Download the Curriculum Statement here

Academic year 2022-23

What are we studying?

YEAR 7

TERM 1
Year 7 will begin by looking at how the events of 1066 unfolded, from an analysis of the situation on Edward the Confessor’s death and the claimants to his throne, to the Battles of Stamford Bridge and Hastings, and how they ended up with a French king on the throne. They will then examine how William the Conqueror changed England, and whether he deserved his nickname of William the Great. They will also examine what life is like in Medieval England, with a focus on Medieval Banbury. 

TERM 2
Following on from Term 1, Year 7 will examine how women were treated in Medieval England, before looking at why Matilda is the forgotten queen of England, and then looking at two aspects of Henry II – the way he changed law and order, and the events surrounding Thomas Becket’s death. They will then analyse whether or not Richard the Lionheart deserved his nickname, whilst also analysing whether England was ‘God’s country’ by studying the Crusades and the impact of Islam on the Medieval world. 

TERM 3
Students will then look at whether King John deserves his reputation as the worst King England has ever had, looking at what he did and the Magna Carta, before looking at the reasons why England and France engaged in a war which lasted over 100 years. They will then study the importance of a new invention, the longbow, and how that changed the way medieval battles were fought. 

TERM 4
Students then look at how the War of the Roses changed the political landscape of Britain, as well as studying the mystery of the Princes in the Tower. Following this, they will decide whether or not the Tudor King Henry VII was the best man for the job, and whether or not his son, Henry VIII, was a man or a monster. 

TERM 5
Year 7 then analyse Henry’s decision to close the monasteries, before analysing the reigns of his children – Edward VI and whether he could rule England as a young boy, then whether Mary I deserved her nickname ‘Bloody Mary,’ and whether Elizabeth deserved her nickname of ‘Gloriana.’ 

TERM 6
Term 6 ends with analysis of the roles of gender in Elizabethan society – looking at whether or not Elizabeth fit into the traditional roles, as well as examining Miranda Kaufman’s work on the Black Tudors, and how valuable it is to look at the diverse experiences of people during the Tudor period. 

YEAR 8

TERM 1
The first three terms will be an examination of society over the period 1066-2019. What was life like in a medieval town – did it differ depending on who you were? They will also look at different diseases, examining why the Black Death was so devastating and comparing it to the Great Plague in 1665. They will also be studying art and literature and the impact of religion.

TERM 2
In the second term, Year 8 will look at how the Renaissance affected England. They will learn about medicine, art and literature, and its They will also study the Great Fire of London and analyse how this changed people’s attitudes and the way in which they worked and built towns.

TERM 3
The third term will consist of Year 8 looking at industrialisation and Great Britain – the move from the villages and towns into cities – studying and evaluating the effects of population growth, looking at life for rich and poor during the Industrial Revolution, the First and Second World Wars, and starting to look at civil unrest in the 20th Century – how have we got to the point we are now in society?

TERM 4
In this term, students will begin to look at the British Empire. They will look at the reasons why Britain wanted an Empire, and the main way in which they went about this, focusing especially on the slave trade. Within this, they will be studying life for slaves from the start of the Trade Triangle all the way until the end of their journey.

TERM 5
In this term, students will be looking at the abolition of slavery. They will be finding out who was instrumental in the removal of the slave trade, examining all of the political, social and economic reasons for it.

TERM 6
In this final term, students will be looking at the end of the British Empire. This will necessitate them analysing the case studies of America, Ireland and India, and for them to look at how each of those countries overthrew British rule. It will also get them to consider whether or not the British Empire was a good thing.

YEAR 9

TERM 1
Year 9 will begin their studies by looking at the outbreak of the First World War. They will then look at how the war ended up lasting four years, with a focus on life in the trenches and then looking at how the war affected people at home, as well as a focus on the diverse nature of the British army. They will then end by looking at the Treaty of Versailles and how this set the scene for Europe for the next thirty years.

TERM 2
Year 9 will then be looking at the inter-war period in Europe, studying the League of Nations, the way in which Europe survived the Great Depression, and the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany. This will then help them to understand the outbreak of the Second World War

TERM 3
This term is where they study the key events of the Second World War, from both a British and a German perspective. They will learn about Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain and D-Day, as well as examining what happened during the Blitz. They will also look at the impact the Second World War had on Banbury.

TERM 4
In this term, students examine the Holocaust – they look at the events leading up to the Final Solution, before looking at the concentration and extermination camps, and then the liberation of them. Finally, students will look at the memorialisation of the Holocaust, and discuss whether or not Germany should still apologise for their role in it.

