“The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.” – ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ George Orwell
History is the story of us. It helps us to understand what we have done, where we are today and the possibilities for the future. By studying the past, we gain a better appreciation of our own (and other peoples’) identity, community and culture. At Wigston Academy, our aim for History is to spark interest in the past on a local, national, and international scale; and we hope pupils can then build on this enjoyment of the subject outside of school and later in life. In this subject we will work on five key skill areas; which are chronological understanding; knowledge and understanding of the past; source analysis; interpretation; and communication and organisation.
Course Content
Year 7
AUTUMN TERM
Invaded Isles
• Key Skills
• Introduction the Invaders
• Mystery of the Lindow Man
• The Celts
• Boudicca
• The Romans Roman Britain
• Legacy of the Romans
SPRING TERM
The Invaded Isles
• The Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings
• 1066: Who should be King?
• The Battle of Hastings
King in the Car Park
• The discovery of King Richard III
• Challenging the King: The Family
SUMMER TERM
King in the Car Park
• Challenging the King: The Church
• Challenging the King: The Barons
• Challenging the King: The People
• Challenging the King: Disease
• Life in Medieval Leicester
Castles
• Motte and Bailey Castles
• The Development of the Castle
• Attacking and Defending a Castle
Year 8
AUTUMN TERM
The Making of the United Kingdom, 1485-1750
• England c.1500
• The Poor
• Catholics vs. Protestants
• Henry VIII’s Break with Rome
• Religious Change
• Elizabeth I
SPRING TERM
The Making of the United Kingdom, 1485-1750
• The Spanish Armada
• The Gunpowder Plot
• The English Civil War
• A United Kingdom?
Revolutionary Times, 1750-1900
• What is a Revolution?
• Britain in 1750 and 1900
• The Agricultural Revolution
SUMMER TERM
Revolutionary Times, 1750-1900
• The Industrial Revolution Working in a Factory
• Life in the City
• Victorian Murder Mystery
• The American or French Revolution
• The British Empire
• Slavery
Year 9
AUTUMN TERM
The era of the First World War
• What is War?
• Changes in Warfare
• Origins of the First World War
• Origins of the First World War
• Stalemate
• Fighting on the Western Front/Trench Warfare
• Recruitment
SPRING TERM
The Second World War/Conflict and Tension, 1918-1939 (GCSE Unit 1)
• Aims of the ‘Big Three’
• Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
• Reactions to the Treaty
• Successes and Failure of the Treaty
• Creation of the League of Nations
SUMMER TERM
The Second World War/Conflict and Tension, 1918-1939 (GCSE Unit 1)
• Successes and Failures of the League of Nations
• The Manchurian Crisis
• The Abyssinian Crisis
• Hitler’s Foreign Policy Aims
• The remilitarisation of the Rhineland
• Anschluss
• The Sudeten Crisis
• The Nazi-Soviet Pact
