History Curriculum

Why is the study of History important?

The study of History is important, as it is the story of individual, local and world events, that you can learn from and draw together in order to make sense of the world in which you live in. History not only allows you to understand events that have happened in the past, it also provides different interpretations of those events, allowing you to form your own opinion, and consider how key periods in British and World history have influenced the present day. The study of topics such as slavery, WWI & WWII and the Civil Rights movement develop your empathy and understanding of how society has changed and influences how matters are dealt with today. History at Sirius is designed to allow you, the student, to experience life inside and outside of Hull. Starting in year 7 and then progressing through the key stages, a key focus in Sirius Academy’s History programme is to study the development of society and political control. You will study how Britain has been governed starting with the Norman Conquest through to modern Britain. Each time period will allow you to assess the level and pace of change in how Britain has been ruled and how society has been affected because of this. History at Sirius allows you to expand your knowledge about different societies, cultures, political ideas and to draw your own conclusions about your place in the world. The study of History allows you to travel through time and experience a wide variety of changes to British History and world History to create your informed opinion on where the differences and similarities are between people today.

What will the study of History teach you?

The study of History will teach you how to understand the causes and consequences of important events in Britain’s past, in European and world History. You will develop your written and verbal communication skills, your ability to form, explain and justify conclusions, and how to use different sources of information and evidence to construct an argument. You will be challenged to form your own opinions and consider how events can be viewed from different interpretations, skilfully questioning evidence for accuracy and relevance, rather than taking them at face value. In KS3, you will be able to see how life in England developed from 1066 to the present day. You will learn how to describe and explain the past. You will begin to use different primary sources of evidence and historical interpretations to consider changes over time that have shaped the community and world you live in today. In KS4, you will build on the social, political, military and religious themes from the foundations developed at KS3. You will develop your understanding of secondary concepts of history further by practicing how to analyse and evaluate the causes, consequences, and significance of events in breadth and depth studies of key historical periods. You will analyse and evaluate the utility of sources and historical interpretations in studying the past, supporting the development of critical thinking skills. You will consider how different events affected society, the economy, religion, and politics at the time and today. At KS5, you will further develop and broaden the key concepts studied throughout KS3 and KS4, along with the transferable key skills, by undertaking an independent research task. You will be given the opportunity to demonstrate your skills through completing an extended essay in response to a self-determined question, and learn how to discuss and debate key concepts and ideas with your peers. KS5 will help to develop your communication thanks to the focus of debate through lessons and research skills in preparation for future studies, in order to leave with confidence in your abilities as a historian.

How does the study of History support your study in other subjects?

History has many transferable skills, which support many other subjects taught at Sirius Academy. One of the key skills taught in History is how to use a variety of resources to research past events, helping you build in depth knowledge independently of events of local, national, and international importance. History also teaches you to analyse and evaluate a range of primary sources of evidence and historical interpretations. This allows you to use skilful questioning to understand key historical events and draw your own opinions and conclusions about the past. These skills can also be applied to the present, encouraging you to question sources of information, to ensure accuracy and reliability, to become well-informed citizens. It also supports you in understanding and appreciating different viewpoints, which encourages respect and supports teaching in Beliefs and Values. You also develop your written and verbal communication, presentation, and listening skills to convey your research and conclusions about events, comparing them to those of other historians. These communication skills are vital in all subjects, but are especially useful in English. In depth, analysis skills will help you to analyse and write different types of text in English Language, and to analyse and compare poems and novels in English Literature. In addition, the nature of History is to understand and form different opinions of events, drawing conclusions and making judgements, which will support Geography fieldwork, science experiments and technology practical tasks where practical results need to be explained, analysed and evaluated.

Key assessment objectives
The exams will measure how students have achieved the following assessment objectives:
AO1: demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the key features and characteristics of the period studied.
AO2: explain and analyse historical events and periods studied using second-order historical concepts.
AO3: analyse, evaluate and use sources (contemporary to the period) to make substantiated judgements, in the context of historical events studied.
AO4: analyse, evaluate and make substantiated judgements about interpretations (including how and why interpretations may differ) in the context of historical events studied.

How can the study of History support you in the future?

History can help you build and develop lots of transferable skills.  All of these skills are transferable into many career paths and jobs, as well as every day life. History allows the development of transferable skills for analysis, literacy, evaluation, evidence gathering and forming and explaining judgements based on information gathered, all of which can transfer into many different career paths. Some of the careers paths open to people with good history skills and knowledge are:  Law, Teaching, Journalism, Business, Accountancy, Politics, TV, Radio, Finance, Economics, Marketing, Administration, Museum Work, the Civil Service, Publishing, Data management and Public Relations are just a few of the careers and jobs that will benefit from developed history skills.