Quotes

“There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know.” – Harry S. Truman

“The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.” ― George Orwell

“History is who we are and why we are the way we are.” – David McCullough

Purpose

The history curriculum at Rushey Mead Academy sets out to provide our students with a coherent knowledge and understanding of key events, issues and people in Britain’s past and that of the wider world. We follow a thread throughout our curriculum which explores “who are the British” telling the stories of those who have travelled to this island and how this has created the Britain of today. We aim to equip our students with rich and powerful knowledge of the past and historical skills which will enable them to participate in rigorous academic debate. We follow a thread throughout our curriculum which explores “who are the British” telling the stories of those who have travelled to this island and how this has created the Britain of today, enriching this with local stories and ensuring representation of previously underrepresented histories.

Our curriculum considers four key areas:

  1. Political history – how the people are ruled
  2. Social history – how people lived and worked
  3. Ideology – religious beliefs etc
  4. Methods of historical enquiry – evaluating evidence and interpretations.

Curriculum

Key Stage 3 Features and Summary

During Key Stage 3, Year 7, 8 and 9 have two lessons of History a week. In Year 7 and 8 the curriculum is interspersed with citizenship units.

At Key Stage 3 students study History from Roman Britain up to the late 20th century. This chronological approach enables students to develop their understanding of how the world has changed over time, whilst identifying connections between the past and the present. The Key Stage 3 programme ensures students are equipped with the skills and knowledge to achieve at GCSE.

Year 7

  • What is history?
  • How did migration shape early Britain?
  • What can we learn from Sutton Hoo?
  • How did the Normans conquer England?
  • What travelled the Silk Roads?
  • Who was the most significant medieval monarch?
  • How did medieval people respond in a crisis?

Year 8

  • Why was there religious turmoil in Tudor and Stuart England?
  • How diverse was Tudor England?
  • To what extent was Leicester turned upside down during the Civil War?
  • How radical were the ideas that emerged during the English Revolution?
  • How and why did the Kingdom of Benin rise and fall?
  • How did the British colonise India?
  • What did it mean to be part of the British Empire?
  • What are the legacies of transatlantic slavery?
  • How did the Industrial Revolution change Britain?

Year 9

  • Why did Europe go to war in 1914?
  • What made the First World War a world war?
  • How did the position of women change in the twentieth century?
  • How did political ideologies shape Europe after the First World War?
  • What was the most important turning point of World War Two?
  • How and why did the Holocaust happen?
  • Why did migration to Britain increase after 1945?
  • How did the end of the British Empire impact India?

Please click on the link below to see our Key Stage 3 curriculum journey.

History KS3 curriculum map

KS3 curriculum map & knowledge organisers

Year 7 Knowledge Organisers

What is History?
Silk Roads
Migration
Norman Conquest

Year 8 Knowledge Organisers

Empire
Diversity Tudor Period
Stuarts and ECW
Industrial Revolution
Religious Turmoil

Year 9 Knowledge Organisers

WWI
Turning Points

Key Stage 4 Features and Summary

During Key stage 4, students have five lessons a fortnight of History. The Edexcel History GCSE is comprised of the following four units:

Migration in Britain c800- present (including Notting Hill c1948-c1970)

Early Elizabethan England, 1558-1588

Superpower relations and the Cold War 1941-1991

Weimar and Nazi Germany 1919-1939

Students are provided with key topic booklets for each unit which includes all the core knowledge and exam practice. An example is attached.

History KS4 curriculum map

KS4 curriculum map & knowledge organiser

Elizabeth Key Topic 1 booklet

Assessment

Assessment and feedback

Key Stage 3

In Year 7, 8 and 9 students complete three summative assessments across the year including an end of year exam. Assessments are cumulative and include a range of question types designed to test retention of knowledge, application of knowledge and historical skills.

In addition to this, frequent knowledge checks are completed within lessons that build knowledge retention over the course of each year.

Key Stage 4

At GCSE, students complete 3 to 4 mock exams each year. These are cumulative and include a range of GCSE question types designed to test retention of knowledge, application of knowledge and historical skills.

Staff provide whole class feedback identifying common mistakes and misconceptions. Students are given regular updates on their current progress.

Feedback sessions also include the use of visualisers to model answers, students will then re-draft paragraphs, questions or complete a new answer using the model as a guide.

Exam Board

At Key Stage 4 we follow the Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History

Useful Information

KS4 recommended reading

KS3 recommended reading

Homework

We have developed and successfully implemented a structured and sequential homework model to enhance the retention of core knowledge among students. This model incorporates weekly tasks that utilise knowledge organisers, online quizzes, guided reading, and research activities. The knowledge quizzes are specifically designed to include strategies such as spaced retrieval and the interleaving of topics, which are proven to support long-term memory retention.

Useful websites and resources

https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/history-2016.html

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education
www.victorianweb.org
https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/subjects/zk26n39 (Key Stage 3)

www.quizlet.com (Key Stage 3 and 4)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/examspecs/zw4bv4j (Key Stage 4)

https://www.youtube.com/@TheHistoryTeacherUK/videos (Key Stage 4)

We also have our own twitter feed @rusheymeadhist where we share relevant articles, links and revision tips.

KS3 History Recommended Reading

Extra-curricular opportunities

There are many exciting opportunities for students to get involved in. These include:

  • History Film club runs once a week for year 10.
  • Study Club runs once a week enabling students across all years to access support and resources.
  • Year 11 Revision classes run throughout the year.
  • Regular competitions such as the ‘Hard boiled History Easter Egg Competition’
  • Local and National competitions ran by the Historical Association.
  • National competitions ran by The Western Front Association about World War One
  • There are also opportunities to hear from external speakers on a range of historical topics.
  • As part of the Rushey 3 passport there are many exciting opportunities to earn Rushey 3 passport points which can be found in the link below

Rushey 3 passport

Stretch and challenge opportunities

“Meanwhile, elsewhere” activities are intended to supplement the classroom-taught curriculum, widening students’ horizons and sparking curiosity. These can be found across the year at Key Stage 3.

Reading articles from BBC History magazines, Historical Association articles and accessing primary sources using the National Archives allows for students to enhance their knowledge about the past. Links to these websites can be found in the ‘useful websites’ section of this page.

Homework

KS3: We set a weekly homework of approximately 30 minutes.

Homework tasks include learning spellings, definitions of key words and key knowledge using knowledge organisers and Quizlet. We also set revision quizzes using Satchel One. Students may also be set ‘Meanwhile Elsewhere’ homework which require students to investigate a related historical topic which compliments the learning in the classroom.

KS4: We set a weekly homework of approximately 1 hour.

Homework tasks include learning spellings, definitions of key words and key knowledge using knowledge organisers and Quizlet. Students will also be expected to complete revision homework booklets designed to support retention of key knowledge and prepare them for their GCSE History exams.

Revision advice

Information regarding how to revise and prepare for GCSE History at Rushey Mead can be found here:

How to prepare for History assessments

Head of Department

Ms Henson (Subject Lead): [email protected]
Mr March (Subject Lead) [email protected]