History

Staffing List

Mr Juddery - Head of History and RE
Mrs Hall-Vidler - Teacher of History
Mrs Harrison - Teacher of History
Mr Pitts - Teacher of History and RE
Mr Watson - Teacher of History and RE
Mr Threlfall - Teacher of History and Computer Science

Vision Statement:

"We are the stories we tell ourselves"

The intent of History at Testbourne Community School is to enable students to make informed decisions and judgements in their life that are based on a knowledge and understanding of the world around them. Studying History allows students to challenge prejudice and ignorance and develop an appreciation of a multi-cultural society that we live in and their part to play in it.

Teaching focuses on exploring the issues that have a relevance to modern society and that promote thinking about how the decisions of individuals can have long term and significant consequences. By approaching History in this way, students are able to consider their decision now and later in life to become resilient and aspirational student who can effect change. This is also explored through aspects of local history, so that students understand not only national and global events but how their local world has been shaped through the past.

At KS3 students cover history from the Anglo-Saxon period through to the modern day. These topic cover important concepts and issues, such as kingship, protest, empire, race and migration, and how they have evolved and been interpreted over time. The topics and enquiry questions that we study is designed to challenge students' thinking and understanding of history and the world around them and to recognise how they can have an impact in today's society.

How will it be assessed?

Students' learning is regularly assessed during lessons, with formal assessments being completed on specific topics and at the end of terms. To assist students, knowledge organisers are provided to all students at the beginning of each term, detailing key knowledge that students need to know.

Throughout the year, class teachers will use student classwork, homework, and end of term assessments to assess whether a student's knowledge is emerging, secure, or advanced; the result of this assessment is then shared with students and parents via the Year 7, 8 and 9 Progress Reports, which are emailed home.

The GCSE comprises of 4 elements:

Period study – Germany, 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship

  • Germany and the growth of democracy Kaiser Wilhelm and the difficulties of ruling Germany
    • The impact of the First World War
    • Weimar Government, the Stresemann era
  • Germany and the DepressionThe impact of the Depression
    • The failure of Weimar democracy
    • The establishment of Hitler’s dictatorship
  • The experiences of Germans under the NazisEconomic changes
    • Social policy and practice
    • Control

Wider world depth study – Conflict and Tension, 1919-1939

  • Part one: Peacemaking
    • The armistice
    • The Versailles Settlement
    • Impact of the treaty and wider settlement
  • Part two: The League of Nations and international  peace
    • The League of Nations
    • Diplomacy outside the League
    • The collapse of the League
  • Part three: The origins and outbreak of the Second World War
    • The Development of tension
    • Escalation of tension
    • The outbreak of war

Thematic study – Britain: Health and the People, 1100 – to the present

  • Medicine stands still
    • Medieval medicine
    • Medieval medicine and progress
    • Public health in the middle ages
  • The beginnings of change
    • The impact of the Renaissance on Britain
    • Dealing with disease
    • Prevention of disease
  • A revolution in medicine
    • The development of Germ Theory and a revolution in surgery
    • Improvements in public health
  • Modern medicine
    • Modern treatment of disease
    • The impact of war & technology on surgery
    • Modern public health

British depth study including the historic environment – Norman England, c1066-c1100

  • Conquest and Control
    • Causes of the Norman conquest
    • Military aspects
    • Establishing and maintaining control
  • Life under the Normans
    • Feudalism and government
    • Economic & social changes and their consequences
  • The Norman church and monasticism
    • The Church
    • Monasticism
  • The historic environment of Norman England
Course Assessment

Paper 1 – 50% Written Exam – 1 hour 45 minutes
Paper 2 – 50% Written Exam – 1 hour 45 minutes

What will I achieve?

GCSE Full course single award AQA World History.

Paper 1: Thematic study and historic environment

Medicine through Time: c.1250-present

This first part of the unit is divided into four time periods
c.1250-c.1500: Medicine in medieval England
c.1500-1700: The Medical Renaissance in England
c.1700-c1900: Medicine in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Britain
c.1900-present: Medicine in modern Britain

Students needs to the following for each time period that is studied:
Ideas about the cause of disease and illness
Approaches to prevention and treatment
One case study

Historic Environment - Medicine one the Western Front

The second part of the unit is the historic environment which is medicine on the Western Front during the First World War.
The British sector of the Western Front: injuries, treatment and the trenches
Knowledge, selection and use of sources for historical enquiries

