Introduction to History

All people are living histories. To take a few obvious examples: communities speak languages that are inherited from the past. They live in societies with complex cultures, traditions and religions that have not been created on the spur of the moment. People use technologies that they have not themselves invented. And each individual is shaped by environments which themselves have been shaped over hundreds of years.

So, understanding the linkages between past and present is absolutely basic for a good understanding of the world around us. That, in a nutshell, is why History matters. It is not just ‘useful’, it is essential.

This ‘bigger picture’ approach underpins our thinking in the History Department, and so while students in our classrooms study specific topics geared around a particular historical skill, each of those units builds on prior learning, encourages links between old and new learning, and helps students to recognise patterns and themes which flow through time from the past to the present day.

KS3

In KS3, your daughter can expect to study a wide range of British History ranging from the Middle Ages (such as the Norman Conquest & Peasant’s Revolt), all the way to the early 20th century. Examples of the topics studied include the Norman Conquest, the Peasant’s Revolt, the Suffragettes and other suffrage movements, and the experiences of British people at home and abroad during the First World War.

Students will also study a number of wider world topics, such as Early Medieval Islamic Civilisations, the Mughal Empire, the movements for Independence in India, the Holocaust and the role of the Atom bomb in causing the Cold War.

Exam Board and Syllabus – AQA History (8145)

The first paper is split into two sections. Section A focuses on the aftermath of WW1 and the failure of the peace settlements in preventing another war. Section B focuses on the development of democracy in Germany, and the rapid shift towards dictatorship in the early 20th Century. Paper 1 awards 50% of the overall marks.

The second paper is comprised of a thematic study on popular protest through time, and a British history depth study on the reign of Elizabeth I. Paper 2 awards 50% of the overall marks.

Plashet School