History

History at St. James’

At Key Stage 3, History is taught for 3 periods a fortnight in Year 7, and for 4 periods a fortnight in Years 7 and 8. At Key Stage 4, GCSE pupils have 3 lessons of History a week.

The Department is based in two mobile classrooms, and we have a large variety of resources that help to make History a popular subject within the school. Recently, two interactive whiteboards were purchased which have transformed teaching and learning.

Assessment is rigorous. Homework is set once a week, and all books are marked once a month. Regular NCATS (National Curriculum Assessment Tasks) provide pupils with a level that shows how they are making progress. At the end of Year 9, pupils receive an end of Key Stage curriculum level.

History is a fascinating subject that continues to interest both pupils and adults today – after all, how can we begin to understand the state of the world today without understanding how we got here? At St. James’, we have constructed a course that shows how History is relevant to today’s world. We look at brilliant individuals, hideous diseases, terrible wars, great industrial changes, the evils of racism and revolutions. But the core message is the same – History is about people who were both the same as and yet incredibly different from ourselves.

We also teach the essential History skills:

Chronology – to give pupils a sense of the importance of time.

Causation and change – how and why do things happen? Could they have happened any differently?

Evidence – What evidence can we use about the past?

Interpretations – Why do people interpret events differently?

Enquiry – Why is it important to find things out for ourselves?

We start off with a basic History unit that teaches pupils about what History is, what sorts of evidence we have, and how we can use that information. Our first core unit is Britain 1066-1500, where we look at high life and low life. Pupils find out why William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings, and then find out about the highs and the lows of medieval life. We then compare Britain with the fabulous Roman Empire, before returning to Britain and the achievements of Queen Elizabeth I (Britain 1500-1750).

Assessment of these units is through a mixture of tests, projects, role plays and written answers that produces a National Curriculum attainment level through which progress can be measured. In addition, pupils will be given opportunities to use a variety of sources, ICT media and their own research during the year.

In Year 8, we continue to build upon these skills. We find out about the horrors of the English Civil Wars (Britain 1500-1750), and then look in greater detail on life in Tudor and Stuart times. The focus then switches to the Black Peoples of the Americas, and then back to the Industrial Revolution and its momentous changes (Britain 1750-1900). We finish off the year with a look at changing attitudes to the British Empire. Pupils continue to be assessed and are given a national curriculum level through a variety of different assessments.

Year 9 consolidates all of this work. We begin by comparing World War One with World War Two, and then examine in detail the complex reasons for the Holocaust. Remembering how History can tell us about the present, we then look at two case studies on ‘Why has it been so hard to achieve peace in Northern Ireland?’ and ‘How have women achieved their rights in Britain today?’ (History and Citizenship) before finishing off with a look at the world of nuclear weapons – the Cold War. Pupils are again assessed and are given an end of Key Stage 3 Level.

A number of trips are also offered –

Year 8 – Quarry Bank Mill

Year 9 – Imperial War Museum North

Year 10 – Western Front Battlefields Trip

At Key Stage 4 pupils opting to take History do so in a thriving and successful department. History is a popular option, and our results are consistently at 80%+ A*-C and above each year.

Pupils opting to take History at GCSE follow the AQA Modern World Syllabus B course. They study the following subjects:

Year 10

• The Origins of the First World War

• Britain’s role in the First World War

• Each year, the department takes our Key Stage 4 pupils to the  Western Front battlefield sites.

• The USA 1919-1941

• Germany 1918-1939

Year 11

• Coursework (two assignments)

• Assignment 1 – Stalin and the USSR

• Assignment 2 – Britain and Evacuation

• International Relations 1919-1939

• The Origins of the Cold War

Assessment is through two written papers (75%) and coursework (25%)