History

Head of History, Government & Politics Mr M Williams

CURRICULUM VISION

Our intent is to enable our students to appreciate the path we have taken to be where we are now, and to be able to apply analytical thinking skills to their everyday life through developing an understanding of historical events. By using the information available to them to challenge existing viewpoints, History students will become more empathetic and will better understand differing points of view on both a local and a global scale.

In particular our students will:

become critical thinkers, who are able to analyse their surroundings and information they receive to form their own personal judgement.
study a wide range of topics, people, places and events from the past;
learn to evaluate the reliability and usefulness of different sources of evidence
develop convincing written arguments, as well as learning to debate and make arguments orally.
explain change and continuity across time periods.
utilise relevant and well chosen evidence to come to well-informed judgements.

CURRICULUM PROVISION

What is History?

History is the study of change and continuity with particular focus upon key individuals, governments and movements throughout time. In particular History allows students to learn from the past and to gain a greater understanding of how the world interacts today, based upon our shared histories.

Why do we study History?

We study History so that we can better understand the past, learn how to connect this to the present, and think about building our future. We are all naturally inquisitive and like exploring the reasons behind why something might have happened. History lessons provide the opportunity for students to ask questions, discover answers and form their own opinions, even if they might be different from those of other people.

What do we study?

Throughout KS3 and KS4 History, there is a key focus upon skills. In particular, our students will focus on cause, consequence, making judgements, interpretations and the usefulness of sources.

At KS3, students study the main structure powers of the past 500 years including monarchy, parliaments and revolutions across the world. Shifting the focus in Year 9 towards more recent history.
At KS4, students study Medicine Through TIme, Elizabethan England, Revolutionary Russia and the Cold War through the Edexcel syllabus.

There is also the opportunity for students to continue studying History and Government & Politics at A Level

To view a full summary of our KS3 and KS4 History curriculum please click here

To view information about History and Politics A levels at the Green School Sixth Form please click the relevant link: History Politics

CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION

How do we study History?

We use a variety of teaching styles and activities to help students develop skills in History which prepare them for employment and life in a modern world. Active discussion is a key part of our lessons, and we expect all students to participate fully in both small group and whole class discussion. Independent work focuses on the formation of a personal opinion which is then shared through a written piece of work or a short verbal presentation.

Presentation of Work

Each student’s book should be neat, legible and contain their very best work. Date and title of each lesson must be underlined. Each unit will start with a unit checklist for self- assessment and each end of unit has a feed forward sheet to allow for student reflection and improvement. When students are completing feed forward they must use green pen in their response.

Home Learning

Home learning either consolidates knowledge from the lessons or prepare students for future learning. Tasks set in History may include revising previous content for a short knowledge quiz in the following lesson, writing an extended answer to a question covered in a lesson or reading an article to gain further insight into the current topic.

Co - curricular activities

Debate Club runs as an option within our Enrichment programme, and is an excellent chance for History students to put their analytical and oral debating skills to the test. This year our Year 9 students took part in the UCL Battlefields Tour Programme and contributed to their Legacy 110 Project through our Whole School assemblies. Local History is equally important to us; through a community Art project, Year 8 students met with a local historian and learnt about the History of Brentford. They are now working with a local artist to design panels that portray the local history of the area and will be installed on the bridge which crosses the canal by Brentford Lock.

How parents/carers can support their children

Visit local libraries and learn how to use the library for research. Any form of regular reading will enhance your child’s vocabulary and improve their literacy in History, which is key when understanding historical sources.
Days out to local historical sites could also be useful for them to see the history of the area in person.
Encourage debate and discussion at home about historical figures in order to help students formulate their own personal judgement.
Show support by asking students what they are studying, and try to discuss their work with them.
In particular asking students what they feel they are doing well in History, and which areas they think they need to improve upon.

CURRICULUM IMPACT

Assessment

Within lessons the teacher will use a variety of techniques to ascertain current progress, including individual and small group discussion, mini-plenaries and quizzes to check understanding.
Once a half-term, we will carry out a structured knowledge check within a lesson, which will be marked and handed back to students with identified areas to improve.

Careers Leading on from History

History is a highly desirable qualification for journalism, law, politics, accountancy, media, teaching, museums, libraries, archaeology, army, police work and even medicine.
Outside of these jobs, History is extremely desirable as it equips students with excellent analytical skills and the ability to present their own argument, which is vital in any job.
To view more information about our school Careers programme please click here.

The Green School for Boys