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History

Curriculum Leader: Mrs R Reid

Subject Teachers: Mrs R Reid, Ms C Bidwell, Mr P Carvalho, Mrs E Edwards, Mr J Gee, Miss A Muja and Mr N Rola

History isn't about dates and places and wars. It's about the people who fill the spaces between them

Jodi Picoult, Author

Overall Purpose of the Subject - Summary:

History at Cove encourages students to think critically about the world today; how has our past affected modern society?  We aim to equip students by developing their knowledge and understanding of the past and helping them understand how and why things have changed. 

We want students to develop a love of learning as well as build their enquiry skills; learning to evaluate evidence so they can reach their own supported judgments and opinions about key historical events.


Course Outline and Structure - Key Stage 3

Each Year group covers a new unit of work each half term and students’ learning is regularly assessed.

Year 7 start with an Introduction to History and then a unit called the Creation of England. This is a study into England pre-1066 when England first became a country united under one monarch. We then study the Norman Conquest and its immediate and long term consequences on the UK.  Term 2 sees Year 7 studying Medieval Life and Term 3 is a study of Tudor England. Students learn about how society was organised during both periods and what it was like to be alive at these times. Students study the following topics – the structure of society, the role of the monarchy, the importance of religion, crime and punishment, medicine, gender equality / differences, food and drink, homes and living conditions.

Year 8 build on their learning from the previous year by looking at England during the 17th century, in particular the English Civil War, where they evaluate its political and social impact. Students then complete a World History unit by studying the British Empire. Students have the opportunity to study different colonial countries and make their own judgements about the impact of the empire. In Term 2, students study the big social, economic and political changes of the 19th and early 20th century in Britain - primarily the Industrial Revolution and the struggle for the vote. In Term 3, students study the African -American Slave Trade and the Civil Rights Movement in the USA and are then able to make comparisons with the struggles for Women’s Rights in the UK and equal rights in South Africa. Students should complete Year 8 with a good understanding of democracy and the development of multi-cultural Britain as it stands today.

Year 9 History at Cove is focused on the 20th century.  The year runs chronologically starting with the origins of World War One and looking in depth at the conflict in the early 20th century.  In Term 2 students study the rise of extremism in the 1930s and the steps to WW2. Students look in some depth at the turning points of World War Two and the impact this conflict had on Europe and the rest of the world.  This leads into the final scheme of learning at KS3 which concentrates on the Holocaust – its causes, events and significance.


Course Outline and Structure - Key Stage 4

Exam Board: AQA

The GCSE History course runs over two years.  Students will sit 2 exam papers in the summer of Year 11. Each paper comprises 50% of their overall grade. Students are graded on the new 1-9 system, with 9 being the highest grade awarded.

In Year 10 students study Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship. This unit focusses on the experiences of the German people during these turbulent years - including the problems of Kaiser Wilhelm before WW1, the creation of the Weimar Republic after the First World War, The Rise of Nazi Party, the Nazi Dictatorship and it’s fall in 1945.  

The second unit for Paper 1 is Conflict & Tension 1918-1939. This unit focuses on how WW1 ended and why the peace could not be maintained, culminating in the outbreak of WW2 in September 1939.

The third unit, and first topic of Paper 2, is Britain: Health and the People 1000-present. Students study the changes and developments of medicine through time so they can explain when and why progress was made and make judgements about the most significant factors.

The final unit of the GCSE course is Elizabethan England 1568-1603. Students investigate Elizabeth’s court, her domestic and international problems and evaluate whether this really was a ‘Golden Age’. This unit includes the Historical Environment Study. This is a topic that will change every year and that students will have a long-answer question on in Paper 2.

Assessment Method - Key Stage 4

Two exams - both 2 hours.

There is no Coursework or Controlled Assessment.


Extra-Curricular Activities / Clubs:

  • Year 9 Trip to the Battlefields of WWI in Belgium
  • Year 10 trip to Auschwitz in Poland.
  • Year 11 revision trip to Berlin, Germany.