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History

Head of History and RE  Mr David Pedro
Teacher of History Mr Christopher Crumpton

 

Curriculum Intent 

By the end of their all-through education, a student of history at Harrogate High School will have experienced a wide breadth of historical knowledge, through promoting British values, encouraging a love and joy of History and enabling students to express and justify their opinions in the face of adversity.  

 

Our department mission is to provide our students with a high-quality history education that will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. We aim to promote a love and enjoyment of History, through teaching students a wide range of substantive knowledge, from the Norman Conquest in Year 7 to Slavery in Year 8 to World War 2 in Year 9 and a wide range of disciplinary knowledge, from cause and consequence to similarity and difference to source analysis.  

 

To achieve a true understanding of the subject, History is taught chronologically across KS3 to enable our students to see the changing nature of our society over time, building on that chronological foundation built in KS2 studies of History, which allows them to identify what key events happened in each period of history.  

 

This design provides our students a clear overview of how the world has changed, and be able to find the areas of History they are particularly interested in. Each History unit also has a focus on a particular second order concept, such as cause and consequence and source analysis, with each concept revisited each year to embed understanding further.  

 

Etymology is also embedded into all lessons to enhance students keyword and literacy understanding, to help them be able to write like a historian better. Independent Practice is also embedded in every lesson to help students retain valuable information from their studies and be able to apply it in both their written work and in everyday life.  

Links to CARES values 

Courage: Engaging in discussions and accepting challenges to misconceptions. 

Aspiration: Striving for mastery and improvement through reflection and feedback. 

Respect: Valuing diverse perspectives and showing empathy in sensitive historical contexts. 

Equality: Exploring social change movements like the Peasants’ Revolt and women’s suffrage. 

Self-Control: Demonstrating resilience and independence in learning 

Links to British Values 

Students examine how legal systems evolved, from Magna Carta to modern democracy. History explores the development of democratic institutions in Britain, including the Reform Acts, women's suffrage, and the role of Parliament. Through studies of events like slavery, the British and Ottoman Empires, genocides and the Cold War, students understand the importance of personal freedoms. History encourages empathy and understanding by examining diverse perspectives, especially when studying Medieval Britain and Medieval Africa in Year 7, comparing the British and Ottoman Empires in Year 8 and comparing the impact of different genocides in Year 9.  

Links to Careers 

Careers that are linked to studying History are: 

Historian or Archivist 

Lawyer or Legal Professional 

 Journalist or Editor 

 Civil Service or Politics 

Teacher or Academic 

Enhanced Provision 

The History department runs several enrichment visits over the course of the year, such as visiting the Royal Armouries in both Year 7 and 8, giving the students the opportunity to re-enact battle sequences, handle historical artefacts and explore history in a different context outside of the classroom. 

Learning Journey 

Link to document  

 

Ks3 Curriculum overview 

Link to Document - History

 

Ks4  

Curriculum  

overview 

Link to document - History