History

History is incredible, fascinating, complex and at times shocking. This course is packed full of interesting people, places, events and colourful stories. We explore the problems, choices and beliefs of people in the past and try to understand why things happened the way that they did. The GCSE History course helps us to understand where we came from, which shapes our decisions about the world around us and our future. There is no one way of seeing the past so you will make your own judgements and challenge and question each other and your teachers. History develops problem solving, critical thinking, research and communication skills. It builds your confidence in a wide range of transferable skills that will help you in your other GCSEs, future studies and careers.

If you would rather debate, discuss and deliberate than be told the ‘facts’ then this is the course for you.

Half Term 1 - Key Skills & the Battle of Hastings

This provides our students with core skills in history. We then use these as skills focus’ for 1066 where practise them using Historical subjects.

Half Term 2 - The Norman Conquest

This is used to help students develop their interpretation skills as well as understanding the nature of Medieval society.

Half Term 3 - Kings and Castles, Medieval England 1086-1215

This is designed to show change over time and how this can be explained. Also explored is the relationship between the monarch and the people. The development of democracy and Magna Carta.

Half Term 4 - Life in Medieval England

To help show how society and standards of living have developed over time and the impact of the Black death on society and what changes it led to.

Half Term 5 - Why did Henry VIII change religion in England?

To study the relationship between the church and the crown and how this impacts the world around us today in the form of the Church of England.

Half Term 6 - Elizabeth I

To show how Elizabeth dealt with social issues -  this is also designed to provide core knowledge for the GCSE course.

Half Term 1 - Great minds and the Industrial Revolution

We do not teach the English Civil War therefore this is designed to plug a gap in chronology and show students what society is like by 1750 and what changes have taken place.

Half Term 2 - Slavery and the British Empire

This is to explain to students how interpretations have changed over time. It also is designed to demonstrate How Britain's relationship with the World has changed over time as well.

Half Term 3 - The struggle for Women's suffrage

Being an all boys school it seems logical to study how women's lives have changed and developed over the last century - as well as the local History link to Epsom.

Half Term 4 - World War One

Seminal moment in British social history and Twentieth Century world History. Use of sources and causation skills in this unit as causation isa  core element of the GCSE course as are sources.

Half Term 5 - The Rise of Nazi Germany

This is part of the curriculum to provide a core base of knowledge which students can take to study with at GCSE.

Half Term 6 - World War Two and the Home Front

A focus on how World War Two changed the Uk, the Welfare state and how the war affected ordinary people. Also linked to school and local history. Used as a core base of knowledge for GCSE London in WW2 module and source skills.

Half Term 1 - What problems did Elizabeth I face when she came to the throne?

We start of with Elizabeth course as it develops the idea of chronological History and is conceptually the easiest of the Papers.

Half Term 2 - How did Elizabeth deal with foreign threats to England?

This follows on ith Elizabeth solving her domestic issues and then moving to the wider world -  this can then be linked to religious struggle first spoken about in previous half term.

Half Term 3 - How did Elizabeth change English society?

This is done last as a stand alone topic bu then linked to other topics in terms of how these three units link together to form “Big History”

Half Term 4 - Warfare Through Time 1250-1500

This is linked to original KS3 chronological history of Britain therefore students have a base idea of British society. This module focuses on how Medieval society and warfare were closely linked.

Half Term 5 - Warfare Through Time 1500-1750

This module focuses on key changes to weaponry and tactics during this time period because of the invention of gunpowder. Patterns taught here are revisited in the next two topics.

Half Term 6 - Warfare through time 1750-1900

This module focuses heavily on the relationship between the Media and changes in Warfare, this referred back to as a recurring theme in the next topic.

Half Term 1 - Warfare through time 1900-present day

This focuses on the evolution of modern warfare but also compares and contrasts warfare with the last thee topics - these topics focus heavily on causation as a skill.

Half Term 2 - London during World War Two

This topic focuses heavily on source work and builds upon source work done at the end of Year 8.

Half Term 3 - London During World War Two

This topic was chosen as it is a local history project and resources from local museum are heavily utilised in helping students to relate including sources from school Archives.

Half Term 4 - The Weimar Republic 1919-1925

Builds heavily on topic in Year 8. Conceptually introducing idea of communism and fascism and capitalism in more depth and breadth than KS3. Builds on work on Treaty of Versailles in Year 8 and sourcework around it.

Half Term 5 - How did Hitler come to power in Germany in 1933?

Heavily source based course building on skills already introduced in last module with London in WW2.

Half Term 6 - How did the Nazis change society?

Focus on social element of Nazi state and then compared to weimar society - use of criteria to judge which society suited different groups of people better.

Half Term 1 - The Cold War 1941-1962

Taught chronologically in a story like fashion and exam questions reflect this. Focus on decades with beginning, middle and ends. Taking elements of competing ideologies already taught during Nazi Germany course, lots of links to World War Two and Hitler from last modules and Year 8 SOW.

Half Term 2 - The Cold War 1962-1989

Continued referral to ideas introduced at start of course particularly during end of the cold war and Reagan's role within that.

Due to chronological narrative nature of course continuous referral and comparison between events at start of course are made.

Half Term 3 - Revision

Revision on kep concepts within each course topic.

• Change and Continuity
• Links
• Causation
• Chronology

Half Term 4 - Revision

Source Skills

Half Term 5 - Revision

Essay writing skills