History

Our intention is for students to understand history as a foundation for life-long learning. It is our hope that pupils will leave Warlingham with a true love of history and reap the benefits of what history has to offer.

Pupils will leave Warlingham School with a real sense of how the institutions and values that serve, guide and control them were created and changed over time. Thus, pupils learn to respect the fundamental values of democracy, rule of law, individual liberty and diversity. History should enable pupils to understand how individuals have made a contribution to our society, whether it be positive by acting as role models and demonstrating facets of their characters we can admire, which reflect the values of the school of courage, commitment and kindness, whilst also realising that others have had a negative impact. Historians at Warlingham will understand from their learning journey how History has a vital role to play in teaching them to discern fact from opinion in a society where they are open to such a breadth of influences.

The Core Concepts

To know, understand and explain how British institutions and values began, developed and changed.
To be able to understand the nature of power, who has it, how it was and is acquired, how it is used and misused.
To understand how organisations, states and groups interact, come into conflict and resolve conflict.
To consider the idea of recurrent themes in history. For example how economic factors may encourage challenges to authority.
To develop an understanding of how the perspective of the viewer can affect the perception of an event or action.
To have knowledge of an element of local history.

Politics (Power)
Economics
Ideas and beliefs
Role of society
Role of the individual

Skills

To communicate ideas effectively, with the appropriate language. For example, pupils should be able to create a coherent argument to support or challenge a point of view about a historical event.
To identify, explain, analyse and evaluate historical phenomena. For example, pupils should be able to identify causes of an event, say how these factors contributed and make a judgement about their relative importance.
To analyse, evaluate and use sources. For example, pupils should be able to choose a source. They should be able to consider and judge the veracity of said source based on reason.

Key Stage 3

Year 7

How was England created?
Students begin History by understanding the concept of chronology and how historians use evidence to make conclusions. This is followed by looking at the Roman Empire, its reasons for invading England, Boudicca’s rebellion, the changes the Romans made to England and Alfred the Great.

How did William take control of England?
Students look at the four contenders to the throne, the Battle of Stamford Bridge and the Battle of Hastings. This is followed by learning about the Feudal System, the Domesday Book, Motte and Bailey castles, the Harrying of the North and assessing how significant the Battle of Hastings was.

Could Medieval monarchs do whatever they wanted?
Students start by understanding the importance of religion in the Middle Ages, Henry II and Thomas Becket, and Edward III. This is followed by looking at King John, the relationship he had with his barons and differing interpretations of King John before students assess his reign. This leads onto the significance of the Magna Carta and looking at where our Parliament originally came from.

What caused the Peasants Revolt?
Students learn about the causes of the Black Death and its significance, as well as the learning about the Hundred Years War. This is followed by understanding the short and long term causes of the Peasants Revolt before looking at what happened and why it failed.

How did religion lead to nine major wars?
Students start by understanding what a crusade is, why so many people volunteered to go on the Crusades and the preparation of the soldiers. This leads onto assessing the success of the First and Third Crusades, as well as looking at the Children’s Crusade. The topic ends by looking at what England learnt from the Arabic world.

Year 8

How should we remember the War of the Roses?
Students begin the year by following on chronologically from where they left off at the end of Year 7, analysing why one of Britain’s bloodiest civil wars is still remembered today.

How did the Reformation shake Europe?
Students then examine the Reformation – one of the most important events in European history, and explore how the split between the Catholic and Protestant faiths shook the entire continent.

How did the Reformation shake England?
Students will examine the ‘rollercoaster’ of Tudor monarchs, and their shifting and violent allegiances to the Catholic and Protestant faiths respectively.

Was religion to blame for the war between England and Spain?
Students will evaluate over a series of lessons the different factors leading to the war between Spain and England in 1588, and decide how relevant the tension between the Protestant and Catholic churches was among them.

Why did England go to war with itself?
Students will study the English Civil War between parliament and King Charles, looking at both the religious divide already studied in Year 8, but also the growing demands for democracy and parliamentary authority over the exclusive power of the monarchy.

How much change did the Civil War bring?
Historians continue to debate to this day how much change English society experienced after the Civil War and the execution of Charles I. Students will weigh up the evidence and decide for themselves how fundamental (or not) these changes were.

How did democracy advance?
Following the emergence of stronger parliamentary authority in the previous unit, students will then take a long view of the gradual strengthening of this authority over that of the monarchy in England. They will also examine how those previously left out of the democratic process – EG women and the working class – fought for their democratic rights.

Why did the slave trade last so long?
Students will work extensively on the slave trade for their final two units. First, they will examine the infamous ‘triangle trade’, and explore the economic motivations underpinning the slave trade, along with an exploration of the barbaric and dehumanising conditions on the Middle Passage and the plantations.

