History Key Stage 3

Our Key Stage 3 students continue with a chronological study of the past that began with the Key Stage 1 and 2 programmes which requires students to study History with a focus on pre-1066 units with one post-1066 unit, as well as local history. The Key Stage 3 curriculum continues from 1066 and follows through the chronology up to the 20^th and 21^st centuries. We are also required to deliver local history which we have embedded into our Year 8 curriculum where we study the history of Whitehaven during the Industrial Revolution. There are also opportunities to investigate the contributions of local people during World Wars One and Two. Finally, we are required to teach a topic from before 1066 and, at the end of Year 9, we deliver a unit that focuses on Medicine and Health in the Ancient World. This unit also acts as a precursor to the GCSE History Health and the People unit where students are expected to study Medicine from the Middle Ages onward; this is difficult to do without an understanding and appreciation of the medicine of the Ancient World. The department follows a chronological approach in order to provide an accessible framework for all students, as a purely conceptual approach is often difficult to grasp. This then allows students to develop their knowledge of different time periods, making links and identifying trends.

Curriculum Intent Overview – Key Stage 3 – PDF Download

There are several skills and concepts we need to embed throughout the Key Stage 3 curriculum so that students become good historians by the end of the key stage and so that they are better able to progress to the study of History at KS4 and KS5 if they choose to do so.  Such skills and concepts include (click on the links for examples of when we address the following skills and concepts):

Knowledge and Understanding

• Change and Continuity – Download
• Causation – Download
• Significance – Download 
• Similarity and Difference – Download

Source handling and evaluation

• Using evidence from sources to prove ideas and reach conclusions
• Reliability/Utility – Download

Interpretation skills

• How and Why interpretations/views differ – Download
• Ways in which interpretations/views are convincing or unconvincing – Download

Other skills include:

• Extended writing and the effective use of SPaG
• The ability to analyse data and information
• Being able to make judgements on the morality of events and the impact of the actions of groups/individuals
• Developing an appreciation of the history and heritage of our local community and area as well as national and international history – Download