TERM 5
The final two terms are dedicated to studying protest in Britain throughout History. In the first term, Year 9 will be looking at the protests before the Industrial Revolution – the Peasants Revolt, the Pilgrimage of Grace and the English, American and French Revolutions.

TERM 6
This term then looks at protests from the 1800s until the modern day – studying the way in which workers fought for their rights, ordinary people fought for the vote, and how protests have changed in the modern day.

YEAR 10

TERM 1
Year 10 begin their GCSE with the Health and the People module. In it, we begin to study how medicine has changed over time – looking at how approaches to identifying causes, trying to prevent illnesses and trying to cure diseases has changed over time. They begin by studying Medieval and Renaissance history, looking at the influence of Hippocrates, Galen and the Church, with a focus on how Britain dealt with the Black Death and the Great Plague. They will also need to know about the way in which the government took control of medicine during the time period. Alongside this, students will be learning vital exam skills to help pass their GCSE History – looking at sources, as well as understanding how to link different causes and consequences together.

TERM 2
Year 10 continue studying Health and the People by focusing on the later time periods – the Industrial Revolution up until the modern day. They will learn about the discovery of Germ Theory, attempts to solve the problems with surgery, and how war affected the changes in medicine, all the way through to looking at genetic engineering and the treatment of cancer. This will be linked to their prior learning, as well as continuing to enhance and hone their exam skills that they began in Term 1.

TERM 3
Students then begin to study Germany, looking at the period 1890-1945. They start by looking at life under Kaiser Wilhelm – what were his plans for Germany, and why did they put him into conflict with other countries, as well as how he dealt with internal struggles. They then move on to look at the impact of World War 1 – how the fighting affected the public, as well as how the end of the war changed the political landscape of Germany. They then begin to learn about the Weimar Republic – its trials and tribulations, and how it dealt with the problems to emerge into the ‘Golden Age’ of the mid-1920s.

TERM 4
Students then finish off their studies of Germany by looking at how the Wall Street Crash led to Hitler becoming leader of Germany, before looking at how he transformed the German country, changing and impacting the lives of every single man, woman and child. They then begin to study the persecution of minorities and how the Holocaust could have happened, before looking at the impact of the war on Germany.

TERM 5
Year 10 are finishing off their studies of Germany – focusing on the way in which Hitler shaped Germany into his own ideals – removing unemployment, strengthening the Reich and making Germany a formidable world power. They will also be studying the persecution of minorities and look at how the Holocaust happened.

TERM 6
Students then look at the world after the Second World War – how it split into two Superpowers (America and the USSR), each following their own ideology – Capitalism v Communism. They will study the different flashpoints throughout the 20th Century, starting with the building of the atomic bomb and arguments over the splitting up of Germany, moving into the Korean War, and the building of the Berlin Wall.

YEAR 11


TERM 1

Students will continue their examination of the Cold War by looking at how tensions increased further and how close the world came to nuclear war. They will examine the flashpoints of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War, before moving on to looking at the beginnings of détente and the improvement of relations in the 1970s.

TERM 2
Students will then move on to studying in depth the life and reign of Elizabeth I, from 1558-1603. They will look at the problems she faced as a woman ruling in a man’s world, looking at the difficulties religion caused her and why she decided to never marry. Alongside this, they will begin to look at the changes in society during Elizabeth’s reign, studying the culture boom, and how this affected architecture – specifically focusing on Kenilworth Castle.

TERM 3
Students continue with their study of Elizabeth I, by focusing on how she treated those who were less fortunate – the poor and the needy in her society. This also comes with a focus on Burghley’s Almshouse in Stamford, Lincolnshire. We also begin to study how England became a world power – looking at explorers like Walter Raleigh and the colonisation of Virginia, as well as considering how and why the Spanish Armada happened, and why England was able to win it.

TERM 4
Students will be returning to their ‘Health and the People’ module from Year 10 to revise key figures and concepts, ensuring that they have a thorough understanding of the four time periods – Medieval, Renaissance, Industrial and Modern, and are able to identify how the ideas about cause, prevention and cure changed over this period.

TERM 5
Students will return to their Germany and Cold War modules – we will continue to remind them of key information and practice those exam skills, hopefully ensuring they leave school with a quality GCSE History grade.

WEBSITES
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zj26n39

https://www.senecalearning.com/blog/gcse-history-revision-guide/

https://schoolhistory.co.uk/notes/

CONTACT DETAILS
Head of Subject: Jon Bent
jbent@banbury-aspirations.org

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