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History

Learning Journey

History 

The aim of the History curriculum is to support students to be inquisitive about the world and society has been impacted by events in the past. Throughout their time at Ibstock School, students study a variety of topics, ranging from events of 1066 to the 7/7 bombings.

Students are introduced to key historical skills such as source and interpretation analysis, chronology and historical concepts. The History curriculum is planned to enable students to apply their knowledge and historical skills to any topic. The curriculum prepares students for further historical study by continually revisiting and practicing the historical skills in every unit they study at Ibstock School. Students have the opportunities to study real historians’ arguments and many of the units have been planned because of a great book!

Throughout the History curriculum at Ibstock School, students will have aspects of local history weaved through many of the units. From studying Roman Leicester, Tudor society, Black Death in Knaptoft to Kenilworth Castle at GCSE; students not only learn about the wider world but history on their doorstep.

Year 7

In year 7 we study different periods of time to uncover what life was like between 1066 and 1997. Students have a blend of both British and World History to allow them to develop a broad understanding of the world around them. Students will learn through a variety of ways to develop key skills to be able to analyse and understand the world around them. Students will study:

  • Historical Introduction – How did the Normans change Britain?
  • What was the Aztec civilization like? - students practice their new historical skills throughout this unit, looking at aspects of Aztec life.
  • Was the Late Middle Ages a Time of Crisis? – Students will study an enquiry-based approach of this time period, investigating Medieval Britain Great Famine 1915-1317, Hundred Years War, Black Death, Peasants Revolt, War of the Roses and the Battle of Bosworth Field 1485.
  • The Tudors: students study the influential Tudor Dynasty looking at the rise and fall of the monarchs and the way they changed and shaped Britain.
  • British Empire: this unit helps students understand how and why British society is how it is today, as well as the lasting impact the empire had on Australia and India.
  • Native Americans: moving over to North America, students study the first Americans and the impact Europeans had on them.

 

Year 8

In year 8, we develop these historical skills by studying larger and more complex units of early modern and modern history. The year 8 curriculum focuses on the changes throughout history regarding church, state, minority groups and ideas. Students are introduced to historical scholarship and will study units by reading extracts from real historians such as Miranda Kaufmann and Andrea Stuart. This helps students develop critical thinking and analysis skills; both vital in history. Students follow our next theme of control and prejudice in colonised countries.

  • Transatlantic Slave Trade: students study the enslavement of black Africans in America and Britain and how it came to an end in 1807in Britain drawing on scholarship from Andrea Stuart Sugar in the Blood.
  • American Civil War: students study the American Civil war that finally brought an end to the enslavement of African peoples in the 1860s. Students look at some key battles and turning points of the war, as well as African American experiences during and after the conflict.
  • Industrial Revolution: Students will study how significant this event was for both Britain and the world.  We will investigate changes made, the age of invention, the East India Company and life in Britain in the industrial period on people.
  • The Roaring 20s: students will study the rise and fall of America’s economy during the 1920s and the impact this had on different minority groups.
  • Civil Rights: students study the Civil Rights movement in America through a series of case studies such as Emmett Till, Rosa Parks and Freedom Rides.
  • Women’s Suffrage: students how women campaigned for the vote in the early 20th century and examine women’s rights up to the present day.

 

Year 9

In year 9 students study key events of the 20th and 21st centuries. Students have the opportunity to deepen their historical skills by analysing these events and how they have impacted the world we live in today. The year 9 curriculum prepares students for further study at GCSE by exploring second order historical concepts such as significance, change, continuity and causation.

  • WWI: students study the causes of WWI, trench warfare and key battles before a detailed enquiry of the different fronts such as India, Australia, the Ottoman empire.
  • Trouble in Russia?: students study Russia from 1917 up to the end of WW2. They will study the fall of the Romanovs, rise (and fall) of the Bolsheviks before looking at Stalin’s Russia.
  • The Holocaust: students study the rise of Hitler in the 1930s and a depth study of the Holocaust using recent research from UCL Centre of Holocaust Education.
  • WWII: students study the causes of WWII and will compare British and German home fronts during the conflict.
  • The Cold War: students study the causes and crises during the Cold War and how it changed warfare.
  • War on Terror: students study the war on terror beginning with the Gunpowder plot, Luddites, the Suffragettes, IRA and more recent events such as Shamima Begum, 9/11 and the Incel Movement. Students will have an understanding of terrorism, radicalisation and stereotyping.

 

KS4

At GCSE, students study the OCR History B Specification. This course allows students to expand on knowledge gained throughout their KS3 studies while developing analytical and writing skills needed for further study and occupations. OCR History B has a diverse and meaningful curriculum, allowing for a rich understanding of the world. A unique feature of this specification is the History Around Us unit which gives students the opportunity to study a historical site in detail.

Students study 5 topics, across 3 components (see table below). Students have 3 exam papers at the end of their GCSE course in line with the components. 

Component 1: British History

  • Thematic Study
  • Depth Study
  • Crime and Punishment c.1250-present
  • The Elizabethans 1580-1603

40% of final grade

Component 2: History Around Us

  • Site Study
  • Kenilworth Castle, 1120s-present day

20% of final grade

Component 3: World History

  • Period Study
  • World Depth Study
  • Making of America 1789-1900
  • Living under Nazi Rule 1933-1945

40% of final grade

 

The topics are taught in the following order to build upon knowledge taught at KS3 for a strong start to their GCSE.

Term

Year 10

Year 11

Autumn

Crime and Punishment

The Elizabethans

(pre-public exams: Paper 1 & 2)

Spring

Living under Nazi Rule

Making of America

(pre-public exams: Paper 3)

Summer

History Around Us: Kenilworth Castle

(pre-public exams: Paper 1, section A, Paper 3, section B)

Revision & Exams