To know nothing of what happened before you were born is to remain forever a child.”
– Cicero
History
Our history curriculum provides pupils with an introduction to the essential historical knowledge that they need to be educated citizens. It introduces students to the best that has been thought and said; and helps engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement.
Miss A Cavanagh
Head of Department for History
Our history curriculum is carefully designed and delivered to:
- Inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past (OPENING HEARTS through inspiration)
- Develop in pupils a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world (OPENING MINDS to new knowledge)
- Help pupils understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time (OPENING MINDS to deeper understanding)
- Equip pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement (OPENING DOORS through the application of developing skills)
Year 7, 8 and 9 Curriculum Content
Our Key Stage 3 history curriculum honours the breadth and ambition of the history national curriculum for Key Stage 3. (Please see addition national curriculum audit).
It is delivered in chronological order to support the development of pupils’ web of historical knowledge and ability to make links with their building knowledge of the past.
Through the curriculum we develop the disciplines of thinking like a historian. We do so by developing students understanding of:
- Causation
- Change and continuity
- Historical evidence
- Historical interpretations
- Significance
- Historical perspectives
History has two compulsory topics which we have placed into Year 8 and 9, we have also established clear links to local history throughout KS3. We feel it is essential for students to study the events that have changed the face of Liverpool over the course of history, deepening their understanding of their local community.
| Year 7 | Unit/Topic |
|---|---|
| Autumn HT1 | Unit 1: Were economic benefits the main motivation for migration to Britain? |
| Autumn HT2 | Unit 2: What has been the impact of foreign settlers on Britain? How did a French duke take control of England in 1066? |
| Spring HT1 | Unit 3: What was the biggest impact of the Black Death? |
| Spring HT2 | Unit 4: How did events in Germany lead to religious change in Tudor England? |
| Summer HT1 | Unit 5: Why was King Charles I executed by his own people? |
| Summer HT2 | Unit 6: Why was King Charles I executed by his own people? |
| Year 8 | Unit/Topic |
|---|---|
| Autumn HT1 | Unit 1: Should Britain apologize for its empire? |
| Autumn HT2 | Unit 2: Was the Transatlantic Slave Trade the greatest crime of the British Empire? |
| Spring HT1 | Unit 3: Should the Industrial Revolution be known as ‘Liberty’s Dawn’? |
| Spring HT2 | Unit 4: How close did Britain come to achieving true democracy between the Great Reform Act and the Equal Franchise Act? |
| Summer HT1 | Unit 5: How did two bullets lead to twenty million deaths? |
| Summer HT2 | Unit 6: How did two bullets lead to twenty million deaths? |
| Year 9 | Unit/Topic |
|---|---|
| Autumn HT1 | Unit 1: Why did the First World War lead to the emergence of totalitarianism during the interwar years? |
| Autumn HT2 | Unit 2: Did the people of Russia replace Tsars for Red Tsars in the period 1917-1956? |
| Spring HT1 | Unit 3: What was the most significant turning point during the Second World War? |
| Spring HT2 | Unit 3: What was the most significant turning point during the Second World War? |
| Summer HT1 | Unit 4: Was one man’s hatred of the Jews responsible for 6 million deaths |
| Summer HT2 | Unit 6: Did the Civil Rights Movement gain any equality for Black Americans 1863-2007? |
At GCSE, each unit selected allows students to develop their knowledge clearly and also have clear links to current events around the world.
| Year 10 | Unit/Topic |
|---|---|
| Autumn | Unit 1: Weimar and Nazi Germany 1918-1939 |
| Spring | Unit 3: Elizabethan England |
| Summer | Unit 5: The American West |
Year 10 History Curriculum Map
| Year 11 | Unit/Topic |
|---|---|
| Autumn | Unit 1: Medicine in Britain, c1250–present |
| Spring | Unit 3: Medicine on the Western Front |
| Summer | Unit 5: Revision and examination |
Year 11 History Curriculum Map
Sixth Form Curriculum Content
Key Stage 4 History students follow the Edexcel GCSE History specification. For further details, please follow the link below.
Download full GSCE history specification here
Key Stage 5 History students follow the AQA A Level History specification. For further details, please follow the link below.’
Please click on the logos below to visit History-specific materials and resources.
- BBC Bitesize KS3:
- BBC Bitesize KS4:
- Oak National Academy:
Please click on the First Careers logo to visit their website.
A Students’ View
‘Studying history at all levels is important for understanding ourselves and the world around us. Whilst expanding your knowledge, you are also obtaining highly transferable skills. Some of these include critical analysis, evaluation and the ability to make substantiated judgements – each respected by universities and employers’
Evie
