History
Departmental Aims
VISION
The purpose of the study of history is to develop our students’ sense of identity, understand their place in the world, how and why the world and society has changed and the different experiences of a variety of groups of people in the past. By doing this, students will develop an awareness of the diversity of British, European and Wider World cultures and societies, fostering an attitude of inclusion and respect in their studies and everyday lives. Put simply, students study the past so that they can understand their present and future.
INTENT
We ensure that students finish KS3 with a broad knowledge of both local, national, and worldwide events of historical significance. Through the history curriculum, students will develop certain skills. These are:
1. Knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of periods studied.
2. Explanation and analysis of historical events using second order concepts (cause/ consequence, change/continuity, similarity and difference and historical significance).
3. Analysis and evaluation and using contemporary sources to make judgements.
4. Analysis, evaluation and making judgements about interpretations. These key historical skills help in today’s world as analysing sources of information and recognising bias is a crucial life skill to possess as the population needs to think critically about any information they are presented with.
Students also need to be able to research, collate and interrogate evidence to form a reasoned and sustained argument - this is crucial at GCSE but also important in life, both professionally and personally.
Curriculum Plan
Staff/Context
- Mr F Barrago - Head of Department
- Mrs M Brothers
- Mrs H Byrne
- Mrs L Shelmerdine
Enrichment and Extra-Curricular
The department offers many opportunities to extend our students appreciation for the subject. Our History Club meets weekly and studies topics of interest.
We have an excellent working relationship with Bury Museum and Archives, and this has presented many opportunities for our students to experience ‘hands on’ history.
We organise an annual end of KS3 Holocaust Study Day, which includes the unique testimony of a concentration/Death camp survivor or close family relative.
We have led an annual Year 11 visit to Berlin for the past 7 years in conjunction with the Languages department. During the visit students visit various places of interest including Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, The Reichstag, Berlin Olympic Stadium and the Jewish Museum. This visit has proved to be very popular and enriching for our students. Student feedback is always positive and one student said after the 2016 visit that, ‘The Berlin visit was the most fantastic week of my life so far’.
We are very proud of our links with Bury Museum and Archives. We have worked together to produce original, archive based schemes of learning on ‘Cotton Threads’: Bury’s role in the Industrial Revolution and links to the Slave Trade and ‘Safety in Numbers’: A source based scheme on Prestwich Asylum.
We organise a ‘History Week’ that explores an aspect of history in depth for the whole week at lunchtimes. This topic is supported in history lessons and in other subjects, where appropriate. The theme for the ‘History Week’ in November 2018 was The Great War.
Further Resources
Click here to access Year 7 resources
Click here to access Year 8 resources
Click here to access Year 9 resources
Click here to access Year 10 resources
Click here to access Year 11 resources
Please note you will need to login to Office 365 using your school email address (yourusername@burychurch.bury.sch.uk) and your normal school password in order to access the resources above.
