“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots” – Marcus Garvey
At Finham Park 2, history is a fun and vibrant subject. Our aim is to fire students’ curiosity and imagination, moving and inspiring them with the dilemmas, choices and beliefs of people in the past. Our students study a range of people, events and situations from local, national and international history. It helps them to ask and answer questions of the present, by engaging with the past.
History prepares students for the future, equipping them with knowledge and skills that are prized in adult life, enhancing employability and developing an ability to take part in a democratic society. It encourages mutual understanding of the historic origins of our ethnic and cultural diversity, and helps pupils become confident and questioning individuals. They investigate Britain’s relationships with the wider world, and relate past events to the present day.
Key Stage 3
We intend to develop a love for history, whilst preparing each student for their next phase of their education. We also aim to give all students a broad and balanced view of the History of Britain and other societies and epochs. We aim to provide an inclusive curriculum that represents our school community, giving all of our pupils an understanding of their place in our world. In this, students will develop a well-rounded knowledge of the past and its events, with the intention to improve every student’s cultural capital, understanding of the world around them and their own heritage. At FP2, we have designed a KS3 History curriculum with the intent that our children will:
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- become increasingly critical and analytical thinkers.
- possess a secure understanding of the chronology of the British Isles and other important periods of History.
- discover links and connections to the History they learn and the wider community and locality.
- further their knowledge and explanations of change and continuity over time with regards to the history of the British Isles and other societies and epochs.
- differentiate between source types and explain how interpretations in History may differ.
- draw on similarities and differences within given time frames and across previously taught History.
- enquire into Historical themed questions and form their own opinions and interpretation of the past.
Key Stage 4
- Conflict at Home and Abroad, The USA 1954-1975 – By the end of this unit, students should be able to describe the journey of African Americans from the Jim Crow Laws, to a greater level of equality after 1975. Students will study key activists from the time such as Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X and Rosa Parks and assess their importance to the wider Civil Rights Movement. Later in the year, students will study growing US involvement in Vietnam, the conduct of the war and the circumstances for America’s withdrawal from the war. Whilst studying this twenty year period of US history, they will understand the intricacies of social, military and political histories.
- Anglo-Saxon and Norman England – By the end of this unit, students should have a firm grasp of the key events leading up to 1066 and the events that followed. They should also have an appreciation, not only for the importance of the event geopolitically, but also the impact the Norman invasion had on the people of England and their culture. They should be able to identify and compare key features of both the Anglo-Saxon period and the Norman Period that followed, whilst also identifying similarities.
- Superpower Relations and the Cold War – By the end of this unit students will be able to provide a narrative account of the Cold War, from its causes following World War 2 through to the fall of Communism in the early 90s. Students will look at key moments of the war and analyse them for importance whilst also looking at their wider political, military and social impacts.
- Warfare Through time – By the end of this unit, students will be able to describe the development of warfare from the medieval period to present and will be able to explain key changes throughout these periods. Students will be able to evaluate the importance of scientific, societal, tactical and technological developments on warfare, as well as the role of key individuals. Both change and continuity will be studied as part of this unit, and students will be able to identify and explain examples of both.
History Curriculum
Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 | Spring 1 | Spring 2 | Summer 1 | Summer 2 | |
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Year 7 | How did migration change over time? | When was England conquered? | To what extent were kings all powerful? | Was the Tudor Period one of religious discord. | How close was Britain to becoming a republic? | What was going on in the wider world during the Medieval Period? |
Year 8 | How did Britain become 'great'? | Should Britain be ashamed of it's role in the slave trade? | How did Britain gain and lose it's Empire? | Why was there a war in 1914 and was the death toll unaviodable? | Were the Roaring 20's really that roaring? | How has protest changed over time? |
Year 9 | How did the Nazis rise to power and did Hitler cause WWII? | What impact did the Blitz have on Coventry and Britain? | The Holocaust: A warning from History? | How did Britain change after World War Two? | What caused the Cold War and how did it develop between 1945 and 1960? | Where were the key events of the Cold War after 1960 and how did it come to an end? |
Year 10 | Civil Rights in the USA | Civil Rights in the USA/The Vietnam War | The Vietnam War | Anglo-Saxon England | The Norman Conquest | Cold War 1945-1961 |
Year 11 | Cold War 1961-1991 | Warfare over time | Warfare over time | Warfare over time | ||
Year 12 | The Crusades/Civil Rights | The Crusades/Civil Rights | The Crusades/Civil Rights | The Crusades/Civil Rights | NEA/Civil Rights | The Crusades/Civil Rights |
Year 13 | Britain 1930-1997/Civil Rights | Britain 1930-1997/Civil Rights | Britain 1930-1997/Civil Rights | Britain 1930-1997/Civil Rights |