Subject Spotlight History

Year 7:

This half term Year 7 will be focussing on exploring and developing their understanding of different historical skills. Some of the skills they will look at include chronology, inference and extracting evidence from sources. This half term Year 7s will also study life in Anglo-Saxon England and understand how this compares to life in England today.

Year 8:

Year 8 will be studying the development of the British Empire this half term. They have already developed an understanding of why Britain wanted an empire and this week have begun to research the different explorers responsible for forging the empire. They will then move on to look at the development of the early colonies within the empire and the issues colonists faced.

Year 9:

This half term Year 9 students will be completing an introduction unit focussed on the history of Migration in Britain from c800 to present day. Students will be examining cases studies on different migrant groups that have immigrated to Britain, the treatment they received and the impact they’ve had on British society. Throughout this unit, students will focus on the key historical skills of inference, causation, change and continuity. After half term, students will begin their first GCSE unit on Crime and Punishment in Britain, c1000 to present day.

Year 10:

Year 10 History students have made an excellent start to the second unit of their GCSEs focussed on Early Elizabethan England from 1558-1588. Students will be studying the problems faced by Elizabeth when she became Queen and how she managed to overcome these. In particular, students will focus on the issue of religion and the implementation of Elizabeth’s Religious Settlement.

Year 11:

This half term Year 11 students have been finishing the third unit of their History GCSE focussed on the American West from 1835-1895. Students have been studying the development in the infrastructure of the West and the impact this had on Native Americans. Within lessons, students have been improving their exam technique and focussing on the skill of writing an analytical narrative account. In the next few weeks students will be starting their final GCSE unit on Weimar and Nazi Germany from 1918-1939. Next week Year 11 History students will be visiting Whitechapel in London to take part in a walking tour connected to the historical environment study in paper 1. This will be an excellent opportunity for students to visit the sites studied in lessons, interact with primary sources and revise and apply their knowledge of 19th century crime and policing in the Whitechapel area.

Year 13:

Year 13 students have started the researching phase of their coursework this week and so far have demonstrated an excellent level of enthusiasm and attitude to learning. They will also begin studying the third paper of their A Level this half term which is titled Poverty, public health and the state in Britain c1780 – 1939.

Mrs Smith,
Head of Humanities