History

Our GCSE and A Level results are outstanding; students perform consistently above the national average.

2024 GCSE:  9 - 7 = 62%     9 - 6 = 81% 

2024 A Level: A*-A = 33% A*- B = 89%

Key Stage 3

Our Key Stage 3 curriculum very much follows a chronological approach which has been designed to give develop students understanding of how the world around them has developed and changed over time. In Year 7 students wrangle with the fight for the throne in 1066, the Black Death and Peasants’ Revolt to name a few. In Year 8 students begin the year with a comparative study of Mali, England and India before questioning what happens when the people challenge those who rule them and ending the year with a study of Transatlantic slave trade.

The Year 9 course considers how political ideologies affected people’s lives in the twentieth century. This includes studies on the suffragettes, the World Wars, 1930s dictatorships and the Holocaust. Links with Government and Politics are purposefully included within the Year 9 syllabus in order to give the pupils a taste of a subject which might be new to them at A Level.

Key Stage 4

Students who opt to study History at Key Stage 4 follow the new Edexcel IGCSE syllabus, which primarily deals with twentieth century themes. They will start their Year 10 course by studying Weimar and Nazi Germany, before dealing with Superpower Relations. In Year 11 they will start by studying with the Vietnam Conflict and finally investigating the development of medicine over a one hundred year period, 1848 to 1948.

A Level

Students who decide to follow the subject at A Level cover a broad range of subjects which help to give them a good understanding of different periods and also allow them to utilise their skills in varied environments. In Unit One students focus upon the Tsarist and Communist Russia 1855- 1964, through which they come to understand the changing political systems. In Unit Two they deal with the Wars of the Roses which allows students to analyse the political and military conflict which foreshadows the Tudor dynasty. In Unit Three they learn about African-American Civil Rights, meaning that they will have covered topics from the medieval, early-modern and modern realms.

At Key Stage 3, students are assessed every half-term either through a standardised test or a specified task which all pupils in the year group will complete. The results from these tests allow us to identify any concerns or notable achievements. 

Pupils in Years 10 and 11 regularly complete exam responses, which are dealt with in the same manner to ensure that all students are supported to achieve their potential. GCSE examinations take place at the end of Year 11.

Students in Years 7 - 10 all sit end of year examinations.

The History Department runs a variety of extra-curricular and enrichment opportunities for students to extend their love of the subject beyond the classroom.

• An annual Year 7 trip to Tatton Park runs in June. During the visit they take part in a medieval experience day, further developing their understanding of the time period.
• An annual Year 11 trip to Berlin runs every April. This is designed to directly benefit their Cold War and Germany studies.
• Years 12 and 13 take part in a History Forum day, during which several university lecturers visit the school to deliver a series of lectures and seminars to the students on topics relating to their A Level studies.
• The department runs an Anniversary Poster Competition, in which pupils can design a commemorative poster for a significant historical anniversary.
• Pupils in Year 12 are required to take part in the History Essay Competition, in which they have to produce a piece on a historical topic of their choosing. These essays are then published in the King’s Standard Sixth Form History Magazine.