Why learn History?

The study of History will help our pupils understanding of their local area, their country and the wider world.  It will give them a wider understanding of the world they live in and help them answer difficult questions such as:

  • Why do wars happen? 
  • Why is Britain a democracy?
  • How did Britain become a major power?
  • What do we mean by left and right wing in politics?
  • Why do we have a welfare system?  
  • How have we come to live in a multi-cultural society?

History will also teach our pupils a range of important skills that will help them in their future studies and careers.  These skills include:

  • Excellent communication and writing skills 
  • How to construct an argument 
  • Research skills 
  • Investigation and problem-solving skills 
  • Analytical and interpretation skills

Finally studying History can lead on to exciting job opportunities in the future in careers such as:

  • Journalism 
  • Law
  • Business 
  • Politics 
  • Archaeology 
  • Marketing 
  • Teaching

History Curriculum Overview

Please click the year group and half-term to view additional information.

Half Term 1 Half Term 2 Half Term 3
Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge
The study of a theme in British history before 1066. The development of Church, state, and society in Medieval Britain 1066-1509 The development of Church, state, and society in Medieval Britain 1066-1509
What is History? Why was England invaded in 1066? How did the Normans complete the conquest?
How and why did Britain change from the Stone Age until 1066? Why did William win the Battle of Hastings?  
Skills / application of knowledge Skills / application of knowledge Skills / application of knowledge
Start to identify the challenges of studying history and explain why contrasting interpretations are made. Show knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of the period studied. Show knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of the period studied.
Show knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of the periods studied. Explain and analyse historical events studied using second-order concepts. Analyse and evaluate contemporary sources to make substantiated judgements.
    Explain and analyse historical events studied using second-order concepts.
Links to prior learning Links to prior learning Links to prior learning
Consolidate and extend learning from key stage 1 and 2. Prior knowledge of Viking invasions. Prior knowledge of previous successful invasions of England pre-1066, including the Romans.
Assessment Assessment Assessment
Knowledge Quizzes Knowledge Quizzes Knowledge Quizzes
Introductory Test Essay – Causation question on the reasons for William's victory at the Battle of Hastings Explain the importance question
Half Term 4 Half Term 5 Half Term 6
Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge
The development of Church, state, and society in Medieval Britain 1066-1509 The development of Church, state, and society in Medieval Britain 1066-1509 The development of Church, state, and society in Britain 1509-1745.
How did people live in Medieval England? What were the causes and impact of the Black Death? How did England become a Protestant Country?
Who had the power in Medieval England?    
Skills / application of knowledge Skills / application of knowledge Skills / application of knowledge
Show knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of the period studied. Show knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of the period studied. Show knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of the period studied.
Analyse, evaluate and compare interpretations. Analyse and evaluate contemporary sources to make substantiated judgements. Explain and analyse historical events studied using second-order concepts.
Links to prior learning Links to prior learning Links to prior learning
Prior knowledge of feudalism. Prior knowledge of feudalism and the importance of religion. Prior knowledge of the importance of religion and the power struggle between monarch and church.
Assessment Assessment Assessment
Knowledge Quizzes Knowledge Quizzes Knowledge Quizzes
Evaluation of two interpretations Evaluation of two interpretations End of Year Exam
Half Term 1 Half Term 2 Half Term 3
Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge
The development of Church, state, and society in Britain 1509-1745. Ideas, political power, industry, and empire: Britain 1745-1901 Ideas, political power, industry, and empire: Britain 1745-1901
Why did Britain build an Empire? Why was Britain the first country in the world to have an industrial revolution? What were working and living conditions like in industrial Britain?
What was the Transatlantic Slave Trade?   How did the industrial revolution impact on Preston?
Skills / application of knowledge Skills / application of knowledge Skills / application of knowledge
Show knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of the period studied. Show knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of the period studied. Show knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of the period studied.
Analyse, evaluate and compare interpretations. Explain and analyse historical events studied using second -order concepts. Analyse, evaluate and compare interpretations.
Links to prior learning Links to prior learning Links to prior learning
Evaluation of interpretations Prior knowledge on feudalism, empire, and slavery. Evaluation of interpretations
  Writing a causation essay  
Assessment Assessment Assessment
Knowledge quizzes Knowledge quizzes Knowledge quizzes
Evaluation of two interpretations Essay (causation) Evaluation of two interpretations
Half Term 4 Half Term 5 Half Term 6
Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge
Ideas, political power, industry, and empire: Britain 1745-1901 Challenges for Britain, Europe, and the wider world 1901 to the present day. Challenges for Britain, Europe, and the wider world 1901 to the present day.
Why and how did democracy grow in the 19th century. What caused the First World War? Why did the First World War turn into a brutal stalemate?
Who were the Suffragists and Suffragettes and what was their impact
Skills / application of knowledge Skills / application of knowledge Skills / application of knowledge
Show knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of the period studied. Show knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of the period studied. Show knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of the period studied.
Analyse and evaluate contemporary sources to make substantiated judgements. Explain and analyse historical events studied using second -order concepts. Explain and analyse historical events studied using second -order concepts.
Links to prior learning Links to prior learning Links to prior learning
Prior knowledge on the growth of industrial towns. Prior knowledge on empire and industrialisation. Prior knowledge of the rival alliances and the Schlieffen plan
Source utility Writing a causation essay Source utility
Assessment Assessment Assessment
Knowledge quizzes Knowledge quizzes Knowledge quizzes
Source utility question Essay (causation) End of year exam
Half Term 1 Half Term 2 Half Term 3
Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge
Challenges for Britain, Europe, and the wider world 1901 to the present day. Challenges for Britain, Europe, and the wider world 1901 to the present day. Challenges for Britain, Europe, and the wider world 1901 to the present day.
The Battle of the Somme (Success or Failure) Who was Karl Marx and why did he criticise capitalism? How did Adolf Hitler and the Nazis come to power in Germany?
The defeat of Germany in 1918 Why did Russia have a second revolution in October 1917 and what was its impact? How did the Nazis establish a Dictatorship?
Why was Nicholas II overthrown in February 1917? How did Adolf Hitler and the Nazis come to power in Germany? What was life like in Nazi Germany?
Skills / application of knowledge Skills / application of knowledge Skills / application of knowledge
Show knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of the period studied. Show knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of the period studied. Show knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of the period studied.
Analyse, evaluate and compare interpretations. Explain and analyse historical events studied using second -order concepts. Explain and analyse historical events studied using second -order concepts.
Links to prior learning Links to prior learning Links to prior learning
Prior knowledge on the causes and events of the First World War and the impact of the industrial Revolution. The impact of the Industrial Revolution. Knowledge of Marxist ideas and Communism in the Soviet Union.
The features of a democratic society.
  The causes, events, and end of the First World War.  
     
