History

Our history curriculum at QES aims to provide students with a modern, rich and diverse study of history. We aim to capture students' enthusiasm for the subject by providing them with a broad and varied curriculum. We aim to take the students through a wide variety of history that gives them an understanding of the making of the world they live in, from the creation of modern Britain to its place in the world today.

There are three main aims of our curriculum. Firstly, to provide students with the important skills to further their education, become life-long learners, and to support the creation of well-rounded, respectable and empathetic individuals that can thrive and prosper in modern British society. We aim to do this by bringing history to life and encouraging students to look beyond the subject through independent and collaborative research. We look to gradually introduce and embed key skills that students can use across the secondary curriculum that can be applied to further education and beyond. Furthermore, we look to encourage and promote the importance of determination, kindness, integrity and ambition through the study of great individuals and the long-lasting impact they have had on history. 

Through a student's journey at QES we aim to provide them with a ‘complete’ study of British history. This means giving students the tools to assess the magnificent, complex, yet controversial history of Britain. It is through this study that we develop the students' understandings of what core British values represent and why they are important. We aim to show students where British history began, where it is going, and everything in between. We aim to show how modern institutions of government have grown and why democracy is the linchpin of the country we live in today.

Our third main aim is to show students the magnificent history of the world. To encourage and promote a love of learning that can be unparalleled in depth and variety as history. We look to capitalise on the rich and varied cultures and ethnicities at QES by meeting the needs and curiosities for as many students as possible. By having broad studies on international themes, we look to show how Britain is not isolated but part of an interconnected rapidly growing world. Our aim is to give students an opportunity to understand that history is living and represents the past, present and the future all over the world. We aim to ignite a passion for the subject that brings history to life. 

Key Stage 3:

Year 7 Topics:

• What is History? Local case study in Luton
• Britain before 1066
• The Norman Conquest
• Life and Religion in the Middle Ages
• The Plantagenets
• The Tudors

Year 8 Topics:

• The Plantagenets
• The English Civil War
• The Transatlantic Slave Trade & the Abolition
• The Industrial Revolution & Suffrage Movement
• Causes of World War I & World War II
• The Russian Revolution

Year 9 Topics:

• Origins of World War I
• World War II
• The Holocaust
• Britain: 1945 to present
• International History Case Study: United States of America
• International History Project

Key Stage 4:

We deliver the Edexcel History 9 – 1 Specification (Pearson) to our Key Stage 4 students. 

To prepare students for their final GCSEs, we ensure that we practice all skills and knowledge required, in class and for homework, and make sure students practise the different formats of questions that they could be faced with in the exams.

Enrichment:

• School trips
• Assemblies (Black History Month, Remembrance, Holocaust)
• Reading lists and history in the news and media

Key Skills you will learn:

• Understanding of the history of Britain and the wider world
• Source/data analysis
• Independent and collaborative research
• Applying subject knowledge accurately to be able to make valid, evidence-based judgements
• Literacy and numeracy development through analysis of text and  data, such as election results
• Debating skills

Next Steps:

History is a subject that promotes the use of a variety of important skills like research or source/data analysis. These can be used in a number of different courses and careers.

Courses:

Further and higher education establishments such as colleges, sixth forms and universities make a point of valuing the diverse and relevant skills and knowledge gained from studying history at GCSE and/or A Level.  Future study routes where history is relevant include;

• A Levels e.g. history, politics, English, sociology, psychology, ethics and philosophy
• University courses such as: history, ancient history, politics, economics, archaeology, law, English, international relations, anthropology

Careers: 

Studying history will be of benefit where an ability to process, understand and deploy complex information is a necessity:

• Teaching
• Law
• The Civil Service
• Museums
• Libraries
• The corporate and business world

Contact:

 Lead Teacher of History - hthurstance@qesluton.co.uk