At Chaucer School: our KS3 History curriculum is designed to ignite curiosity, foster critical thinking, and cultivate a deep understanding of the past among our students. We aim to inspire a lifelong interest in history by exploring diverse themes, events, and cultures that have shaped our world.

Key Aims:

• Developing Historical Understanding: Our curriculum aims to equip students with a coherent knowledge of British, European, and world history, spanning from ancient civilizations to the present day. By examining key events, individuals, and societies, students will gain a broad chronological understanding and make connections across different periods.
• Promoting Critical Thinking: We encourage students to analyze historical sources critically, evaluate interpretations, and consider multiple perspectives. Through structured inquiry and historical investigation, students develop skills in reasoning, evidence evaluation, and historical argumentation.
• Cultural and Social Awareness: The curriculum emphasizes the diversity of human experience and the impact of historical events on societies and individuals. Students explore the lives of people from different social, cultural, and economic backgrounds, fostering empathy and understanding of historical context.
• Skills Development: Alongside knowledge acquisition, our curriculum focuses on developing essential historical skills such as chronology, causation, change and continuity, significance, and historical interpretation. These skills are applied through engaging activities, research projects, and collaborative learning experiences.
• Promoting Historical Literacy: We aim to develop students' ability to communicate historical knowledge effectively through writing, discussion, and presentations. By engaging with primary and secondary sources, students learn to construct well-reasoned arguments and communicate their understanding of historical events and themes.

Implementation:

• We study different types of History including political, social, economic and cultural History.
• We study History at a local, national and international level.
• We study History in differing degrees of chronological span (including breadth studies of periods of 50-100 years eg Civil Rights, Cold War; and detailed studies in depth of 20 years or less eg World Wars).
• We study diverse histories and develop a broad and rounded view of history through the study of a wide range of differing individuals and groups (Empires, Holocaust etc).
• Cross-Curricular Links: We encourage interdisciplinary connections by integrating historical learning with subjects such as English (through historical literature), Geography (studying historical maps and landscapes), and Citizenship (examining rights and responsibilities in historical contexts).
• Enrichment Opportunities: We provide enrichment opportunities through visits to historical sites, museums and guest speakers enhancing students' learning experiences and bringing history to life.

• Links to Careers and Preparation for Life in Modern Britain: Students will look at and develop their discussion and debate skills and ability to interpret written and numerical data. Along with developing their understanding of how diverse Britain is, how and why it is governed and similarities and differences amongst different cultures.

At Chaucer school, students look at History through the lenses of three thematic studies which links topics through the use of a grand narrative :

• A study of the Power of individuals
• A study of Empire and its influence
• A study of Ideology and it shapes the world

Year 7

Starting with the Roman empire, whose emerged as the first global superpower. The students follow the Romans rise and fall, and how they used their power to control their world. Their fall provided the vacuum in which a force like the Normans could emerge, whose kings would exert power through force and control. Students will study how medieval kings exerted their power through feudal loyalties and the church, as well as how this power was challenged through a range of case studies. Students will finally assess the Tudors in depth, as examples of Absolute Monarchs, who held and exerted supreme power.

Year 8

Students will focus on the British Empire this year, starting with its origins during the Stuart Dynasty. As the power of the Monarch declines, it become the Empire and its administrations that hold the true power. Students will study the British Empire through three lenses, of its power and control of colonies, of its use of slave labour, and of the rise of Mercantile civilization in the Industrial revolution. This culminates with the Empires peak during the Edwardian Golden age, before its eventual crumbling and collapse in the First World war.

Year 9

Empires crumble, kings died, but the 20^th century will be shaped by ideology. Students will start with the Second World war, as an example of the first great ideological war. Students will then study ideologies taken to their extreme, through the Holocaust and subsequent Cold war, which shows how ideas can bring the world to ruin. Students will end on an optimistic note, with a study of the Civil rights movements of the 20^th century, and how ideas can shape the world for the positive, and how they still can to this day.

Through the Grand narrative, students will explore a wide range of Historical events and concepts such as Cause and Consequence, Significance, Continuity and Change, Similarity and Difference and the use of Interpretations to allow students to make judgements about the past.

Half Term 1 and 2: History Skills and the Roman Empire.

Student’s will study an introduction to essential History skills such as the use of time and chronology, anachronisms, using evidence and source analysis and evaluation. They will do this by carrying out an investigation into the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.

Half Term 3 and 4: Power, life and Kingship in Medieval England

Students will study the reasons why England became ruled by the Normans by the end of 1066 and will study life in Medieval England which had become ruled by the Normans by the end of `1066’. They will look at what life like was in the medieval countryside and how the status of the people who lived and worked during this time period was so diverse. They will then compare it to life in medieval towns to make a judgement about which was the better place to live at this period in time.

