History
History Department
History is a fascinating and academic subject that allows us to understand how the society and world we live in has been formed.
At Ash Manor, we focus on human history that should be understood by all. We challenge students to investigate the world and our past through the development of key skills such as evidence-work, as well as through the development and formation of personal judgements.
Taught by subject specialists, with interests ranging from the Ancient World all the way through to the 20th Century, History is a popular choice for students at GCSE owing to the academic rigour of the discipline, and the skills which give them wider choices in further education and the world of employment.
We teach a range of topics throughout years 7-9 to engage, challenge, and inspire our students to develop a passion for History. The emphasis in History lessons will be on active learning and a wide range of strategies will be used such as debates, presentations, group work, simulations and role play, in order to carry out historical investigations.
Key Stage 3 Curriculum information
Students learn a broad range of topics designed to give them an understanding of British History and World History.
Year 7 Topics:
The Romans
How can we use evidence to explain key events and issues in Roman society?
The Norman Conquest
How has invasion and immigration shaped Britain?
The Middle Ages
How significant were kings in the Middle Ages?
What were the consequences of the Black Death?
Why is religion so important in the history of the world?
Local Study
How has the past shaped the world around us?
Year 8 Topics:
The Tudors
Why was Tudor religion a rollercoaster?
What do sources reveal about monarchy and religion?
African History and the British Empire
Why did the British build an Empire?
What is the legacy of the British Empire?
The Transatlantic Slave Trade
What does the evidence reveal about the lives of slaves?
The Holocaust, discrimination and persecution
What did discrimination and persecution look like in the 20th century?
What do sources reveal about the lives of the Jewish Community during the Holocaust?
World War I
Why did a sandwich cause a world-wide war?
Year 9 Topics:
Tyranny and Dictatorship through time (The Emperor Nero to Adolf Hitler)
How has dictatorship changed over time?
Who is more deserving of the title ‘tyrant’: Hitler or Stalin?
The Holocaust
Were Germans all 'willing executioners' during the Holocaust?
World War II
What were the key turning points in World War II?
Truman on Trial: Should the US have bombed Hiroshima?
The Cold War
What were the consequences of key events during the Cold War?
Key Stage 4 Curriculum information:
History
We follow a course that gives students the opportunity to engage in a range of different units that cover hundreds of years of History. In Year 10, students will study the Cold War, Early Elizabethan England, and Medicine Through Time. In Year 11, students will learn about Weimar and Nazi Germany.
The course gives students the opportunity to acquire an understanding of the past; investigate major events, use sources critically and analyse interpretations. The specification has four modules:
1 Medicine through time c.1250 – present: Students undertake a development study that investigates the major changes in medicine from the Middle Ages to the modern day. Particular attention is paid to the development of surgery, the understanding of disease and the state of public health through time.
2 Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918 – 1939: Students undertake a study of the rise and fall of democracy in Germany in the period after the First World War. This is followed by an in-depth study of life in Nazi Germany, with a focus on key groups such as young people and women.
3 Early Elizabethan England, 1558 – 1588: We will study the politics and culture of Elizabethan England. This will include the religious conflict at this time, the threat from Mary Queen of Scots and the Spanish Armada.
4 Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941 – 91: This unit will focus on the growing tension between East and West and the key events of the Cold War. There is a particular focus on Berlin, the Cuban Missile Crisis and Czechoslovakia.
Ancient History
The Ancient World has shaped our world today; from the language we speak, to the entertainment we enjoy. Hollywood epics have immortalised individuals like Alexander and Cleopatra, and this lively and exciting course will help students understand what made these figures so ‘great’ as well as studying the mysteries of ancient democracy, warfare and culture.
This GCSE looks at the events and key figures of The Ancient World through a range of printed and visual sources. This course is eligible for the Humanities section of the EBacc. The course consists of four modules:
1. The Persian Empire: This unit looks at the development of the Persian Empire. Students will particularly focus on the Empire under the reigns of Cyrus the Great, Cambyses II, Darius I and Xerxes I. This unit ends with the Persian invasion of Greece and the great battles of Salamis and Thermopylae.
2. The Age of Pericles: This unit focuses on the interplay of political, military, social, economic, cultural and religious factors that led Pericles to claim in his Funeral Oration that “Athens was an education to Greece”. Students will have the opportunity to study the original democracy, Ancient Greek religion, as well as the role of women in this culturally rich ancient society.
3. Foundations of Rome, from kingship to Republic: Rome rose to become one of the most influential and powerful civilisations in the Ancient World. Students will investigate how this was possible through a study of ancient politics, warfare, religion and mythology.
4. Hannibal and the Second Punic War, 218 – 201 BC: The Carthaginian commander marched his army of over 40,000 and 37 war elephants and attacked the Roman Republic. Hannibal won many decisive victories over the armies of Rome and occupied part of Italy for fifteen years. This unit explores how Hannibal became Rome’s worst nightmare.
Careers in History
Lawyer, politician, journalist, heritage management, teaching, archaeology, archivist, museum director, curator, historian.
