Key Stage 3 (Years 7, 8 & 9)
History is taught to all pupils from Years 7 to Year 9.
Starting with a general introduction to the study of History and its key skills (e.g. chronology, source work, empathy and causation), our Year 7 pupil then learn to utilise these skills through studying the key events and personalities of medieval England in the first two terms. Topics include:
- The Battle of Hastings - its causes and consequences
- The introduction and development of castles in Britain
- The role and importance of the Church in medieval England
- The struggle between Church and State: the murder of Thomas Becket
- The rise of the nobility: King John and the Magna Carta, the 1st Parliament of 1295
- The Black Death - its causes and consequences
- The Peasants’ Revolt
In the third term, Year 7 pupils then go on to study the Crusades
Our Year 8 pupils study the key events and personalities of Tudor and Stuart England in their first two terms. Topics include:
- The reign of Henry VIII and his impact on the religion of England
- The turbulent reigns of Edward and Mary
- Elizabeth, her religious compromise and the fate of Mary Queen of Scots
- The Spanish Armada - its causes and consequences
- James and the Gunpowder plot
- The English Civil War and its aftermath
In the third term, Year 8 pupils then focus on the French Revolution and its consequences.
In Year 9, pupils focus mainly on 20th century history. The different areas they cover are:
- The causes of World War One
- Trench warfare
- Germany: from the Versailles Treaty to the rise of Hitler
- Hitler’s foreign policy and appeasement
- The nature of warfare in World War Two, looking at one specific theatre of war
Pupils will also spend 6-7 weeks looking at the history of anti-Semitism from the Middle Ages through to the Holocaust. They also look at the slave trade in the 18th and 19th centuries.