We aim to develop informed, historically adept and literate students who can make good, safe and ethical choices in an ever-changing world and recognise the opportunities for employment in the 21st century. Additionally, we want to give all students the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life.

The history department believes that a solid grasp of the history of the world is hugely important in young people developing as open-minded, free thinking, questioning and articulate members of society. We will ensure that enjoyment and understanding of the subject is pursued through understanding of the cultural, social and economic complexities of the past. Students will understand differing cultural contexts in their pursuit of knowledge of the subject.

The history our students study takes them on a chronological journey across Key Stage 3 allowing them to make sensible connections to their prior learning each half term. We aim to ensure our pupils will be equipped with all the historical skills necessary to interpret sources, analyse evidence and understand the past. They will be able to construct coherent arguments by considering different opinions about the past. Learning will cover a range of periods, from the events of 1066 and the Norman Invasion, the Industrial Revolution, the spread of the British Empire, the Cold War and the War Against Terror. All these topics, from different eras, will provide pupils with vital knowledge and skills for understanding the world today.

Through fostering a passion for the subject through dynamic teaching and rigorous assessment, pupils will become well-versed in the importance of interpreting the past in order to understand the present, and consider the future. Our pupils will appreciate and understand the diverse nature of modern society and be able to effectively communicate knowledge and understanding and be confident, articulate citizens. For our aspiring historians, we aim to provide a clear route to allow success academically as well as offering transferable skills that will equip all pupils for future success.

We ensure that we deliver an age appropriate, high quality learning experience, inclusive for all students; where students are natured, challenged and encouraged to learn, working in partnership with our staff.

Year 7 History

Half Term 1 & 2: History Skills and the Roman Empire

Student’s will study an introduction to essential History skills such as the use of time nd chronology, anachronisms, using evidence and source analysis and evaluation. They will do this by carrying out an investigation into the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.

Half Term 3 & 4: Islamic and British Empire

Students will study the causes, events and consequences of the rise of the Islamic Empire and will be able to draw comparisons between it and the Roman Empire. They will then follow a similar pattern by studying the British Empire and draw comparisons between all three empires they have studied; Roman, Islamic and British.

Half Term 5: Local History Study

Students will study the development of Sheffield from a small settlement to a town and then look at the growing steel industry and its consequences for people and the city. Within this they will study famous events such as the Sheffield Flood of 1864 and compare it to the one in 2007. They will look at living conditions and crime in Sheffield and also study the causes, events and consequences of the Hillsborough Disaster April 15^th 1989.

Half Term 6: Events that stunned the world

Students will study famous events of the 20^th Century and their impact on the world we live in today. Focus will be on events including the Titanic 1912, The Assassination of JFK, The Moon Landings, The 9/11 attacks and their consequences.

Year 8 History

Half Term 1: How much power did the King really have

Students study the medieval period in regards to the succession crisis of 1066 and subsequent challenges to the monarch’s authority for example the Barons forcing King John to sign the Magna Carta, the fall out between Henry II and Thomas Beckett and the causes, events and consequences of the Peasants Revolt. They finish by studying the reign of Henry VIII focussing on how he used his power to reform religion in England etc.

Half Term 2: How much power did the people really have

Students will look at how the people challenged the rule of Monarch and Parliament, they will focus on key events such as the Gunpowder Plot, Causes, events and consequences of the English Civil War, the Interregnum, the Glorious Revolution and restoration of monarch and the growing power of people and parliament.

Half Term 3: Transatlantic Slave Trade

Students will study Africa before slavery, Capture, the Middle Passage, Slave Auctions, Life on a plantation, Revolt and resistance, Abolition, History of transatlantic slavery and how it resulted in the growth of industry both in America and Britain.

Half Term 4: The Industrial Revolution

Students will study the growth of industry in England with some focus on Sheffield and the steel industry and how the growth of industries connected the country and how living conditions in late Victorian England resulted in JTR getting away with his crimes

Half Term 5: Edwardians and World War One

Students will study life in Edwardian Britain and how different classes in society were treated. They will look at the emerging Women’s suffrage movements and the growing threat of war.

Half Term 6: World War One

Students will study the Long term and short term causes if the war, the Schlieffen Plan, Trenches, Recruitment, the Battle of the Somme, Empire troops

Year 9 History

Half Term 1: The Inter-war years

Students will study the Treaty of Versailles 1919, life in Britain in the 1920s and 30s, the fear of Communism and the growth of Fascism.

Half Term 2: WW2 and the Home Front

Students will study the main events of the war and what life was like in Britain on the Home Front eg evacuation, rationing role of women etc

Half Term 3: The Holocaust

Students will study the events of the Holocaust, how and why it happened and why it is so significant.

Half Term 4: The Cold War

Students will study the causes, events and consequences of the Cold War 1946-1991. They will focus on events such as the division of Germany, the growing threat of Communism, The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War.

