History
Key Stage 3

The History Department trip to Flanders: a Canadian trench near Vimy Ridge.

The Key Stage 3 course has been revised with the adoption of modules that now bring it into line with the specified content of the National Curriculum; these have been chosen for their suitability for the international nature of the school and in order to give the whole Key Stage 3 course an overall continuity and coherence. Thus the new course is made up entirely of National Curriculum options, although some of the core modules followed in England have been replaced by other Study Units of a more international nature. We hope these units will give the course greater coherence and a clear chronological framework whilst containing something of interest for everyone. It will give us access to text books created specifically for the National Curriculum and enable us to develop and extend our existing resources. We also hope this will give the students a very sound basis of knowledge and skills and provide them with a firm foundation for their studies at GCSE and beyond.

Year 7 Study Units:

1. An Introduction to History:
   Refining and developing some of the key historical skills such as the interpretation and analysis of evidence, an understanding of chronology, research techniques, and an introduction to the Key Elements at Key Stage 3.
2. The Norman Conquest and Norman Britain:
   An examination of some of the major features of the Norman Conquest and its impact on early Medieval Britain.
3. The Middle Ages
   An overview of some of the main features, events, personalities and developments of the Middle Ages in Britain.

Year 8 Study Units:

1. The Renaissance and the Age of Exploration:
   An examination of the causes and effects and significance of a major turning point in European history.
2. A Native American Civilisation:
   The key issues concerning an indigenous American civilisation, such as the Plains Indians or the Mayans.
3. The French Revolution :
   The causes of the Revolution and its impact on France and Europe.

Year 9 Study Units:

1. Slavery and the Slave Trade:
   An in-depth study of the reasons why the slave trade was established, what it was like and why it was abolished.
2. Britain 1750 -1900:
   An overview of some of the main events, personalities and developments (political, social and economic) in the period. An in-depth study of an aspect of one aspect of the unit.
3. The First World War:
   A study of the causes of the First World War and an analysis of the evidence available about how the war was fought.

Assessment

During the course work will be set and assessed which focuses on the skills in the Key Elements. These skills are outlined in the booklet, 'Making Progress in History', given to all pupils at the start of Key Stage 3. In addition a number of common assessment tasks will be set for all pupils and there will be exams each December and June. At the end of the Key Stage each pupil will be given a level from the History Attainment Target based on a combination of work completed during the course and the Year 9 Summer exams.