Assessment Assessment Assessment
Knowledge Quizzes Knowledge Quizzes Knowledge Quizzes
Evaluation of two interpretations. Essay - Analysis of the importance of two factors in causing the February Revolution (causation) Explain question on the importance of the Munich Putsch.
    Essay – Causation question analysing the reasons why the Nazis came to power.
Half Term 4 Half Term 5 Half Term 6
Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge
Challenges for Britain, Europe, and the wider world 1901 to the present day. The study of a significant society in world history The study of a significant society in world history
What was the Holocaust and why did it happen? The expansion west of the USA in the mid-19th century. The expansion of the USA in the mid-19th century
    How was the culture of the Plains Indians different to that of white Americans?
     
Skills / application of knowledge Skills / application of knowledge Skills / application of knowledge
Show knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of the period studied. Knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of period studied. Knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of period studied.
Analyse and evaluate contemporary sources to make substantiated judgements. Explain and analyse using second order historical concepts. Explain and analyse using second order historical concepts.
Links to prior learning Links to prior learning Links to prior learning
Knowledge of the spread of Christianity across Europe,  Knowledge of Columbus and the early British colonies,  The impact of economic depression.
The Nazi Party programme, Communism, and capitalism. The impacts of economic depression. Key Christian teachings.
    Knowledge of a capitalist economy.
Assessment Assessment Assessment
Knowledge Quizzes Describe questions. End of Year exam (including describe, explain and causation questions)
Source utility question.    
Half Term 1 Half Term 2 Half Term 3
Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge
USA 1840-1895 USA 1840-1895 Conflict and Tension 1918-1939
Why was there increased conflict between the Plains Indians and US government in the 1850s and 1860s? What was the impact of the Civil War on the American people? How good a job did the peacemakers do at the end of the First World War?
What were the causes and outcome of the Utah War? What were the political, social, and economic consequences of the American Civil War? The terms of the Armistice
What were the causes of the American Civil War? How did the Homesteaders survive on the Great Plains? The aims of the Big Three
  How was ‘the Indian Problem’ resolved? The terms of the Treaty of Versailles
    Reaction to the Treaty of Versailles
Skills / application of knowledge Skills / application of knowledge Skills / application of knowledge
Knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of period studied. Knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of period studied. Knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of period studied.
Analyse, evaluate and make substantiated judgements about interpretations. Analyse, evaluate and make substantiated judgements about interpretations. Explain and analyse using second order historical concepts.
Explain and analyse using second order historical concepts. Explain and analyse using second order historical concepts. Analyse and evaluate contemporary sources to make substantiated judgements.
Links to prior learning Links to prior learning Links to prior learning
Prior knowledge of agricultural and industrial society; the American constitution, and the federal system of government. Prior knowledge of the social and economic differences between North and South; the challenges of living and farming on the Plains; the policy of concentration. Prior knowledge of the causes of the First World War, the nature of trench warfare, the end of the War.
Assessment Assessment Assessment
End of Unit exam End of Unit exam End of Unit exam 
Half Term 4 Half Term 5 Half Term 6
Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge
Conflict and tension 1918-1939 Conflict and Tension 1918-1939 Conflict and Tension 1918-1939
How good a job did the peacemakers do at the end of the First World War? Why did the League of Nations fail to keep international peace? What were the causes of the Second World War?
German objections to the Treaty of Versailles League actions in the 1920s Hilter's foreign policy aims
The wider settlement Diplomacy outside the League in the 1920s German rearmament
Why did the League of Nations fail to keep international peace? The impact of the Great Depression The Rhineland Crisis
The establishment and structure of the League of Nations The Manchurian Crisis Anschluss
