History

 A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots ".

Marcus Garvey

Department Vision Statement/ Curriculum Intent

At the Malling School we believe that students deserve a broad, diverse and ambitious History curriculum which emphasises both skills and knowledge. The aim of our History curriculum is to have students leave school with an enquiring mindset, the ability to critically analyse the world around them and to have a strong understanding of how the present is rooted in the past.

Our curriculum is framed from a largely chronological perspective which allows students to develop an understanding of the wider context of events, people, and societies. Within this, case studies give students the opportunity to develop a rich and deep subject knowledge.  These are chosen to challenge pupils and to offer them the chance to explore different perspectives at local, national and international level from the Middle Ages through to the Modern Era. This allows pupils to make links not only to different time periods but also to different regions. Thematic units allow students to examine skills and concepts such as change and continuity, similarities and differences and cause and consequence whilst examining and weighing the significance of driving factors behind them. These key concepts help focus students and lead them to build a critical and analytical mindset where they can evidence their reasoning and make substantiated judgements in writing and orally.  

The History curriculum is also tied to the Malling School’s core values of ‘caring, determination and reflection’. Through the different topics, pupils will need to empathise, make moral and ethical judgements on themes such as power, identity and belonging. They will be inspired to push themselves to develop their skills and understanding and will be expected to use built in feedback time to master this.  

 

 YEAR GROUPS

Year 7 - KS3

Enquiry

1

TOPIC

What can we learn about the Roman from Pompeii?

WHY?

This is an evidence based enquiry that will help establish and build upon source analysis skills.

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


Enquiry

2

TOPIC

When did England become England?

WHY?

An enquiry that looks at the formation of England through the theme of change and continuity. From the Romans, to the Anglo-Saxons and Jutes to the Vikings.

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


Enquiry

3

TOPIC

Why did William win the Battle of Hastings?

WHY?

A causation enquiry where pupils will have to make a judgement on the extent to which different causes led to the outcome of the Battle.

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


Enquiry

4

TOPIC

What were the consequences of the Norman Invasion of Britain?

WHY?

This enquiry will examine consequences such as the feudal system and the Domesday Book

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


Enquiry

5

TOPIC

How did castles change between 1066 and 1600?

WHY?

This is an enquiry that focus on castles have changed overtime and the reasons for this change. Within this unit, we will examine local castles in Kent as an example.

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


Enquiry

6

TOPIC

What does the murder of Becket tell us about the power of the Church?

WHY?
This enquiry focuses on the significance of the Church during the Middle Ages and pupils will need to examine the relationship between the Church and monarch.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet

Enquiry

7

TOPIC

Why have opinions of King John changed?

WHY?

This enquiry focuses on historical perspectives and why different views of key historical figures can change over time and the factors which can influence this.

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


Enquiry

8

TOPIC

What are the differences between the European and English Reformations?

WHY?

This enquiry will explain the creation and impact of the reformation both in Germany and England.

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


Enquiry

9

TOPIC

How did life change under the Tudor Monarchs?

WHY?

This enquiry will examine different elements of Tudor life, focusing on ordinary people.

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


Enquiry

10

TOPIC

What is the impact of migration on England?

WHY?

This enquiry will focus on consequences of migration and how migration prior to the 1600s has influenced and impacted the country we live in.

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet

Year 8 - KS3

TERM

Term One

TOPIC

The Stuarts

WHY?
In this unit students will study key events during the 1600s including the Gunpowder Plot, the English Civil War and the Great Fire of London.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


TERM

Term Two

TOPIC

Industrial Revolution

WHY?
Students will develop their understanding of what the Industrial Revolution was and how it changed the landscape of Britain. It will focus on the social History of Britain and the experiences of ordinary people.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


TERM

Term Three

TOPIC

Jack the Ripper

WHY?
This unit acts as a case study for policing and law and order in Victorian Britain. Students will examine the hardships faced by those without social security and will be challenged to question pre-conceptions about the victims.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


TERM

Term Four

TOPIC

West African Kingdoms

WHY?
This exciting unit will explore three kingdoms of Ancient Ghana, Mali and Songhai that existed in West Africa from c.300 to c.1500. Students will examine the rise and fall of these kingdoms, including that of the richest man to ever have existed.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


TERM

Term Five

TOPIC

Empire and Slavery

WHY?
In this unit, students will examine the origins of the British Empire and resistance to it as well as the legacy of the slave trade.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


TERM

Term Six

TOPIC

Rights and People in America

WHY?
This unit will allow pupils to examine an overview of rights in America from British rule and the American Civil War to the music of Bob Dylan and what students can learn from that about Emmett Till.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


Year 9 - KS3

TERM

Term One

TOPIC

Titanic 
&
Suffragettes

WHY?

