follows in the summer term that concludes once the candidates have sat their two written exams.

Key Stage 5 (Years 12-13)

In year’s 12 and 13 students complete an initial introduction to what is expected at Advanced Level in history. Students then begin their AS history by looking at Russia between 1905 and 1917 and Germany whilst the Nazi’s were in power. The latter is a coursework o Opposition to Nazism and the former looks at how revolutionary Russian developed. Once the coursework has been completed students look at nationalism in Italy and Europe in the nineteenth century, whilst continuing their Russian studies. Year 12 is concluded with exams in the Italy and Russia units.

In year 13, students look at Ireland from 1800 until 1921. Alongside this students conduct some individual research on a topic of their choice that has also been checked and validated by the Head of Department; students investigate an agreed question and sit a three hour exam in the spring term. In the second term students look at the Cold War until the 1960’s which concludes with an exam in the summer term.