The membership of the League The Abyssinian Crisis Arguments for and against appeasement
    The Sudeten Crisis
    The Polish Guarantee
    The Nazi-Soviet Pact and outbreak of war
Skills / application of knowledge Skills / application of knowledge Skills / application of knowledge
Knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of period studied. Knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of period studied. Knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of period studied.
Explain and analyse using second order historical concepts. Explain and analyse using second order historical concepts. Analyse, evaluate and make substantiated judgements about interpretations.
Analyse and evaluate contemporary sources to make substantiated judgements. Analyse and evaluate contemporary sources to make substantiated judgements. Explain and analyse using second order historical concepts.
Links to prior learning Links to prior learning Links to prior learning
Prior knowledge of the causes of the First World War, the nature of trench warfare, the end of the War. Knowledge of the causes of the Wall Street Crash and impact of the Great Depression on the USA and Germany. Prior knowledge of the rise to power of Adolf Hitler, Hitler’s beliefs about the end of the First World War.
Assessment Assessment Assessment
End of Unit exam  End of Unit exam End of Unit exam
Half Term 1 Half Term 2 Half Term 3
Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge 
Health and the People Health and the People Revision for Mock Exams
Why did medicine stand still in medieval Britain? A revolution in medicine. Peacemaking
Medieval medicine The development of Germ Theory and its impact The failure of the League of Nations
Medical progress A revolution in surgery The westward expansion of the USA
Public Health in the Middle Ages Improvements in public health. Conflict across the USA
The beginnings of change Modern medicine  
The impact of the renaissance on Britain; Dealing with disease; Prevention of disease. Modern treatment of disease Norman Engalnd
  The impact of war and technology on surgery How did the Normans conquer England?
  Modern public health  
Skills / application of knowledge Skills / application of knowledge Skills / application of knowledge
Knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of period studied. Knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of period studied. Knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of period studied.
Explain and analyse using second order historical concepts. Explain and analyse using second order historical concepts. Analyse, evaluate and make substantiated judgements about interpretations.
Analyse and evaluate contemporary sources to make substantiated judgements. Analyse and evaluate contemporary sources to make substantiated judgements. Explain and analyse using second order historical concepts.
Links to prior learning Links to prior learning Links to prior learning
Prior knowledge of the causes and impact of the Black Death Prior knowledge of living and working conditions in 19th century Britain. Prior knowledge of the events of 1066 and the role of castles in Norman England.
  Prior knowledge of trench warfare during World War One.  
Assessment Assessment Assessment
Exam on the origins and outbreak of the Second World War Exam covering the final two sections of the health unit. Mock exams with three papers covering 'USA 1840-1895', 'Conflict and Tension' and 'Health and People' units.
Exam covering the first two sections of the health unit.    
Half Term 4 Half Term 5 Half Term 6
Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge
Norman England Health and the People Revision - Paper Two
How much did life change under the Normans? The study of the historic environment   
How did religion change under the Normans?  
Skills / application of knowledge Skills / application of knowledge Skills / application of knowledge
Knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of period studied. Knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of period studied.  
Explain and analyse using second order historical concepts. Explain and analyse using second order historical concepts.  
Analyse and evaluate contemporary sources to make substantiated judgements.    
Links to prior learning Links to prior learning Links to prior learning
Prior knowledge of the Feudal System and Domesday Book in Norman England. Prior knowledge of Norman reforms of religion.  
Prior knowledge of religion in Norman England.    
Assessment Assessment Assessment
Exam covering sections 1, 2 and 3 of the Norman unit. Essay on historic environment  GCSE exams