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History

The AGS History curriculum is ambitious, diverse and purposefully sequenced. It is built both to develop an overview of the history of Britain, Europe and the wider world and to study in depth certain events turning points or people in history, such as the English Civil War or the Black Death. In addition to this, the AGS History curriculum will develop historical skills such as making inferences from historical sources, creating arguments and analysing historical interpretations.

Year 7: The Y7 curriculum picks up on what most pupils have studied at primary school. By the end of the Year 7 students will have knowledge which extends their chronological understanding before 1066 and a sense of the Medieval period and Tudor England, including a sense of how Britain influenced and was influenced by the wider world and the developments in church, state and society.

Topics:

  • Pre 1066: What was Britain like before 1066?
  • The Norman Conquest
  • Medieval Britain 1066-1485 (Medieval kingship, ordinary life in the Middle Ages, The Black Death, The Peasant’s Revolt, The Silk Road)
  • The Tudors 1485-1603

Year 8: This year pupils will develop their chronological understanding of British history by studying Britain in the early modern and industrial period and they will also focus on the concept of revolution in different time periods, countries and contexts.

Topics:

  • Stuart England and Revolution, 1603-1702
  • The French Revolution
  • The Slave Trade
  • The British Empire
  • The Industrial Revolution
  • Revolution of Thought ( Male and female suffrage, British and American Civil Rights, LGBT)

Year 9: This year focuses on the tumultuous 20th century. Pupils will start by looking at the causes of WW1 and then move chronologically on the causes and impact of WW2. There is a depth study on The Holocaust. At the end of the year pupils will have an introduction to History GCSE with a study of Whitechapel and Jack the Ripper.

Topics:

  • Causes of WW1
  • WW1
  • The interwar years, 1918-1939
  • Causes of WW2
  • WW2
  • The Holocaust
  • The Cold War
  • Introduction to GCSE: Whitechapel, 1870-1900

GCSE:

Exam Board: Pearson Edexcel

Exam Specification: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/GCSE/History/2016/specification-and-sample-assessments/gcse-9-1-history-specification.pdf

Paper 1 – Thematic Study and historic environment

Crime and punishment through time, c.1000-present

Themes throughout the topic: This is a thematic study

  • How definitions of crimes change over time
  • How law enforcement changes over time
  • How punishment, and the purpose of punishment changes over time

Paper 2 – British Depth Study

Anglo Saxon and Norman England, c.1060-1088

Themes throughout the topic:

  • This is a depth study that focuses on a 30 year period in British history
  • It focuses on the power of kings, the power of the Earls, the Church and society
  • The main theme is change and continuity before and after 1066 and how William secured power

Paper 3 – Modern Depth Study

Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918-1939

Themes throughout the course:

  • This is a modern depth study at a pivotal point in German history
  • It focuses on the problems Germany faced after WW1: Political, economic, social
  • We look at the key turning points in the fall of democracy and rise of the Nazi Party and how Hitler gained power and turned Germany into a totalitarian state

Paper 2 – Period Study

The American West, c.1835- c.1895

Themes throughout the course:

  • This is a period study of American history at a pivotal time
  • It focuses on the intertwined stories of Native Americans (Plains Indians) and White Settlers
  • We study how this relationship develops over time and leads to the destruction of the way of life of Native Americans
  • We focus on key turning points in the development of American history

A-Level

Exam Board: AQA

Exam Specification: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/history/as-and-a-level/history-7041-7042/specification-at-a-glance

1C The Tudors: England 1485-1603

  • This part of the course is about breadth.
  • You will be looking at historical interpretations
  • It is over 100 years and you learn about political, social, economic changes over time.

Topic List:

  • Henry VII- consolidation of power, relationships at home and abroad
  • Henry VIII- Character, government and parliament, foreign relations
  • Edward VI- his regency and relations with foreign powers
  • Mary I- Counter-Reformation
  • Elizabeth I– golden age?
  • English society and economy
  • Religious developments and changes

2N Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia, 1917-1953

  • This part of the course is about depth.
  • You will be looking at sources
  • It is only over the space of 35 years but you learn about people, events, changes in a lot more detail.

Topic List:

  • Problems in Russia during WW1
  • The February Revolution 1917
  • Why the Provisional Government failed
  • Why/ how did the October Revolution begin?
  • The start of Communist Russia and the Civil War
  • Lenin’s death and the rise of Stalin
  • Stalin’s political purges
  • Russia in WW2
  • Impact of Stalinism

Coursework: NEA (Non Examined Assessment) 3,500 word essay about The Stuarts, 1604-1704

20% A level