Half 5 and 6: The Rise and fall of the Tudor dynasty

Students will study the rise and fall of the Tudor dynasty and investigate the power they had over the country, the religious conflicts that took place during the period, the different rule of all the Tudor monarchs and threats to England from abroad.

Half Term 1 & 2: The Stuart Dynasty and the Growth of the British Empire

Students will look at the emergence of the Stuart Dynasty and how they subsequent monarch s ruled. They will study how the people challenged the rule of Monarch and Parliament, they will focus on key events such as the Gunpowder Plot, Causes, events and consequences of the English Civil War, the Interregnum, the Glorious Revolution and restoration of monarch and the growing power of people and parliament and look at how the British Empire began to grow and develop throughout this time period.

Half Term 3: Transatlantic Slave Trade

Students will study Africa before slavery, Capture, the Middle Passage, Slave Auctions, Life on a plantation, Revolt and resistance, Abolition, History of transatlantic slavery and how it resulted in the growth of industry both in America and Britain.

Half Term 4: The Industrial Revolution

Students will study the growth of industry in England with some focus on Sheffield and the steel industry and how the growth of industries connected the country and how living conditions in late Victorian England resulted in JTR getting away with his crimes

Half Term 5: Edwardians and World War One

Students will study life in Edwardian Britain and how different classes in society were treated. They will look at the emerging Women’s suffrage movements and the growing threat of war.

Half Term 6: World War One

Students will study the Long term and short term causes if the war, the Schlieffen Plan, Trenches, Recruitment, the Battle of the Somme, Empire troops

Topics Covered:

• Interwar period 1919-1939
• WW2 & the Home Front
• The Holocaust
• The Cold War
• Civil Rights and Protest movements

Key Knowledge and Skills:

• Source analysis, interpretations, using evidence, making a judgement, debate and discussion, empathy and critical thinking.
• Causes, events and consequences of why people/countries fight and invade others.
• The causes, events and consequences of civil rights campaigns and activists including their legacy and impact on society today.

Assessment:

• 3 formal Assessments one in line with TSAT
• Regular use of VIP style questions and GCSE exam style questions: Eg explain, interpret, clear and organised summary, source analysis throughout the year.

Homework:

• On a fortnightly basis using a Bingo sheet menu which has a variety of tasks with differing levels of challenge on them for each topic students’ study.

Links to Careers and Preparation for Life in Modern Britain:

• Students look at and develop their discussion and debate skills and ability to interpret written and numerical data.
• Students develop their understanding of how diverse Britain is, how and why it is governed and similarities and differences amongst different cultures.
• Links are made to modern day protests and civil rights campaigns in regards to what drives them and their impact.

Students will follow the EDUQAS 9-1 GCSE History Specification

Year 10

Students study the Paper 1 components:

British Depth Study: 1337-1381 Conflict and Upheaval

Student’s will study life in England in the 14^th Century and then focus on the causes, events and consequences of three major events during this time period; The One Hundred Years War, The Black Death 1374-1348 and the Peasants Revolt 1381.

Non British Depth Study: Germany in Transition 1919-1939

Student’s will study life in Germany after the defeat on World War One, the impact of the Treaty of Versailles, the early challenges to the Weimar Republic, The Golden Years of 1925-1929, the Great Depression and rise of Hitler, life in Hitler’s Germany and Hitler’s foreign policy and the outbreak of World War Two.

Year 11

Students will study Paper 2 components:

Period Study: America 1929-2000

Students will study the Great Depression 1929-1933, the impact of WW2, the civil rights movement, social and political changes, the Cold War and the quest for peace.

Changes in Crime and Punishment c500 to Present Day

Students will study the causes of and types of crime across this period and the subsequent changes in response to crime in regards to types of punishment. They will study a pre-determined site for this study for 2025 summer exams, it will be Lincoln Gaol.

Revision:

• Revision sessions for Year 11 are run every Monday currently and always start immediately after the summer break.
• There will be time after the Easter Holiday in Year 11 to revise aspects form all components and the key skills needed for accessing the exam successfully and this will also be utilised in Year 11 Life lessons from January where appropriate.

Key Skills to be assessed across the topics:

• AO1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the key features and characteristics of the periods studied.  35% of total marks.
• AO2 Explain and analyse historical events and periods studied using second order historical concepts. 35% of total marks.
• AO3 Analyse, evaluate and use sources (contemporary to the period) to make substantiated judgements,
• in the context of historical events studied. 15% of total marks.
• AO4 Analyse, evaluate and make substantiated judgements about interpretations in the context of historical events studied. 15% of total marks.