Half Term 5: Global Protest: South Africa and Apartheid

Students will study the causes of South African apartheid and its Impact and consequences. They will look at how key figures such as Nelson Mandela and key events such as the 1994 Rugby World Cup and 2012 Football World Cup has helped to shape modern day South Africa.

Half Term 6: Global Protest: Does equality exist?

Students will study the History of Protest focussing on Civil Rights – movements and events to include the Jim Crow, Civil Rights Protests, Montgomery, Selma, Malcolm X, and Outcomes. Students will focus on events and protests such as Race Riots, Gay Liberation Front and make links to recent events such as the BLM movement and the LGBTQ+ movement.

Topics Covered:

• History Skills
• The Roman Empire
• The Islamic Empire
• The British Empire

Key Knowledge and Skills:

• Source analysis, using evidence, making a judgement, debate and discussion and extended written work.
• Growth of Empires and reasons for this.
• Comparison of life in different empires.
• Understanding the challenges faced by ruling Empires and why they decline.

Assessment:

• 3 formal Assessments one in line with TSAT
• Regular use of VIP style questions and assessment style questions: Eg explain, source analysis throughout the year.

Homework:

• On a fortnightly basis using a Bingo sheet menu which has a variety of tasks with differing levels of challenge on them for each topic students’ study.

Links to Careers and Preparation for Life in Modern Britain:

• Students look at and develop their discussion and debate skills and ability to interpret written and numerical data.
• Students develop their understanding of how diverse Britain is, how and why it is governed and similarities and differences amongst different cultures.

Topics Covered:

• Fight for power
• Slavery
• Industrial Revolution
• Edwardians and World War One

Key Knowledge and Skills:

• Source analysis, interpretations, using evidence, making a judgement, debate and discussion, empathy and critical thinking.
• Causes, events and consequences of why people/countries fight and invade others.
• The impact of slavery and it’s lasting legacy.

Assessment:

• 3 formal Assessments one in line with TSAT
• Regular use of VIP style questions and assessment style questions: Eg explain, source analysis throughout the year.

Homework:

• On a fortnightly basis using a Bingo sheet menu which has a variety of tasks with differing levels of challenge on them for each topic students’ study.

Links to Careers and Preparation for Life in Modern Britain:

• Students look at and develop their discussion and debate skills and ability to interpret written and numerical data.
• Students develop their understanding of how diverse Britain is, how and why it is governed and similarities and differences amongst different cultures.
• Links are made to modern day slavery and the issues and impact this causes.

Topics Covered:

• Interwar period 1919-1939
• WW2 & the Home Front
• The Holocaust
• The Cold War
• Civil Rights and Protest movements

Key Knowledge and Skills:

• Source analysis, interpretations, using evidence, making a judgement, debate and discussion, empathy and critical thinking.
• Causes, events and consequences of why people/countries fight and invade others.
• The causes, events and consequences of civil rights campaigns and activists including their legacy and impact on society today.

Assessment:

• 3 formal Assessments one in line with TSAT
• Regular use of VIP style questions and GCSE exam style questions: Eg explain, interpret, clear and organised summary, source analysis throughout the year.

Homework:

• On a fortnightly basis using a Bingo sheet menu which has a variety of tasks with differing levels of challenge on them for each topic students’ study.

Links to Careers and Preparation for Life in Modern Britain:

• Students look at and develop their discussion and debate skills and ability to interpret written and numerical data.
• Students develop their understanding of how diverse Britain is, how and why it is governed and similarities and differences amongst different cultures.
• Links are made to modern day protests and civil rights campaigns in regards to what drives them and their impact.

Students will follow the OCR 9-1 GCSE History Specification

Year 10

Students study the Paper 1 component:

A Local History Site – Conisbrough Castle

Focussing on its structure, features, use and change over time, different interpretations of the castle and this will also include a visit to the site and guided tour.

Students will then study Paper 2 components

The Norman Conquest 1065-1087

Focussing on Life in Anglo-Saxon England, Edward the Confessor’s death and the succession crisis, the battles of 1066, rebellion and revolt and how William secured power.

People’s Health 1250 – Present Day

Focussing on the causes and responses to the outbreaks of the Black Death, living conditions in towns and how this changed over time. The role of the government and changes in housing.

Year 11

Students will study Paper 3 components:

The Making of America 1789-1900

Focussing on migration to the west, impact of migration on Native Americans, slavery and the slave trade, the causes, events and consequences of the cvil war and the groth of towns and business.

Living under Nazi Rule 1933-1945

Focussing on propaganda and terror, life for men and women, the Hitler Youth, the persecution of the Jews and Germany at war.

