History
Subject Introduction
The History department aims to provide students with an opportunity to study the events of the past so that they may better understand the present and future. This is encapsulated best in the words of our former Prime Minister, Winston Churchill:
“The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.”
Students are consistently challenged to develop the understanding that the events of the past can have a dramatic impact on their own lives.
Students enjoy a variety of different learning activities in lessons, such as access to historical artefacts and the opportunity to attend educational visits to enhance their understanding of the subject.
The History Department has developed a YouTube channel with over 250 lesson and revision videos to help support students. The Cressex History YouTube Channel can be accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-UAiVxZ_VNQxWMnrClPc5w/playlists
KS3 Information
In Year 7 and Year 8, students begin to study topics that will be taught at GCSE level in an effort to help familiarise them with this challenging content.
In Year 7, students will:
- Develop and refine critical historical skills such as chronology, source analysis, authorship and comparing historical significance.
- In connection with the Religious Studies Department, students will learn about Prehistoric Britain during the Palaeolithic, Neolithic, Bronze and Roman Ages.
- Study the development of Church and State between 1066-1603 (Entertainment and Leisure GCSE Unit.
- Investigate the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (Elizabethan England GCSE Unit).
Throughout Year 8, students will learn about the following:
- Examine the everyday lives of Britons in the Medieval and Early Modern Era (Entertainment and Leisure GCSE Unit).
- Germany in the early 20th Century and the rise of the Nazis (Germany In Transition GCSE Unit).
- The Holocaust (National Curriculum Requirement).
- Civil Rights Movement in the USA (Development of America GCSE Unit).
KS4 Information
At Key Stage 4 students study WJEC/EDUQAS GCSE History. GCSE History is split up into four units: USA 1930-2000, Germany 1919-1945, Elizabethan England 1558-1603, and Development of Leisure c500-present.
EDUQAS supplies the following free digital resources https://resources.eduqas.co.uk/Pages/ResourceByArgs.aspx?subId=17&lvlId=2
The units covered in GCSE History are:
1. The Development of the USA, 1930-2000 (Period study).
This unit is assessed by a 45 minute exam.
Topics
- Economic Downturn and Recovery
- Economic Impact of the Second World War
- The Issue of Civil Rights
- Political Changes 1960-2000
- Social Changes 1950-2000
- Cold War Rivalry
- The Search for Peace since 1970+
2. Germany in Transition 1919-1945 (In-depth, non-British study)
This unit is assessed by a 60 minute exam. Helpful resource: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zssgy4j
Topics
- Impact of the First World War
- Recovery of the Weirmar Government
- Rise of the Nazis
- The Nazis' Consolidation of Power
- Nazi Racial and Economic Policy
- Terror and Persuasion
- Hitler's Foreign Policy
3. Elizabethan England 1558-1603 (In-depth, British study)
This unit is assessed by a 60 minute exam. Helpful Resource: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zgrd4qt
Topics
- Elizabeth's Government
- Lifestyles of the Rich and Poor
- Popular Entertainment
- The Problem of Religion
- The Catholic Threat
- The Spanish Armada
- The Puritan Threat
4. Changes in Entertainment and Leisure c500-present (Thematic study)
This unit is assessed by a 75 minute exam. Digital Textbook: https://resource.download.wjec.co.uk/vtc/2015-16/15-16_40/changes-in-entertainment.pdf
Alexandra Place Resource: https://resource.download.wjec.co.uk/vtc/2022-23/wjec22-23_1-4/pdf/alexandra-palace-fact-sheet.pdf
Topics
- Development in Sport
- Holiday and Travel
- Theatre, Stage and Screen
- Music, Sound and Dance
- Children's Games
- Cruel Sport
- Site Study: Butlin's Skegness (2022 Exam) and Alexandra Palace, 1859 to the present day (2023-2024 Exams).
History Curriculum Map All Years
