At St Edward’s, our History curriculum will equip our students with the skills to be critical thinkers, encourage students to become global citizens able to make a positive contribution to society, and use evidence to understand both events in the past and history as a discipline.

Curriculum Intent

In History, we have built a curriculum that has complex, global narratives at its heart. We want our students to use historical skills to synthesise both an understanding of why events happened, but also to understand the connections between different places and over time. We seek to enrich student understanding with a knowledge rich curriculum, whilst also developing the key skills necessary to become sophisticated students of History. We value and encourage curiosity, empathy, criticality and evidential thinking.

In each year at St Edward's, students will learn about key substantive concepts over time, studying revolutions, knowledge, ideologies and power, to gain an understanding of why the world has developed into the Modern era.

In history, we aim for students to have a secure knowledge and understanding of key concepts which support an informed understanding of contemporary politics. However, we also value an appreciation of the arts, science and languages, embedded in their study of historical sources and interpretations. We base our curriculum around “The Silk Roads” by Peter Frankopan, and we hope that students have a greater understanding of their local context whilst always looking beyond the confines of these islands and this continent.

As History teachers, we value storytelling and placing the stories of the past at the heart of our curriculum, using personal stories and oral history to enrich the students understanding.

Course Contact

Miss Jessica Elms
History Subject Leader

Key Stage Three

At Key Stage Three, students will develop their core historical skills through a chronological study of history, beginning with the Roman Empire and finishing in the Modern Era.

In Year 7, students will focus on the passage of knowledge from the ancient world through the Medieval realm. They will study the Fall of Rome, before tracing knowledge through the Islamic world, and comparing this to the Anglo-Saxon Golden Age. They will then look at the Medieval foundations of power and how power was challenged by the people. Finally, they will cumulate their understanding of knowledge and power through a study of African Kingdoms.

In Year 8 students will study the “Age of Revolutions”. They will firstly look at the revolution of knowledge, by studying the Renaissance. They will then study the religious change of Tudor England, before going on to study the English Revolution of the 17^th century. Finally, they will study revolutions across the world, focusing on the Industrial Revolution, Haitian Revolution, and the French Revolution.

In Year 9 students will study the Age of Empires, particularly the British Empire, as well as the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Then, students will focus on the Modern era and the campaign for rights, studying the suffrage movements in the UK and the Civil Rights movement in the US. Year 9 will then study the role of ideology and conflict, studying the Russian Revolution and causes of conflict in the 20^th century. Finally, they will study the Holocaust.

Key Stage Four

History is a subject that gives us the opportunity to delve into the past, to study rulers and regimes seemingly far removed from the world we live in today. However, by learning about what has come before, we develop a much clearer understanding of the present and are able to identify patterns and themes that are both consistent and contrasting. This GCSE course enables students to study a wide range of fascinating topics which set the scene for the modern world. It celebrates the highs and reflects on the lows of humanity over the last thousand years with units on British and global historical events. We also take students to Belgium and France to study the First World War battlefields which forms a core part of the course.

Method of Assessment

AQA – GCSE History (Code: 8145) has 2 external exams (2hours each)

Paper 1: Understanding the modern world

Conflict and Tension, First World War: 1894-1918
Germany: democracy and Nazi dictatorship: 1890-1945

Paper 2: Shaping Britain

Health and the people: c1000 to the present day: a thematic study looking at the development of medicine, treatment and changes to disease over time. Students will study medieval medicine, developments of the Renaissance, the impact of scientific discoveries, and the birth of the National Health Service. 
Elizabethan England 1568-1603, looking in depth at religion, exploration and politics. This unit includes an historic environment study, previous years being Hardwick Hall, the Globe Theatre and the Spanish Armada.

Key Stage Five

History is a subject that gives us the opportunity to delve into the past, to study rulers and regimes seemingly far removed from the world we live in today. However, by learning about what has come before, we develop a much clearer understanding of the present and are able to identify patterns and themes that are both consistent and increasingly repetitive. Our teachers have a broad range of interests ranging from Early Modern British History to Twentieth Century World History and this is reflected in the topics delivered with passion in our Sixth Form. The course follows the AQA 7042 specification.

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Future Pathways

Historians are welcomed into a broad range of careers requiring an inquisitive, creative mind, self-discipline, creativity, analytical thinking and an evaluative understanding of the world. An essay-based subject, history is highly thought of by top universities offering competitive courses such as international relations, law, politics and more. GCSE history prepares students well for both A level study and apprenticeship and job interviews by honing their speaking and listening skills. Potential career opportunities are varied from journalism, law, media, politics and business to the art world, civil service and teaching.

Historians are welcomed into a broad range of jobs requiring an inquisitive mind, self-discipline, creativity, analytical thinking and an understanding of the world.

Student Destinations

Oxford University - History

Royal Holloway University - Law

Bristol University - Politics and International relations

Exeter University - Theology and religion

Coles Miller - Legal Apprenticeship

Student Testimonials

“I really enjoy history because we learn a lot of life skills, like how the world developed and how to be more accepting. We learnt about different people’s backgrounds and stories. I find history really cool because we learn about people who campaigned to make the world better, like the first female Civil Rights leaders. I really enjoyed studying the war, and it has inspired me to read more around the topics, like the Tattooist of Auschwitz."

Mia, KS3 History student

“The best thing about history is that we feel that I know more about history than anyone I meet. I love going into depth, which helps me learn. We learn little stories and pieces of information that other schools don’t, which helps us remember things in the exam. I really remember my lessons, and I love going home and talking to my friends and family about what I have learnt!”

Erin & Lexi, KS4 History students

“History A level was very rewarding because it is so challenging throughout the course, meaning you are constantly having to improve both your writing skills and your comprehension of the content. The NEA is a fantastic opportunity to explore your favourite part of history with the support of the history teachers.”

Theo, KS5 History student