What matters most in History?
History at TWHF enables students to find their place within the world; exploring the challenges that peoples have faced and discover the evolution of historical ideas and concepts. Historians are naturally inquisitive, curious, and develop a critical outlook on ideas and events and students will become enabled to create interpretations of the past.
We are determined to provide a world class learning experience with a curriculum which balances both breadth and depth of learning. We are fully committed to creating for our pupils, who sit at the heart of our curriculum, a learning experience which is not only academically challenging but also creating an understanding of one another, our heritage, and the world we live in today.
Our inclusive ethos is to instil in all pupils the highest of aspirations, to develop global citizens, who are ready to overcome the challenges of tomorrow by understanding the past. Our curriculum encourages students to engage with the world around them and to recognise the contribution of individuals and groups throughout history from a local, national and global perspective.
Underpinning our curriculum are the key substantive concepts of:
- Rights
- Power and Control
- Invention and Ideas
- War and Conflict.
These, allow students to develop historical expertise through a helictical exploration to fully appreciate the historical concepts of change and continuity, cause and consequence, similarity and difference, significance and importance and historical investigations using contextual sources and academic interpretations.
Prior Learning
The National Curriculum for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 stipulates that students will have an understanding of key events and people both nationally and locally.
Alongside this, this will be underpinned by knowledge of chronology of events in British History from the Stone Age through to 1066AD.
However, we must be aware that students from different primary schools are likely to have little to know disciplinary knowledge and this needs to be accounted for when they begin Key Stage 3.
Key Stage 3 Curriculum Concepts
Underpinning our curriculum are the key substantive concepts of:
- Rights
- Power and Control
- Invention and Ideas
- War and Conflict.
These, allow students to develop historical expertise through a helictical exploration to fully appreciate the historical concepts of change and continuity, cause and consequence, similarity and difference, significance and importance and historical investigations using contextual sources and academic interpretations.
Subsequent Study
Studying History is a journey of discovery. Students learn to understand the world and at the same time are trained in high level skills that create independent young adults. Students will acquire a variety of skills important not just to History e.g. Communication skills; team work; problem solving, thinking skills; reference skills and expertise at I.T. Students will develop reasoning, evaluating information from evidence and build their own self-confidence.
Awarding and specification information for KS4
Paper 1: Medicine in Britain c1250-Present with the British Sector of the Western Front
Paper 2: Period Study and Depth Study
Paper 3: USA: Conflict at Home and Abroad 1954-1975
This specification is designed to help students make conceptual, geographical, period and thematic links between topics.
The assessments are designed to be straightforward and consistent, encouraging all students to show what they know and understand about history to the best of their ability. Our three shorter papers cover specific areas of study, allowing students to focus more on certain topics and skills.
The study of History will subsequently allow students Post-16 to study A Level History exploring the subject further as an academic discipline. An A Level in History can be your ticket to meaningful qualifications and access to any College or University level courses. Alternatively, students can use the underpinning knowledge and skills developed to study many other A Level subjects such as English, Law and Politics.
Beyond Study
Beyond studying History students learn to understand the world and at the same time are trained in high level skills that create independent young adults. Universities and employers value these transferable skills. The ability to organise facts and develop arguments, to analyse problems and make reasoned decisions are the skills honed by this well-respected subject. History offers routes into Law, Journalism, Teaching, Publishing, Social work, Police, Civil Service, as well as many others. Famous people such as film makers, journalists and several recent Prime Ministers have History degrees to thank for their own personal development. History graduates are sought after and successful people.
Associations
Historical Association – the UK national charity for history
Also recommend podcasts such as The Rest is History