Our Curriculum Aims
‘Knowledge will bring you the opportunity to make a difference’
Claire Fagin (First woman to serve as President of an Ivy League University)
If Fagin is correct, then it is imperative that we at AGSB provide a History curriculum which is knowledge-rich, accessible to all and appropriately challenging for all. It should therefore be inclusive and reflect the diversity of Modern Britain and our school community. At the same time, History is at its most engaging, and students think most critically, when there is a sense of story within which they can make complex connections and embrace complex realities. With that in mind, we aim within our programme of study:
• To provide a knowledge-rich curriculum, framed around 5 key historical concepts, which develop subject-specific knowledge that help students on their way to mastering the study of History
• To provide a global curriculum which helps students understand Britain’s changing role
• To provide an inclusive curriculum which integrates diverse histories into the story of Britain’s and the world’s past
• To provide a coherent overarching narrative across each key stage Key Stage Three Curriculum Overview
• To provide a curriculum which encourages students to embrace contested legacies so that they may demonstrate ever more nuanced understanding of complex realities
We hope that, by achieving these aims, we will enhance students’ cultural capital and, therefore, their ability to make a full contribution to society as active citizens enable them to successfully navigate, and thrive in, our complex twenty-first society. The role of History in this respect has been effectively encapsulated by Penelope Corfield, a Historian and Educational Consultant based at Royal Holloway: ‘History is inescapable. It studies the past and the legacies of the past in the present. Far from being 'dead', it connects things through time and encourages its students to take a long view of such connections. All people and peoples are living histories, so understanding the linkages between past and present is fundamental for a good understanding of the condition of being human. That, in a nutshell, is why History matters. It is not just 'useful', it is essential for rooting people in time.
The 5 key historical concepts, around which we frame our curriculum, are:
- Power & the People
- Migration
- Conflict & Tensions
- Nations & Empire
- Legacies & Perspectives
Our final key concept, legacies and perspectives, emphasises that History is about interpretation. As Napoleon put it,
‘History is merely the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon.’
Orthodoxies are there to be appropriately but critically and creatively questioned and challenged. We promote that mindset through our debating and public speaking competitions, through our domestic and overseas curriculum enrichment visits and most importantly through our core business in the classroom. If our students really appreciate Napoleon’s remark, and its implications, by the time they leave us, we will have gone some way to achieving our aims.
How to use our curriculum tables
In the tables below you will see hyperlinked text. For each half-term you will see an AI video outlining each topic, links to resources such as YouTube, Bitesize, and bespoke school assets. In the right hand column we have produced a key facts document covering the main areas that will be assessed.
We hope you enjoy working through these resources, discussing them as a family and supporting the learning journey.
After these tables we are listing other revision opportunities and guidance for parents and carers.
Your son will also have access to our excellent virtual learning environment Satchel 1 - below doesn't replace that (it presents some critical assets), it just adds value for families getting involved and hopefully creates a sense of fun and intrigue.
Research from the Education Endowment Foundation found that parent engagement in their child's learning has an average impact of four months' additional progress over the course of a year.
Year 7 – Britain and its place in the Medieval World, c1066-c1450: Migration, War & Identity
Click the highlighted text below for exciting resources.
What else can parents do to support their sons?
Please encourage your son to read around the subject as much as possible. We have an excellent Key Stage Three History library in C5 (usually Ms Cathcart’s room) which all students in Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 are welcome to use. Please see Ms Cathcart for further details.
Beyond that, useful historical websites include:
https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/subjects/zk26n39 (History section of the BBC Bitesize website)
https://spartacus-educational.com/industry.html (British History section of the Spartacus website)
https://meanwhileelsewhereinhistory.wordpress.com/ (A site which helps expand students’ horizons beyond the taught curriculum)
https://www.ourmigrationstory.org.uk/ (A site run by the Runnymede Trust which provides resources on migration to Britain and its impact since the Roman Period)
https://www.educationquizzes.com/ks3/history/ (Online quizzes on a variety of Key Stage Three History topics)
Specialist websites can also be useful for more detailed research, for example:
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/1066-and-the-norman-conquest/what-happened-battlehastings/ (Information on the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest on English Heritage’s website for Year 7)
http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/ism/slavery/ (History of the Trade in Enslaved Africans on the International Slavery Museum’s (Liverpool) website for Year 8)
https://www.iwm.org.uk/learning/resources/first-world-war-recruitment-posters (WW1 recruitment posters on the Imperial War Museum’s website for Year 9)
You can also encourage your son to read historical fiction and non-fiction. He could try to keep an eye on current affairs which often have historical links. There are many well-produced and engaging historical television programmes, from entertaining ‘Horrible Histories’ to informative documentaries. If possible visit local historical sites like the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry, The Imperial War Museum and Dunham Massey. When you go further afield, Hadrian’s Wall, Edward I’s Welsh castles and the Houses of Parliament are popular attractions. In Europe there are the First and Second World War battlefield sites. The most important contribution parents can make to support their son’s history studies education is to assist them in developing an active interest in the world around them.
Kind regards,
Mr. E Hall - Head of History