Revision:

• Revision sessions for Year 11 are run every Monday currently and always start immediately after the summer break.
• There will be time after the Easter Holiday in Year 11 to revise aspects form all components and the key skills needed for accessing the exam successfully and this will also be utilised in Year 11 Life lessons from January (Covid 19 restrictions permitting).

2. Success Criteria

Key concepts in History are

• Facts, terms studied in history for example - First Order (Substantive) Concepts covering aspects such as conquest, democracy, power, revolution etc. Second Order Concepts shape Historical questions and help to organise and apply subject knowledge eg cause and consequence, change and continuity, similarity and difference, significance.
• KS2 was considered when we remodelled the curriculum to ensure students were not simply repeating the little History they had studied at primary school eg Romans, Henry VIII and also History skills have been a foci throughout the development along with knowledge for example chronology, analysis and evaluation, interpretation work etc.
• KS4 was taken into consideration as well in regards to the skills that students need to be successful at KS4 are embedded into the KS3 curriculum as are the framework in terms of style of assessment and questions used. The content is broader to ensure students have a wider experience of History as opposed to a 5-year GCSE plan.

3. Assessments

• Assessments across Key Stage 3 incorporate the skills and knowledge that students require to be successful at History and also prepare them for GCSE. There is a structure to the assessments across Key Stage 3 that allows all students to complete GCSE style questions with similar marks, mark schemes and format for example how far, judgement, knowledge retrieval.
• All KS3 assessments incorporate questions from prior topics to enable the embedding of this knowledge and to allow students to reflect and showcase what they have studied and retained. Trackers are used by all staff to record the end of topic assessments for all KS3 classes which allows myself and class teachers to recognise trends in terms of how successful students are answering different types of assessment questions and identify relevant interventions where there are obvious misconceptions on how to answer some questions et al.
• Students are given written feedback on their assessments and are encouraged to act on this to fix any glaring misconceptions and a feedback lesson is delivered to ensure students have a better understanding of WWW and EBI after completing assessments.
• Assessments and GCSE questions are used frequently across all KS4 Topics and are embedded into the SOW and lesson planning. All staff take part in regular standardisation both in house and external - provided by OCR and a senior OCR exam writer. In view of the fact we have 3 new staff 1 TF and 2 NQT this process and CPD has already begun both in house along with OCR external training as well.

4. Student Achievement

5. Learning walks and work scrutiny

• Learning walks should evidence all History staff teaching and following the curriculum in chronological order therefore there should be no glaring difference in regards to the topic being taught – although depending on timetabling issues and other factors there maybe a slight difference in regards to teachers being a lesson in front or behind others.
• Learning walks will reflect a young enthusiastic team (led by an experienced older member of staff) who all have a passion for their subject and share this in an engaging and positive manner which encourages a positive climate for learning – as demonstrated by learning walks carried out by myself and SLT staff to date.
• There will be modelling and scaffolding in lessons to support the ability levels of learners and classes along with challenge questions to ensure we teach to the top and have the highest of expectations of all our classes.
• Weekly LW and mentor meeting are taking place across all the team to ensure we share best practice and encourage honest and open dialogue regarding pedagogy in practice.
• All staff use a variety of resources, share their passion and are encouraged to tell the story to ensure that History remains a well-loved and popular option choice across the school which is evident by the take up at GCSE every year.

Students study the following topics:

British Depth Study – the Normans 1065-1087

Focus on following areas:

• The character of late Anglo-Saxon England
• How and why William of Normandy became King of England in 1066
• Norman Rule 1067-1071
• The nature and purpose of Norman castles in England to 1087
• The impact of the Norman Conquest on society up to 1087

History around us – a site study of Conisbrough Castle – focus is on how it has being used and changed and developed over time since being built during the Norman Conquest and rule up to Present day.

Thematic Study – The People’s Health c1250-Present Day

• Medieval Britain 150-1500
• Early Modern Britain 1500-1750
• Industrial Britain – 1750-1900
• Britain since 1900

World Study – Living under Nazi Rule 1933-1945

• Democracy to Dictatorship January 1933 to August 1934
• Control and opposition 1933-1939
• Changing lives 1933-1939
• Germany in war
• Occupation of eat and Western Europe.

Period Study – The Making of America 1789-1900

• American Expansion 1789-1838
• The West 1839-1860
• Civil War and Reconstruction 1861-1877
• Settlement and conflict on the Plains 1867-1877
• American cultures 1877-1900

Key Skills to be assessed across the topics:

• AO1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the key features and characteristics of the periods studied.  35% of total marks.
• AO2 Explain and analyse historical events and periods studied using second order historical concepts. 35% of total marks.
• AO3 Analyse, evaluate and use sources (contemporary to the period) to make substantiated judgements,
• in the context of historical events studied. 15% of total marks.
• AO4 Analyse, evaluate and make substantiated judgements about interpretations in the context of historical events studied. 15% of total marks.