Meet The Team

Faculty Leader: Miss L Whitehouse whitehouse.l@welearn365.com

Deputy Faculty Leader: Miss K Taylor taylor.k7@welearn365.com

The Team:


Our History Curriculum is designed so that you can build knowledge and skills alongside each other while exploring the key events of British and International History. These key events will consider how the lives of normal people differed in the past, how the power of institutions such as the Church, the monarch and government has developed and some of the key conflicts and challenges faced throughout History.

Why it is important to study History?

Studying History enables us to develop better understanding of the world in which we live. Building knowledge and understanding of historical events and trends, helps us to develop a much greater appreciation for current events today. History can also help us to develop our skills of empathy and understanding of others as we look at how people throughout the past have experienced adversity.

What do we study in History

Year 7

We begin year 7 with a voyage of discovery into one of the forgotten empires of the Early Modern World gathering knowledge of the role and importance of the Aztec empire and how its invasion by the Spanish impacted on the modern world.

Next we delve into the world of medieval society, asking questions about why society was structures as it was and impact of major events such as the plague on the status quo of the medieval world. We also consider the impact of the Norman Invasion and pupils investigate how and why castles have developed over time, addressing the question of whether there is a place for them in the modern world. 

During this year one of the most famous royal dynasties in Britain is investigated, answering questions such as why did Henry VIII create a new religion and was Elizabeth the ‘selfie queen’

Chronologically following the Tudors unit pupils will carry out a depth study on the causes, event and impact of the Gunpowder Plot on both social and religious policy in England at the turn of the 17th century.

Finally, we complete the year with looking at the different ways that groups throughout History have protested for equal rights and acceptance in society Within this unit we will be looking at a series of protest through time, their aims, method and impact. Protests include the fight of the Suffragettes and Suffragists foe women’s right to vote and the story of Alan Turing and the flight from the LGBT community.

Year 8

Pupils will delve into the history of the slave trade, addressing not only the history of the trade and plantations but also their impacts on the modern world, including modern slavery. Focusing in the period after the abolition of slavery pupils will be looking at key individuals and events from America, Britain and South Africa on their search for civil rights, coming to a judgement on whether they believe that equality has been reached in 2019. 

Pupils will become historical investigators looking at the event on the 22nd November 1963, the evidence provided and the different groups that may have been involved coming to a substantiated judgement on who they think killed Kennedy and if they believe the traditional lone gun man theory.

Pupils will then study two of the most important conflicts in British History, World War One Two. Pupils will gain a comprehensive understanding of the causes, events and impacts of WW1 answering questions such as ‘why did people willingly go to fight?’ and ‘did the Christmas truce actually happen?’ through developing source analysis skills. Drawing on the knowledge from the WWII unit pupils will carry out a comparative study on WWII, looking at the causes, developments in warfare and the short and long term impacts of WWII on Germany and the wider world. Applying our knowledge from the previous two units in a historical enquiry on ‘How important was the Home Front in helping Britain win Wars?’ Pupils will consider the impact those at home had on the Britain’s eventual victories.

Year 9

To begin Year 9 Pupils will travel back to the Industrial Revolution, considering how this technological revolution lead to many social changes in the UK and the area of West Midlands. Pupils will consider what it would have been like for children of their own age during the industrial period and Victorian England. While studying Victorian England pupils will investigate one of History’s most infamous murders, Jack the Ripper. Can our year 9s finally prove who this allusive criminal was?

During year 9 students will complete a depth study that mirrors the depth study that they will complete at GCSE, this is a study of Conflict Over Time. Pupils will look at conflicts from early in History including the Norman Conquest, the French Revolution and the American Civil War.

In the second half of this thematic study pupils will focus on the period after 1945, mainly focusing on the Cold War and drawing on previous knowledge gathered on WWII. Pupils will look at the ideological difference between each nation and events such as the division of Germany, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Berlin Wall as well as whether a Cold War is in existence in the modern day.

This unit will include a depth study where pupils will investigate the impacts of the structure of Russian society, the role of Rasputin and Russia’s failures in WW1 in the demise of the Romanov family and the monarchy in Russia. Pupils will use historical interpretations to formulate their own, as well as predicting the impact of the revolution and the Anastasia question.

Finally, pupils will look at the Rise of Adolf Hitler and how he became leader of Germany in the 1930’s. This is then led to a unit focuses on the worst genocide in History; the Holocaust.

Year 10 and 11

Specification: Edexcel 9-1 History

History GSCE consists of 4 units; Crime and Punishment with a depth study on Whitechapel 1888, Henry VIII and his Ministers, Superpower relations 1945-1991 and Weimar and Nazi Germany 1918-1939.

  1. Crime and Punishment c1000-present

Student will study how crimes, punishments and methods of law enforcement have changed and developed throughout History. Pupils will understand how key features in the development of crime and punishment were linked with the key features of society in Britain in the periods studied.  They will develop an understanding of the nature and process of change. This will involve understanding patterns of change, trends and turning points, and the influence of factors inhibiting or encouraging change within periods and across the theme. This unit will include a look at famous cases of Crime and punishment throughout History including the Gunpowder Plot, Witchcraft trials, Jack the Ripper and crime in Whitechapel and the abolition of the death penalty.

  • Henry VIII and his Ministers

In this unit we will study one of History’s most infamous Kings, considering his suitability to be King, his many wives and why he chose to create the Church of England. Henry had two advisors to help him throughout his many crucial decisions as King, Thomas Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell. This unit will consider the achievements of each of these men, their rise to power and their inevitable fall from the King’s favour.

  • Superpower Relations 1945-1991

The end of the Second World War brought a new type of conflict the world had never seen before. Those who had been allies against the tyranny of Adolf Hitler now turned to enemies as after 1945 the USA and the USSR entered into the Cold War. Based on the difference of ideology this conflict was not fought on the battle field but instead through propaganda and political scheming. This fascinating unit will consider the reasons for the development of the Cold War, the crises that took place during it, including the Cuban Missile Crisis and the building of the Berlin Wall, and the reasons why this conflict ended in 1991.

  •  Weimar and Nazi Germany 1918-1939

This unit follows Germany’s journey from one world war to another. We will investigate what Germany was like following defeat in World War One and how the new democratic government, the Weimar Republic fared in country that was suffering disaster. We will consider the weaknesses of this new government and how Adolf Hitler took advantage of these weakness in order to become the leader of Germany in 1933. Following Hitler’s rise to power life changed in Germany and in this unit will we analyse the lives of groups such as young people. Women, workers and minorities such as Jews.

Useful Links

Exam website, including specification and some past papers:

BBC Bitesize Germany Revision:

BBC Bitesize Cold War Revision:

GSCE POD (Log ins can be gained from school)