Our Curriculum Intent
Our diverse history curriculum provides a high-level of challenge for all of our students. Through the use of interpretations and sources, we build our students’ capacity to understand, argue and analyse effectively, and support them to make progress.
Gold Standard Teaching and Learning across the Faculty
- As well as the general Gold Standard T&L pedagogy (as listed in the bullet points below), the nine historical thinking skills are intrinsically built into the SOW from Y7 through to Y11. These skills are: Interpretation, comparison, contextualization, synthesis, causation, patterns of continuity and change over time and Periodisation. These are grouped into four categories: Analysing Historical Sources and Evidence, Making Historical Connections, Chronological Reasoning, and Creating and Supporting an Historical Argument.
- Effective seating plans to be available, highlighting students who are PP, SEN and G&T
- Assessment maps, interweaved with PLC’s, to be integral in developing a students’ autonomy and understanding of their own progression and target setting
- Regular use of subject specific terminology (supporting Tier 3 Language Skills) to be used by the teacher and students, across both Key Stages, , so that the students retention skills are developed, supporting the higher grades at GCSE Level. This is a key focus for 2019 – 2020.
- Appropriate differentiation
- Stretch and challenge through questioning, modelling (both student and teacher) and via the variety of tasks set
- Assessment for learning
- Effective use of summative data to inform short, medium and long-term planning
- DIRT
- Pair work, group work and independent work
Key Stage 4 Examination Overview
Exam Board Details: Pearson Edexcel GCSE History
Paper 1 – 1 hour and 15 minutes – 30%* of the qualification: Thematic study and the historic environment: Crime and punishment in Britain, c1000-present and Whitechapel, c1870-1900, policing and inner city.
Paper 2 – 1 hour and 45 minutes – 40%* of the qualification: Period study and British depth study: Early Elizabethan England, 1558-1588 and Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941-91
Paper 3: 1 hour and 20 minutes – 30%* of the qualification Modern depth study: The USA, 1954-75: conflict at home and abroad.
What resources could I buy or borrow that will help my child?
www.pearsonschoolandfecolleges.co.uk
Get any print combined Revision Guide and workbook for the schools’ price of £2.70* (RRP £5.99) for the module titles listed above.
These books can also be purchased from Amazon but for a higher price.
What are the key websites or Apps that my child could use?
www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize – BBC Bitesize has an Edexcel section where pupils can select our units of learning.
www.senecalearning.com – Good for revision for a range of subjects, just ensure that you search for ‘History Edexcel GCSE’
https://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/ – you can search for several topics including many of our areas of study.
https://spartacus-educational.com/ – Academic encyclopaedias available here for reading.
What can I do to encourage my child to take further interest in History?
Any documentaries about the topics that we study at GCSE will help to consolidate knowledge and applied to several circumstances. Other methods of engagement include:
Books
- The Five by Hallie Rubenhold
- Cold War: for forty-five years the world held its breath by Jeremy Isaacs & Taylor Downing
Documentaries and films
- The Cold War – CNN – The Cold War Documentary found on YouTube.
- Crime and Punishment – Tony Robinson Series Documentary
- Blood Queens documentary
- Elizabeth (1998)
- Elizabeth: The Golden Age
- Timelines TV – YouTube channel
- BBC teach – women’s history playlist
- BBC Teach History playlist
- Smithsonian magazine
- History Extra – YouTube
- BBC History YouTube playlist
History Podcast
- BBC You’re Dead to Me – Greg Jenner
- BBC In Our Time with Melvyn Bragg
- History Extra on Spotify
- Dan Snow’s History Hit
- BBC World Service – Witness
- Histories of the Unexpected
- HistoryPod – On this day in history pod
Email Links
To find out more about the curriculum we are studying please contact staff via email