History

The History department are passionate about History and about learning!  Our department aims to make the study of history stimulating and enjoyable and to encourage a lasting interest in the past.  As students develop their understanding of history they are encouraged to ask and answer important questions, evaluate evidence, identify and analyse different interpretations of the past, and learn to substantiate any arguments and judgements they make.

History has a high profile and is a popular subject within Kingsmeadow and many students opt to study it at Key stages 4 and 5.  The department has two modern classrooms, with interactive whiteboards and projectors.  We are also well resourced in terms of text books and DVDs and are constantly looking for new ways to keep the past alive and relevant for students today.

Our core belief is that students perform best in a secure environment where learning is enjoyable and inspirational.  Therefore the ethos of the department is based on working together to share good practice and demonstrate active and creative learning within our classrooms.  We also think that it is important to develop within our students an enquiring approach towards the subject. Students are therefore encouraged to take an active part in lessons. We aim to enable students to become independent learners and develop important study skills. We encourage students to work with others and to present their work to their peers. The department teaches the students to analyse evidence to the point where they can make informed, reasoned judgements. As part of this process we enrich their skills of leadership, research, teamwork and presentation through knowing about the past as well as communicating about the past.

What do Kingsmeadow historians study?

Year 7

  •  Why was the Roman army successful?
  •  What was life like in Medieval times? ~ (Black death and Peasants    revolt)
  •  Interpretations about life for children during the Industrial revolution.
  •  The lives of the Native Americans.

Year 8

  • Which Tudor monarch had the X-factor? (Henry VII – Elizabeth 1)
  • Slavery to Civil Rights 

Year 9

  • Titanic
  • Mini investigation of Jack the Ripper
  • Life in the trenches and the Battle of the Somme
  • Holocaust
  • Medicine through time – case study on cholera

GCSE

From September 2009 students will follow the Edexcel Modern World History Course.  This includes units on International Relations 1900-45, Germany 1919-1939 and the USA 1945-1970.  In addition students complete a controlled assessment on crime, punishment and protest with a focus on Jack the Ripper and the Yorkshire Ripper.

AS History (Edexcel)

  • Mass Media, Popular Culture and Social Change in Britain since 1945
  • Civil Rights in the USA 1945-68
  • Politics, Presidents and Society in the USA, 1968-2001

A2 History (Edexcel)

  • International Relations 1879-1980 (Coursework)
  • Germany 1900-1945

History Enrichments activities

The history department is committed to encouraging learning beyond the classroom and therefore endeavour to provide a range of enriching activities for all students at Kingsmeadow.  The department runs an annual trip for Key Stage 3 students to the World War One battlefields of Belgium and France.  This experience takes students on an unforgettable voyage of discovery which allows them the opportunity to visit some of the most emotive and significant landmarks of Modern World History. 

Key Stage 4 students are provided with the opportunity to develop their studies further with a residential trip to London.  The highlights of this visit includes the infamous London Dungeons and a night time tour of London retracing the footsteps of one of the most notorious serial killers of all time – Jack the Ripper!

Furthermore in order to promote and encourage a lifelong passion for history a weekly key stage 3 history club allows for students to investigate areas of interest and pursue their learning further.  In addition the department also runs a weekly history homework club where students can come along to carry out their homework projects, get extra help and ideas, or just have somewhere quiet to learn.