Intent Statement

At King James I Academy we have designed a History curriculum which allows students to make progress over time and acquire greater knowledge and mastery of the subject. Students will gain deepening knowledge of important changes over time and their sequence of learning will allow them to understand the range of factors which have had an impact upon how societies in Britain and the wider world have developed. Students will use Primary and Secondary sources to question the past and consider how it can be interpreted in different ways. They will learn to develop their own opinions about events but also respect the opinions of others.  As they learn topics in greater depth their explanations will become more detailed and they will make their own judgements about the past. They will interrogate sources to find out about past events and explain how their sources are useful to a historical enquiry. The students will be given enquiry questions about topics studied and through the sequence of learning become confident at giving answers to questions posed. This should encourage the students to be curious and become equipped at giving their own answers to historical questions that are still debated today. They will also develop transferable skills: source analysis, classification, research, essay – writing, and oracy. 

At Key Stage 3 they will learn about the development of British society and also its interrelation with the wider world. They will gain a chronological understanding of important turning points in British and World History. Students will also study a local history topic and learn about how important events have affected their own environment. In years 7 and 8 students will learn about the development of British society and its relationship with other countries. In Year 9 they will study important turning points in the modern world. The aim of all topics studied is to give students a sound knowledge of how past events have shaped modern society. The knowledge and skills gained at Key Stage 3 will give students a secure knowledge of important events to help them to study GCSE History. From their studies, students will become well informed, able to make reasoned decisions, debate their point of view and be able to draw parallels between past events and the modern world. They will have engaged with key issues, such as conflict, and understand what drives change and how the past influences the present. Students who are successful at their GCSE studies will then be able to expand upon their knowledge by studying A Level History where pupils can secure an even deeper understanding about past events and explore debates and issues regarding this. Through the design of the curriculum, effective teaching and a supportive environment we aim to help students to become well-rounded, resilient and confident learners who can understand the past in relation to the current world in which they live.

Department Information

The King James Academy History Department allows students to develop skills and knowledge which makes them more aware of the society in which they live. We encourage an investigative approach to the subject with students encouraged to ask questions and be inquisitive about the world around them. Students are challenged to analyse sources and also consider the causes and consequences of important events in British and World History from the Medieval period to the Modern era. During each year the students study a unit – ‘History Around Us’ where they undertake an historical visit and assess the importance of the site studied.  This includes visits to Durham Cathedral, Jorvik and the Ripon Prison and Workhouse.

Key Stage 5

A LEVEL HISTORY: Edexcel: 2 Year Course

Paper 1 H: Breadth study with interpretations:  Britain Transformed, 1918–973: 30% of final marks: : A level Examination: 2 hours 15 minutes

Paper 2 H: Depth study:  2H.1: The USA, c1920–55: Boom, Bust and Recovery: 20% of final marks: A Level examination: 1 hour 30 minutes

Paper 3: Themes in breadth with aspects in depth: Option 33: The Witch Craze in Britain, Europe and North America, c1580–c1750  30% of final marks: 2 hours 15 minutes      

Paper 4: Coursework:  20% of final marks: A level Students complete an independently researched enquiry on historical interpretations: Was the Final Solution a long term plan?  Assessment 3000-4000 word essay: Internally assessed and externally moderated.

Year 12

In Year 12 students will cover 2 of the 4 units examined at A Level. They will study Paper 1 Unit 2: The USA 1920 – 1955. Students will learn about American society and the period of ‘Boom and Bust’; the period of prosperity and then following the Wall Street Crash, the Period of Depression. They will also learn about Roosevelt’s attempts to recover American society with his New Deal. Students will gain an in-depth understanding of economic change and its long-term effects, the growing demands by Black Americans for Social Equality, and the Cultural changes driven by individuals and by Technological change. Students will also complete a 4,000 coursework enquiry study analysing whether the Final Solution was a long term plan by Hitler. Students have to analyse a topic of historical debate and consider different opinions about the planning of the Holocaust.

Year 13

In Year 13 students will study British, European and American history. For Unit 1H students will cover British history from 1918- 1997. This includes British Political, Economic, Industrial and Social History. This option comprises a study in breadth, in which students will learn about the extent to which Britain was transformed Politically, Socially, Economically and Culturally in the years 1918–79. They will consider responses to the challenges of War, fluctuations in the Economy, Technological advancement and the desire for greater Social Equality. The focus of study is on developments and changes over a broad timescale: 1918–79. This option also contains a study in depth of Historical Interpretations on a broad question: what impact Thatcher’s governments had on Britain, 1979–97.

For Paper 3 Option 33 students will explore the nature of the Witch Craze that took hold in the late-Sixteenth Century and the changing attitudes to Magic and Sorcery that eventually contributed to its decline. Together, students will study the Social, Economic, Political and Dimensions of the Phenomenon, and the broad Intellectual Changes that ushered in what is often called the Age of Reason.

Learning Journeys

History