History
The teaching of History should inspire students to pursue their curiosity, building their capacity to learn and investigate the past. At St George’s School, students’ history lessons guide them to make sense of the changing political and human landscape, and to reflect on and question what they discover. Students are given a strong chronological understanding of history, enabling them to place the events of the past in their context and appreciate their significance, both in their own time and in shaping our present.
A wealth of knowledge is the foundation of our curriculum; it is a tool to build a genuine breadth of perspective and coherence of understanding.
History is the science of humans in time. Its effective study promotes the development of respectful and informed young people who can understand the world as it is and appreciate the diversity of it. We look to help students become compassionate, empathetic members of society with the knowledge and understanding to make well-founded contributions to it.
Key stage 3 (years 7, 8 & 9)
History in Year 7, 8 and 9 is taught in mixed ability groups, with students in Year 7 receiving four hours teaching a fortnight of the subject and students in Year 8 and 9 receiving three hours a fortnight. The curriculum is designed to cover the objectives listed below using a variety of engaging activities to inspire a lifelong love of the subject:
To develop student’s knowledge and understanding in the following key areas:
- The nature of power (social, political, economic, religious)
- The evolution of democracy over time
- Cultural diversity and changing societies over time
- Conflict and international relations over time
- Beliefs and ideologies
- ‘Understanding the past to make sense of the future’
To develop student’s historical skills and sense of enquiry in the following key areas:
- Chronology (change and continuity and key turning points)
- Causes and consequence
- Significance of individuals, events and ideas
- Diversity and inclusivity
- Literacy and historical terminology
- Empathy and compassion with individuals and events in the past
This knowledge will be assessed in a range of ways throughout the course with students working on one summative assessment each half term that could take the form of a knowledge test, presentation, essay or exam.
Students will receive a ‘prep’ task each week.
Curriculum Maps
Key stage 4 (years 10 & 11)
Students follow the Cambridge IGCSE History specification which cover modern world History 1919 to 1990. Students receive five hours of Geography teaching a fortnight.
The IGCSE course is assessed through examination with students sitting two History papers at the end of the course. They also complete a coursework essay in the Spring term of Year 11.
Key stage 5 (years 12 & 13)
Students follow the AQA A Level History specification, covering the British Empire 1857 to 1967 and the birth of the USA 1760 to 1801 . Students receive eight hours of History teaching a fortnight.
The A Level course is assessed through two examinations which students sit at the end of the course and an independent investigation which forms 20% of the final grade that students submit in Summer term of Year 12.
Additional Opportunities
The department runs a number of residential trip to Berlin for interested GCSE students.
The faculty offers a ‘digging deeper’ super curriculum which is available to all students via Google Classroom