Curriculum Intent

At CGS we hope to stimulate a lifelong love of History in our historians by asking them to engage critically with the past and the world around them; developing deep knowledge and understanding of British, European and World History from the Medieval Period to the modern day. Students will develop a sense of breadth and depth and an understanding of the second order concepts which underpin Historical thinking, whilst learning how to construct enquiry questions and how to research the answers. We want our students to value scholarship and read historical fiction and academic works throughout their time at CGS, from Year 7 to Year 13, to deepen their historical knowledge and broaden their analytical vocabularies. Students will challenge historical interpretations, construct arguments in response to historical controversies, analyse patterns and trends over time and rigorously evaluate primary sources. 

 

Key Stage 3

Key Stage 3 assessment

• Students are assessed once every half term and are given formal written feedback
• Students are assessed across a range of skills including: evaluating the value of primary sources, explaining why events happen, evaluating historical interpretations and assessing the validity of statements

 

Key Stage 4

Edexcel History (1H10)

Year 9	Year 10	Year 11
Year 9 Crime and Punishment, C1000-Present	Crime and Punishment C1000-Present The Reigns of King Richard and King John1189-1216	Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941-1991 The USA 1954-1975: conflict at home and abroad

 

Key Stage 4 assessment

• Students are given written feedback a minimum of once per half-term
• Students are assessed on a range of question stems and sit two full mock exams over the two-year course

 

Key Stage 5

AQA A Level History

Year 12	Year 13	Over the two years students consider:
Unit 1C Consolidation of the Tudor Dynasty: England 1485 – 1547 Unit 2O Democracy and Nazism: The Weimar Republic 1918-1933 Coursework investigation – African American Civil Rights	Unit 1C England 1547-1603 Turmoil and Triumph Unit 20 Democracy and Nazism: The Weimar Republic 1918-1933	Did Richard III murder his nephews? How much did Henry VIII really love Anne Boleyn? Who was burnt at the stake during the reign of Mary I? Why did Elizabeth execute her own cousin? How accurate is the portrayal of the Tudor period in popular culture? What were the consequences of the German defeat in World War One? How far did Germany experience its own Roaring Twenties? How did extreme ideas become popular in the 1930s? How successfully did Hitler create a dictatorship? How powerful were the Gestapo? How far did Hitler control society? How far did Hitler change the lives of ordinary Germans? Who resisted Hitler and the Nazis and how effective were they? To what extent was Hitler a totalitarian dictator? Who was responsible for the Holocaust? Why do genocides happen? What was the home front like for the Germans during World War Two? What are the dangers of charismatic leaders and discontented masses?

 

Key Stage 5 assessment

• Students are given written feedback a minimum of once per half-term
• Students are assessed on a range of question stems and sit two full mock exams over the two-year course

 

Curriculum enrichment outside of the classroom

We believe that students can develop their understanding of History greatly by visiting various historical sites or attending relevant lectures or talks.  Therefore, as a department we run a variety of residential and day trips. 

Students in Year 9 visit the World War I battlefields and currently we run a very popular trip to Berlin for Year 10 students.  This trip helps to demonstrate the impact that the Cold War has had on Europe by seeing the deep divisions that it has caused in one city.  In July 2015 and 2017, we ran very successful visits to Vietnam which not only helped to develop their understanding of the Vietnam War and the Cold War more generally, but also to experience a very different culture and society.  We also run another popular visit to New York and Washington for Year 13 students to help support their understanding of the African American civil rights course that they study. From September 2019, we will be offering a trip for Year 12 students to visit Krakow and Auschwitz.

We have also taken students to Hampton Court Palace, the Tower of London, the National Archives, the Imperial War Museum and also a series of different lectures for our sixth form students. 

Students can regularly take part in extracurricular activities organised by the department. For example we arrange for students to speak to the local University of the Third Age helping to extend our most able students and some students have also volunteered at Chesham Museum very successfully.  Some students have also entered national essay competitions and have performed very well.