History

1. A chronological awareness of when major events occurred and how they are linked
2. Narrative explanation of major
3. An understanding of why historical events occurred (cause)
4. .An understanding of the consequences of major events and developments
5. An understanding of how we can learn about the past from a range of source material
6. An understanding of why events and people in the past have been interpreted differently

Year 7 

Students in Key Stage 3 begin with an examination of life in Britain before 1066. This begins with a study of the Neolithic Revolution and its importance in the long-term history of the British Isles. They then combine this with a local study to consider life on Merseyside prior to the Norman invasion. 

Following on from this, students learn about the causes and consequences of the Norman invasion before considering the important events, issues and people in medieval Britain. In addition, students learn about Liverpool’s medieval history and this focus study looks at the original medieval city of Liverpool. 

The medieval period is followed up with a study of the Tudor and Stuart period. For the Tudor period we consider how turbulent life was in the 16th century by examining how Tudor monarchs solved the problems that they faced and whether it was possible to have fun during the Tudor dynasty. We then consider the changing role of the monarch in the Stuart era and look at the reasons for the decline in the influence of the English monarchy. 

Our final study of year 7 involves looking at how the United Kingdom was formed. This brings together aspects we have taught in the year and links with some of the year 8 content on the Empire and Ireland. 

Year 8 

In the first term of year 8 we consider how and why Britain became the richest and most powerful country in the world in the 19th century. This involves looking at Britain’s role in the Slave Trade and the advantages of having an Empire. An essential aspect of these units is considering the legacy of the Slave Trade and the Empire and how they should be represented in modern Britain. We then link these topics with a unit looking at how and why Britain became the world’s first industrialised nation. 

The importance of the 20th Century’s two world wars is our next focus in year 8. We look at how Britain was changing before the First World War and whether the war deserves its terrible reputation. We then consider the legacy of the Great War for Britain and for international relations by examining the reasons for the outbreak of the Second World War and its subsequent impact and legacy for Britain. Our final unit of the year looks at why and how Nazi Germany was defeated. 

Year 9 

At the beginning of Year 9 we study the Holocaust. As well as looking at the terrible events orchestrated by the Nazis, we also consider the long-term history of anti-Semitism and the legacy of the Holocaust today. 

Students are then taught a unit entitled Does the USA deserve the title of ‘leader of the free world’? This unit looks at the global impact of the USA in the 20th century and the first part of the 21st century.

Our students are then led through a thematic study over the time period that they have been studying since the start of year 7.This unit is a Study of Crime and Punishment from c.1000AD to 2007. This involves a study of how approaches to crime prevention and punishment have changed over the last millennium and includes focus studies on-

• Changes to the law made the Normans
• The range of punishments in the medieval period
• The Gunpowder Plot and the treatment of the suspects involved
• The introduction of the Police force
• Crime in the Twentieth Century

Year 10 

(From September 2021)

Students begin Year 10 with the Modern Depth Study unit of the Edexcel GCSE specification, Germany 1918-1939. Obviously, the rise of the Nazis and creation of the Nazi state is a major element of this but we also look at the Weimar Republic of the 1920s and the reasons for its collapse.

We then turn our attention to Superpower Relations 1941-1991. This unit looks at how the Cold War became a legacy of the Second World War and how events over the next 40 years almost led to a third world war. This includes studies of the Berlin Airlift, Hungary 1956, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Détente and the ‘Star Wars’ programme amongst many other major events.

Year 11

Year 11 begin with the first component of the GCSE Paper 2, Anglo-Saxon and Norman England c.1060-1088. Students will learn to compare and contrast Saxon and Norman England and reach informed conclusions to historical issues from this period such as whether the Battle of Hastings was won by poor Saxon leadership or excellent Norman leadership.

Building on the Key Stage 3 thematic unit, we then look at the history of Crime and Punishment through the ages and complete a thematic study on Whitechapel and Crime c.1880-1900 before a final revision programme.

A Level History 

History is a popular subject at A Level and our students follow the AQA History specification. Our 2 exam units are-

• Challenge and Transformation: Britain c1851-1964 (40% of overall grade)
• Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-1945 (40% of overall grade)

Students also have to complete a piece of coursework on a theme of their choice (from a selection of topics that begin before 1764) and this makes up the final 20% of their overall mark. 

Students who opt for this course follow the Edexcel specification. The course is assessed completely by 3 exams at the end of Year 13.