History

CURRICULUM RATIONALE

Our aim is that all students leave Sir Jonathan North as good historians. We believe that the knowledge, skills and understanding that makes a good historian, will help to develop good people. Students studying history will develop a love for the past and understand their place in the world, how and why the world and society has changed and the diverse experiences of people in the past. By doing this, students will develop tolerance and establish a world view that will provide a foundation, not just for their historical study, but for their wider lives.

Our vision is to connect history to young people’s lives and make our subject meaningful for all learners by providing a history curriculum that:

• Encourages young people to become curious about the past
• Allows them to develop their own opinions and values
• Instils a respect for evidence
• Builds a deeper understanding of the present by engaging with and questioning the past.

In history we want to create good historians who have a deep-seated love of learning by:

• developing students understanding of British and Global History that is diverse and inclusive
• inspiring student’s intellectual curiosity by understanding the creation of Britain as part of a global tapestry
• considering history from multiple perspectives to allow them to develop tolerance and mutual understanding
• developing creative and analytical thinkers with a skill set to question authority
• developing students who can weigh evidence, sift and structure arguments, and write logically valid essays.

Our curriculum is designed to equip students to ask perceptive questions about the world and think critically. Students will be able to understand how the world has changed and empower them to continue development in the future and become resourceful and responsible citizens.

CURRICULUM DESIGN

Our curriculum is structured to develop mastery over successive units and years.  It is sequenced to ensure that core knowledge and important concepts are embedded incrementally over time. Knowledge of substantive concepts such as empire, revolution, government, and freedom are developed through the use of concrete examples in each year and key stage.

• It is structured chronologically so that students gain a coherent understanding of how the world has changed over time.
• Units build up skills and knowledge of substantive and threshold concepts over time that are developed and revisited each year.
• We use a combination of depth and breadth studies to ensure that students understand the big picture of the past but also the nuances and complexities that come from a depth study.
• Enquiry questions have a clear focus on a threshold concept or substantive concept such as Revolution, Empire, Cause and consequence, etc. By structuring lessons as enquiries focused on core concepts it will allow concepts to be revisited in successive topics and develop their understanding of substantive concepts.

CURRICULUM PLAN

Year 7

	Unit	What students will learn by the end of the topic	Assessments
Autumn Term	What is history? Norman Conquest Medieval Europe	Students will be introduced to key concepts within history such as chronology, source analysis and key second order concepts.   They will then go onto study the history of our islands in chorological order, starting with the Norman Invasion in 1066.   The medieval unit will focus on second order concepts such as change/consequence/diversity in relation to the role of religion, female monarchs and life in towns and cities.	Formative assessments throughout lessons to inform intervention.   Mid-topic assessment to practice skills and assess progression   Summative assessment to assess knowledge retained at the end of the topic
Spring Term	Mali Empire Crusades	Students will explore history away from our islands during the medieval period and analyse the Mali Empire, studying the great king Mansa Musa and learning about his experiences in Africa.   Students will also study the Crusades and aim to compare the military conquest of the Norman invasion and the battles in the Crusade era.	Formative assessments throughout lessons to inform intervention.   Mid-topic assessment to practice skills and assess progression   Summative assessment to assess knowledge retained at the end of the topic.
Summer Term	Henry Vlll’s Reformation and the impact of Tudor Monarchs	Year 7 students will assess the reign of Henry Vlll by exploring his religious reformation and the causes for this.    The Tudor monarchs will be individually analysed so students can compare, contrast and develop their critical thinking.	Formative assessments throughout lessons to inform intervention.   Mid-topic assessment to practice skills and assess progression   Summative assessment to assess knowledge retained at the end of the topic.

YEAR 8

	Unit	What will students learn by the end of the topic	Assessments
Autumn Term	Elizabethan England   English Civil War	Year 8 students will continue learning about the history of our islands in chorological order by reviewing Elizabethan England.   We will analyse the challenges of a female monarch in the 16th century and assess her successes.   Students will then go onto study the English Civil war.	Formative assessments throughout lessons to inform intervention.   Mid-topic assessment to practice skills and assess progression   Summative assessment to assess knowledge retained at the end of the topic.
Spring Term	Mughal India	Students will explore history away from our islands during the 17th and 18th century and analyse Mughal India. Students will aim to compare and contrast the Mughal rulers of India and aim to draw parallels with English Monarchs they have studied.   Students will then go onto study the consequences of empire building and the transatlantic Slave trade.	Formative assessments throughout lessons to inform intervention.   Mid-topic assessment to practice skills and assess progression   Summative assessment to assess knowledge retained at the end of the topic.
Summer Term	British Empire	Students will explore the consequences of empire building across the British Empire with a particular focus on Australia, India and its partition in 1947.	Formative assessments throughout lessons to inform intervention.   Mid-topic assessment to practice skills and assess progression   Summative assessment to assess knowledge retained at the end of the topic.

Year 9

	Unit	What will students learn by the end of the topic	Assessments
Autumn Term	Suffragettes   WW1	Students will focus on the Suffragettes movement in the 19th and 20th century and explore the unique figures of the movement.   Students will then go onto study WW1, exploring causes, consequences and diversity.	Formative assessments throughout lessons to inform intervention.   Mid-topic assessment to practice skills and assess progression   Summative assessment to assess knowledge retained at the end of the topic.
Spring Term	Rise of the Nazi party     WW2	Students will develop links between WW1 and WW2 by reviewing the rise of the Nazi party in the 1920s/1930s.   Students will go onto study WW2.	Formative assessments throughout lessons to inform intervention.   Mid-topic assessment to practice skills and assess progression   Summative assessment to assess knowledge retained at the end of the topic.
Summer Term	The Holocaust	Students will end year 9 by studying The Holocaust.	Formative assessments throughout lessons to inform intervention.   Mid-topic assessment to practice skills and assess progression   Summative assessment to assess knowledge retained at the end of the topic.

 

CURRICULUM ASSESSMENT

In history we use a combination of low stakes diagnostic tests throughout the course and synoptic summative assessments. In KS3 our students have frequent low stakes tests, along with an extended writing task and an end of unit assessments in each term. These are focused on monitoring students’ progress in their knowledge and understanding of the past, ability to analyse sources, communicate their ideas, and understand key concepts. 

Subject-specific assessment statements correlate with the core concepts, knowledge and key skills within history, allowing the students to understand their development and take ownership of their own progress and development.

Students receive feedback in a variety of formats. This involves whole class feedback and individual targets. Student work is marked using a combination of peer and teacher feedback. Peer assessment is used to help students understand what is required to write a good answer and the mark scheme and to engage in metacognition to think about their own answers.

EXTRA-CURRICULAR OPPORTUNITIES

Students are encouraged to take part in the annual essay writing competitions by the Historical Association and School History Project. This year we are working with Historic England and Holocaust Education Trust to find ways in which students can have the opportunity to engage in local history and research outside of the classroom. This includes visiting local archives and historical sites. In addition, students who take GCSE history will have the opportunity to visit Nottingham Castle as part of the local site study.