Why was slavery abolished?
Students will study the range of factors which led to the eventual abolition of Slavery in Britain, ranging from fear of slave rebellions, to economic factors, to the heroic efforts of abolitionists.

How far has equality been achieved since the abolition of slavery?
Students will assess the extent to which racial equality has been achieved since the abolition of slavery, beginning with the American Civil War, and finishing with the Black Lives Matter movement of the present day.

Year 9

Why was 9/11 such a shocking event?
Students will consider this event in the context of the apparent ‘end of history’ at the end of the Twentieth Century. Students will consider the causes and consequences of 9/11 in societal and military terms.

How should the Great War be remembered?
Students will consider the following: How did the death of one individual contribute to causing a World War? What was the nature of trench of warfare and how did it impact soldiers? How far was the Battle of the Somme a victory for the British?

What were the consequences of the Great War?
Students will consider the following: Why did World War One come to an end and what was the impact of the Treaty of Versailles? Why did dictators such as Hitler rise to power during the interwar period?

Why did Europe go to war again in 1939 and what were its consequences?
Students will consider the following: Who was to blame for the start of World War Two? What were the most significant events of the Second World War? Why is it important to remember the Holocaust?

key Stage 4

AQA GCSE History

Year 10

Autumn Term

Conflict and Tension 1945-72 (Cold War)

In this unit will look at the tensions between two superpowers, the Soviet Union and the USA. We will examine their moves and counter-moves against each other – and see how they brought the world close to annihilation.

Spring & Summer Term

Democracy and Dictatorship: Germany 1890-1945

For our second unit of Year 10, we will look at the history of Germany – from its creation as a country in 1870, through to the rise and fall of the Nazis.

Year 11

Autumn Term

Norman England 1066-1100

To start Year 11, we will be looking at the most important event in English history – the Norman Conquest. This was the last time England was ever successfully conquered by a foreign power. The descendants of the Norman Lords are still strongly represented among the rich and powerful today!

Spring and early Summer Term

Power and the People 1170-Present Day

The final unit of the GCSE is a 900 year whistle-stop tour of power and authority and how it has been challenged by ordinary people fighting for their rights.

Key Stage 5

AQA A Level History (7042)

Year 12 & 13

Unit 1: Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855-1964

This unit covers the reigns of the last three Tsars of Russia and the first three communist rulers of what became known as the USSR or Soviet Union.

The unit can be divided into:

Trying to preserve autocracy, 1855-1894

This section examines the reigns of Alexander II and Alexander III. It looks at Alexander II’s attempts to reform Tsarist Russia and then Alexander III’s attempts to strengthen his authority and industrialise the economy.

The collapse of autocracy, 1894-1917

This section focuses on the reign of the last ever Russian Tsar, Nicholas II – after three hundred years of having a royal family in Russia, why did it come to an end in 1917?.

The emergence of Communist dictatorship, 1917-1941

This section focuses on what happened after the Russia Revolution. You will consider questions like how did Lenin increase his power? And how did Stalin become dictator of the USSR?

The Stalinist dictatorship and the reaction to it, 1941-1964

This section focuses on Stalin’s leadership of the USSR and considers how he ruled the country before examining how Khrushchev tried to distance himself from Stalin’s use of terror.

The assessment is an exam of 2 hours and thirty minutes including 2 essays and a source question based on historians’ accounts.

Unit 2: The Wars of the Roses, 1450-1499

This unit of study examines the origins and events of the period commonly referred to as the Wars of the Roses.

The unit can be divided into:

The Fall of the House of Lancaster, 1450-1471

This section examines the origins of the Wars of the Roses including the English defeat in the Hundred Years War, the weakness of King Henry VI and the ambitions of nobles such as Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York and Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick (the Kingmaker).

The Fall of the House of York, 1471-1499

This section explains why the Wars of the Roses broke out again following the premature death of Edward IV. Why did the previously loyal Richard, Duke of Gloucester usurp the throne in 1483? How did the relatively unknown Henry Tudor manage to win the crown and establish the Tudor Dynasty.

The assessment is an exam of 2 hours and thirty minutes including 2 essays and a source question based on contemporary accounts.

Unit 3: 4,000 word Historical Enquiry

Chosen from a range of suggested topics, including:

The Collapse of the Concert of Europe 1814-1914
The Decline in Royal Power 1603-1701
Electoral Reform 1832–1928

You will consider different interpretations of the topics chosen and evaluate primary sources.

Some class time will be allocated to the NEA but the majority will be independent research and study.