St. Aidans History

History is studied by all students in year 8 to 10 at KS3 level.

The fundamental purpose of teaching History is to empower students with the confidence to question the world around them, guided by an understanding of past events and concepts and how they have shaped our current societies.

We at St. Aidan’s firmly believe that History is not simply factual content; instead this content should be a starting point from which all of our students, no matter their starting point and background, can develop the skills to find answers to their questions and encounter perspectives beyond their own. From pupils begin at St. Aidan’s in Year 8, we start with the medieval era and end in the 20th century. Students can choose to study the subject further in year 11 and 12, as one of their GCSE option choices.

Throughout Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 we teach students to understand different interpretations, significance, continuity and change, and cause and consequence. A big part of the curriculum is opinion and empathy. I feel that bringing young people back in time and putting them in the position of those in History is an important process for a well-rounded personality. Our lessons therefore aim to embed skills in source analysis and comparing interpretations, as well as analysing contextual material to reach substantiated evaluations and judgements. These same skills are assessed throughout the curriculum at increasingly advanced levels and with new content, allowing students of all abilities and needs to build on their prior learning and achieve progress.

Throughout the curriculum, we have also incorporated activities which require students to develop their skills in independent and collaborative research. The school’s commitment to literacy is also reinforced in History as we guide students towards effective and balanced communication. Cross-curricular projects are a key element to learning History also.