History
Key Stage 3
Through studying history at JFS, students explore the ways in which past events and societies have shaped the world we live in today. They learn about how different communities were structured, how they governed themselves, and the beliefs and cultures that guided people’s choices and behaviours.
Our history curriculum sparks students’ interest in the past in Britain and the wider world. As students delve into the past across the three years, they are able to construct a coherent narrative of the past from the first millennium, while also developing a deep understanding of the key characteristics and trends that define different historical periods (such as the medieval period and the Renaissance). Through our curriculum choices and by studying a diversity of people, groups and experiences, students will also gain a deeper understanding of the complexity and variety of human experience.
In line with the national curriculum, we intend for all students in Years 7 to 9 to:
know and understand the history of Britain as a clear, chronological narrative since the first millennium, as well as how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world
know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world, including: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; and the achievements and follies of humankind
gain a historically grounded understanding of substantive concepts, such as ‘empire’ and ‘peasantry’, and to understand these terms in increasing complexity
understand the second-order concepts of the discipline and how historians frame their enquiries about the past (including continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity and difference, and significance), as well as adopt these frameworks to create their own historical accounts
understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously by historians to make historical claims, and how and why contrasting interpretations of the past have been constructed
to gain historical perspective and understand the connections between: local, regional, national and international history; cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and short- and long-term timescales
At JFS, we sequence our Key Stage Three history curriculum chronologically, and ensure students are taught the historical periods and themes specified by the national curriculum:
A history study from before 1066
The development of Church state, and society in Britain between 1066 and 1745, including a local history study on the city of London
Ideas, political power, industry and empire in Britain between 1745 to 1901
Challenges faced by Britain, Europe and the wider world from 1901 to the present day, including the Holocaust
Key Stage 4
The GCSE History curriculum taught is sequenced chronologically to support students in developing a coherent and memorable narrative of the history of Britain, Europe, and the wider world.
In Year 10 and Year 11, we ensure students fulfil Edexcel’s intentions for the GCSE history curriculum. We intend for our GCSE students to:
develop and extend their knowledge and understanding of specified key events, periods, and societies in local, British, and wider world history; and of the wide diversity of human experience
engage in historical enquiry to develop as independent learners and as critical and reflective thinkers
develop the ability to ask relevant questions about the past, to investigate issues critically, and to make valid historical claims by using a range of sources in their historical context
develop an awareness of why people, events, and developments have been accorded historical significance and how and why different interpretations have been constructed about them
organise and communicate their historical knowledge and understanding in different ways and reach substantiated conclusions.
At Key Stage Four, we also ensure students have been taught all four units that make up Edexcel’s GCSE history specification.
GCSE Paper 1 Thematic study: Crime and Punishment through time c. 1000-present
GCSE Paper 2 – Part 1: British Depth study: Early Elizabethan England, 1558-88
GCSE Paper 2 – Part 2: Period Study: Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941-91
GCSE Paper 3: Modern Depth Study: Russia and the Soviet Union, 1917-41
The Thematic study enables students to strengthen and extend their knowledge of the characteristics and trends that define different historical periods, as well as building on students’ prior knowledge of the Middle Ages, the impact of the Reformation, and key changes during the Industrial Revolution. Our British depth study on Queen Elizabeth I allows students to deepen their knowledge of 16th century Britain and Europe and adds complexity to a range of substantive concepts (including “the Church”, “monarchy”, “parliament”, and “government”).
The two 20th century units build on students’ existing understanding of the challenges that Britain, Europe, and the wider world have faced since 1901, and develop their schemata of some of the substantive concepts they encountered across Years 7 to 9 (including “democracy”, “dictatorship”, “revolution”, “communism” and “conflict”).
Key Stage 5
Year 12: The course in the first year covers German history from the end of the First World War to the fall of
the Berlin Wall. It looks at Germany’s fall to and recovery from Nazi rule, as well as its subsequent division under
Communist and Capitalist rule. We will also study the collapse of liberal democracy and the rise of Fascism in Italy as
a way of thinking about the ideological battles that were taking place in Europe in the first half of the 20th Century.
Year 13: In the second year, students complete their coursework, which will focus on an area of historiographical debate (Causes of the First World War) and an exam-based course that will focus on the British Empire, including the American Revolutionary War, India, Canada and the treatment of the indigenous people in Australia.
History is considered a ‘Blue Chip’ A Level. Success in this subject shows that you have developed analytical skills
and can articulate an argument. With this in mind, it is an excellent grounding for any humanities-based further study.