History Curriculum Intent Statement

History, perhaps more so than any other subject at school, involves the transmission of a society’s story to the next generation.

The History curriculum at St. Edmund’s is designed to give pupils a broad, knowledge-based overview of the major periods of British history, beginning with the medieval period. Pupils here study a mixture of social, political, economic and religious history, forming a grand narrative of the country’s history. While this might at face value appear to be narrowing a rich subject, our country’s history is closely tied to many global historical developments worth studying, allowing us to also explore important events outside the British Isles. Given the context of the school and local area, it is our duty to ensure that pupils leave St Edmund’s with this general understanding of the country in which they live. Within the curriculum, historical skills such as source analysis are only taught once pupils have a strong grasp of the knowledge of the period in question.

The Team

KS3

At Key Stage 3 all students study History for four lessons a fortnight.  Our curriculum begins with a study of Medieval Britain and ends by analysing significant events of the 20th Century.  History is taught chronologically and is designed to give a sense of ownership of society, of where we have been and where we are now. There is a substantial study of British history across time as well as an in-depth study of some other countries and cultures in order to make the Key Stage 3 curriculum broad and balanced. Through the Key Stage 3 curriculum, we develop disciplinary literacy and the key skills required for the study of GCSE History and beyond. Assessment at Key Stage 3 focusses on testing the pupils’ historical knowledge but also provides a foundation for the skills of using historical sources. 

KS4

Exam Board: Edexcel  

Link to Specification: 

Download the specification here

Future Careers:  The skills developed in History are applicable to a wide range of careers, including-  

Law, Politics, Public Sector, Business, Marketing, Journalism, Economics, Teaching, Academia, Insurance, Social research and Archaeology and Curation (museums, galleries, archives and libraries).  

In history, we follow Edexcel GCSE History (9-1). 

Paper 1: Thematic study and historic environment: Written examination: 1 hour and 15 minutes 

Medicine in Britain, c1250–present and The British sector of the Western Front, 1914–18: injuries, treatment and the trenches. 

Paper 2: Period study and British depth study: Written examination: 1 hour and 45 minutes 

Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88 

Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941–91 

Paper 3: Modern depth study: Written examination: 1 hour and 20 minutes 

Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918–39