History
Head of Department: Mr Brooks (rbrooks@clwacademy.co.uk)
Curriculum intent
“History is the story of who we are and how we’ve got to be there. So, it is fundamentally important in our sense of ourselves”
Dr Suzannah Lipscomb
Our intention is, through studying the past, to provide students with the cultural capital and critical disciplinary skills to become active members of society. Our intention, therefore, is to not only develop a love of history for its academic rigour, but also an appreciation of the importance of history in comprehending, through historical evidence, the variety of perspectives in the chronological tapestry of humanity.
KS3
Students are taught in mixed-ability groups and have two lessons a week of history in Years 7, 8 and 9. We cover topics as diverse as the impact the Roman Empire had on Britain; how the Normans took control of England; the impact of the Black Death; and the rise of the Tudors.
In Year 8 students study the Stuarts, culminating in why Charles I was executed; the enslavement of Africans; the legacy of the British Empire in India; the Suffragettes; trench life in WWI; before comparing how life in 1920s America was different to life in 1920s Britain.
In Year 9 students begin looking at life in Germany after World War I and how Hitler and the Nazis rose to power; World War II and the Holocaust; the development of the Cold War; before finally considering the extent to which Britain is equal in the 21st century.
KS4
The subject is very popular at Key Stage 4 and has continued to grow with the importance of history as a key element of the English Baccalaureate. Students will study four topics as part of the Pearson Edexcel specification: Medicine through Time; Elizabeth I from 1558-88; Weimar and Nazi Germany 1919-1939; and the American West c1835-c.1895.
Further information is available in the PDF download at the bottom of this page.
KS5
History is the process of looking at available information about the past in order to better understand the complexities of our present. Through analysing sources, you will build up an interpretation of the significance of interrelated factors that have shaped the world we live in today and give you a better understanding of our place within it. The course has been designed to develop your ability to analyse the interpretations and arguments of historians, along with considering the provenance of historical sources. These skills are not only essential to History, but are transferable across many professions and highly prized by employers.