In a world of change and reflection it has never been more important to consider the mistakes of our historic past and learn from them to plan our future. History is a fabulous subject that crosses all curriculum areas. History is everything around us, it is everywhere we look and it forms the foundation of our core beliefs and values. It teaches students about the world around them, developing a deeper understanding of current affairs. It helps students to develop key skills of reasoning, enquiry and logical thinking. It also helps students to become highly skilled by being independent thinkers and good team workers.​

History is a popular option at GCSE and A Level and we study over 2000 years of history in our seven years of study.
Staff
Subject Leader
​​​Miss D L Tickell
​tickell.d@kevi.org.uk
Lead Teacher
​Mr D Lomas
Teaching Staff
​Mrs C M Austin
Mrs N K Williams
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  • KS3
  • GCSE
  • A LEVEL
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Key Stage 3

In the first three years, pupils follow the National Curriculum, where they develop their knowledge and skills according to their attainment target, taught by well-qualified and enthusiastic historians.

Students study history topics ranging from 300BC to modern day, in chronological order.

In Year 7 our students learn about life in Ancient China under the First Emperor, Shi Huangdi; how criminals have been treated throughout the ages in Crime and Punishment; how William the Conqueror defeated the Saxon King Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, and how people lived and survived during the measly Middle Ages.

In Year 8 pupils will study the religious rollercoaster that was the reigns of the Tudor dynasty, leading up to the 17th Century and the "Events that Shook the People", such as the Gunpowder Plot, the English Civil War, the Rule of Oliver Cromwell, the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London. They then continue into the 1700s with a study of the significant Industrial Revolution, examining how Britain changed over a relatively short period of time. Finally students will investigate Slavery and the Slave Trade and understand its impact on the people it affected and the legacy it left behind.

In the final year of KS3, students explore the major events of the 20th Century, beginning with World War One. Students look at its causes and its consequences and what life was like in the trenches. They then study World War Two; how Hitler rose to power in Germany, how he controlled his people and also how the people of Britain survived on the Home Front. Their final topic examines the Post-War world, the events of the Cold War, Britain in the Swinging Sixties, the assassination of JFK, the Space Race and of course, The Beatles!

Every few years the department runs an extended visit to an historical place of interest in Europe.  Previous visits have included the World War One battlefields, Berlin and Auschwitz, Rome and Pompeii.

GCSE

OCR B Modern World History (Y11 only)
Students look at three main aspects of modern world history for their exam; how British society changed between 1890 and the end of World War One in 1918, with a focus on the Liberal Reforms, the Suffragettes and life on the WW1 Home Front. The second aspect centres around a depth study of Germany between the wars. From the end of WW1 and the fall of the Kaiser to the rise to power of Adolf Hitler and his control over Germany. The third aspect focuses on the world after WW2, mainly the Cold War between 1945 and 1975; with specific reference to the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam. The Controlled Assessment element is a study of Russia from the time of the Tsars, the revolutions of 1917, the rise of Lenin and the Bolsheviks, the establishment of the Soviet Union, to the consolidation of power by Josef Stalin. ​
Exam board information
OCR B Modern World
​(Year 11 only)
WJEC Eduqas History
(Year 10)
WJEC Eduqas History (from 2016 onwards)
Our new GCSE 9-1 - students look at events during the reigns of Edward III and Richard II such as the Hundred Years' War, the Black Death and the Peasants' Revolt. We also look Germany from 1919 to 1939 and the rise of the Nazis; we study British history from 1919 until 1990 and a thousand years of Crime and Punishment. 

A Level

We follow the OCR A Level syllabus from 2015 onwards
UNIT 1: England 1445–1509: Lancastrians, Yorkists and Henry VII
Enquiry: Wars of the Roses 1445-1461
  • The Outbreak of the Wars 1445–1450
  • The early actions of Richard, Duke of York
  • War and the defeat of Richard, Duke of York

British Period Study: England 1461–1509
  • Edward IV’s first rule and the crisis of 1470–1471
  • Edward IV and Richard III 1471–1485
  • Henry VII’s rule in England 1485–1509
  • Henry VII’s foreign policy 1485–1509.

UNIT 2: The French Revolution and the rule of Napoleon 1774–1815
  • The causes of the French Revolution from 1774 and the events of 1789
  • The Revolution from October 1789 to the Directory 1795
  • Napoleon Bonaparte to 1807
  • The decline and fall of Napoleon 1807–1815

UNIT 3: Russia and its Rulers 1855–1964
Thematic Study: Russia and its Rulers 1855–1964
  • The nature of government
  • The impact of dictatorial regimes on the economy and society of the Russian Empire and the USSR
  • Impact of war and revolution on the development of the Russian Empire and the USSR
  • Russia: Empire, nationalities and satellite states

Russia and its Rulers 1855–1964 Depth Studies
  • Alexander II’s domestic reforms
  • The Provisional Government
  • Khrushchev in power 1956–1964​
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UNIT 4: Non-exam assessment
Students will complete a 3000-4000 word essay on a topic of teacher/student choice
This may well be based on a topic studied in the course