Paper 2: Period study - Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941-91

Key topic 1: The origins of the Cold War, 1941–58

Early tension between East and West
The development of the Cold War
The Cold War intensifies

Key topic 2: Cold War crises, 1958–70
Increased tension between East and West
Cold War crises
Reaction to crisis

Key topic 3: The end of the Cold War, 1970–91
Attempts to reduce tension between East and West
Flashpoints
The collapse of Soviet control of Eastern Europe

Paper 2: British depth study - Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060-88

Key topic 1: Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest, 1060–66
Anglo-Saxon society
The last years of Edward the Confessor and the succession crisis
The rival claimants for the throne
The Norman invasion

Key topic 2: William I in power: securing the kingdom, 1066–87
Establishing control
The causes and outcomes of Anglo-Saxon resistance, 1068–71
The legacy of resistance to 1087
Revolt of the Earls, 1075

Key topic 3: Norman England, 1066–88
The feudal system and the Church
Norman government
The Norman aristocracy
William I and his sons

Paper 3: Modern depth study - Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918-1939

Key topic 1: The Weimar Republic 1918-29
Origins of the Republic, 1918-19
The early challenges to the Weimar Republic, 1919-23
The recovery of the Republic, 1924-29
Changes in society, 1924-29

Key topic 2: Hitler's rise to power, 1919-33
Early development of the Nazi Party, 1920-21
The Munich Putsch and the lean years, 1923-29
The growth in support for the Nazis 1929-32
How Hitler became Chancellor, 1932-33

Key topic 3: Nazi control and dictatorship, 1933-39
The creation of a dictatorship, 1933–34
The police state
Controlling and influencing attitudes
Opposition, resistance and conformity

Key topic 4: Life in Nazi Germany, 1933–39
Nazi policies towards women
Nazi policies towards the young
Employment and living standards
The persecution of minorities

Course Assessment
Paper 1 - 30% written exam - 1 hr 15 minutes
Paper 2 - 40% written exam - 1 hr 45 minutes
Paper 3 - 30% written exam - 1 hr 20 minutes

What will I achieve?

GCSE History qualification

  • Revision guides and flash cards: ensure that you purchase the correct specifications / units for your child - check the course specific information above. There are several different revision guides available, please ask your child’s teacher for advice as to which revision guide would best suit your child. Some companies have produced pre-made flash cards, but please ensure that your child has flash cards for the correct exam board (Edexcel) and units before purchasing these.
  • BBC Bitesize: ensure that students use content aimed at the correct exam board and units - KS3 for Y7, Y8, Y9 and GCSE (Edexcel) for Y10, and Y11. Please note: not all GCSE unit are currently covered in detail by BBC Bitesize but they are regularly updating.
  • Senecalearning.com: ensure that students use the correct code when joining their History class’s Seneca. Class teachers will provide students with a class code which will enable students to join their class, adding the relevant courses automatically, giving teachers the ability to monitor the time spent revising on Seneca by each student. Assignments can be set by teachers to ensure that students are revising relevant topics, or students can work their own way through courses.
  • GCSEpod: students have access to hundreds of podcasts on GCSEpod which they can use to further their revision of GCSE topics. The site is broken down into units and then specific topics o students can focus their learning on what they would like to revise most.
  • Revision resources on TCS SharePoint and Teams,(GCSE students). Students will need to use their school ICT username and password to access TCS SharePoint and Teams.
  • Encourage your child to read around the subject - looking at historical articles, or the news or reading interesting articles from publications such as History Today or BBC History Magazine are a great way for students to develop their understanding of history and the world we live in.
  • Ensure your child is using their revision guide and other revision tools to prepare for unit tests and exams.
  • Check they are doing their homework, ask to see it.
  • Test their spelling skills, and ensure they have learnt difficult keyword definitions.
  • Encourage the weekly production of revision tools (such as mind maps, revision cards, timeline, past paper question plans) and the completion of practice exam questions. All GCSE students have access to a spreadsheet with all past paper questions on, or they can get paper copies of questions from their class teacher.
  • Students should make use of mark schemes to check any practice papers or exam questions they have completed so that they can identify where they have gained and lost marks - a great deal can be gained from unpicking questions and understanding what marks are awarded for.
  • Year 9: First World War Battlefields school trip to France & Belgium
  • Year 11: Germany school trip to Berlin
Further Information

For more details, please contact Mr Juddery, Head of History and RE, at: m.juddery@testbourne.school