This unit acts as a case study for life in Edwardian Britain. Within it pupils will also investigate the reasons for the Titanic hitting an iceberg and sinking and will need to judge the significance of each factor.

Students will study the experiences and inequalities women faced in the early twentieth century and their campaign for suffrage and equal rights.

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


TERM

Term Two & Three

TOPIC

World War One

WHY?
Students will examine the causes of the First World War and judge the significance of each factor. They will also focus on key battles such as the Battle of the Somme and the reasons for Germany’s defeat.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


TERM

Term Three & Four

TOPIC

World War Two

WHY?
Students will start this topic off by looking at the interwar years and the impact of the Treaty of Versailles. They will then continue to examine the causes, practices and effects of the Second World War.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


TERM

Term Five

TOPIC

The Holocaust

WHY?
Students will begin this topic by investigating the case study of Leon Greenman, a British Jew, whose wife and son were both murdered during the Holocaust. Students will examine further case studies where they will need to determine whether individual or groups were perpetrators, collaborators, or bystanders.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet


TERM

Term Six

TOPIC

Events that Changed the World

WHY?
This unit is an exciting opportunity for teachers and pupils to examine aspects of History that don’t fit into our wider schemes of work but have all had huge impacts on the world around us. This includes, the Russian Revolution, the Space Race, the growth of Feminism, 9/11 and the War on Terror, the growth of Social Media and the History of LGBTQ+. 
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet

 

Year 10 - KS4 - Exam Board Edexcel

TOPIC

Medicine Through Time

WHY?

Students will develop an understanding of the nature and process of change in this thematic unit. They will investigate patterns, trends and turning points and the factors that inhibited or encouraged this across different periods. The unit will focus on ideas about what caused disease, approaches to prevention and treatment as well as a case study from each time period.

Students will also do an in-depth look at the historical environment which is the British sector of the Western Front, 1914-18: injuries, treatments and preventions.  They will investigate the theatre of war in Flanders and Northern France, the trench system, the nature of wounds from rifles and explosives, the effects of gas attacks, developments in brain and plastic surgery and new techniques in the treatment of wounds. This section will be focused on the use of sources for historical enquiries.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet

Recommended Revision Guide:

  • Target Grade 9 Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History Medicine in Britain c1250-present Workbook by Pearson
CGP GCSE History Edexcel Revision Guide

TOPIC

Weimar and Nazi Germany

A modern depth study which gives pupils the opportunity to analyse different historical interpretations.

WHY?

The content will cover the origins of the Weimar Republic, the early challenges it faced as well as the legacy of the First World War. Students will then examine Hitler’s rise to power between 1919 and 1933 weighing up the significance of different factors from use of propaganda to the growth in unemployment in Weimar Germany. The focus will then focus on the creation of a dictatorship and the different methods of control from use of the media to the role of the Gestapo and the SS. Students will also have the opportunity to what life was like in Nazi Germany from policies towards women to the persecution of minorities.

RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet

Recommended Revision Guide:

  • Target Grade 9 Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History Weimar and Nazi Germany Workbook by Pearson
CGP GCSE History Edexcel Revision Guide

Year 11 - KS4 - Exam Board Edexcel

TOPIC

The American West (Temporarily removed 2020-2021 due to COVID course changes)

WHY?
This is a period study which will allow students to examine an unfolding narrative about the settlement of the West. Students will examine the Plains Indians – their beliefs and their way of life, the impact of settlement on this group and the gradual destruction of their way of life. Students will also explore further conflict and tension through the range wars, Billy the Kid and the OK Corral.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet

Recommended Revision Guide:

  • Target Grade 9 Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History The American West Workbook by Pearson
CGP GCSE History Edexcel Revision Guide

TOPIC

Early Elizabethan England

This is a British Depth Study which allows pupils to examine a substantial period of early modern British History.

WHY?
Students will explore the issue of religion in Elizabeth’s reign and the challenges Elizabeth I faced when she ascended to the throne. The claim of Mary Queen of Scots to the throne and the multiple plots to overthrow Elizabeth. Students will also investigate Elizabethan society during the Age of Exploration from topics such as education and leisure to the increase in poverty and vagabondage during Elizabeth’s reign.
RESOURCES

Curriculum Booklet

Recommended Revision Guide:

  • Target Grade 9 Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History Early Elizabethan England  Workbook by Pearson
CGP GCSE History Edexcel Revision Guide