Our history curriculum gives students a comprehensive grounding in a diverse range of key events throughout history.
We encourage students to think critically about the world around them and to question how and why events unfolded as they did. We believe the study history plays a key part in preparing young people for the wider world and equipping them with the skills they need to succeed academically and in life beyond Beckfoot Upper Heaton.
By studying history, you will improve your ability to develop and extend your knowledge and understanding of specific events, eras and societies in national and world history. You will become am independent and critical thinker, gaining a wide range of transferable skills for future study.
Enrichment
Students will have the opportunity to attend Humanities trips to bring history to life. This includes visits to Bolton Abbey, Lister Hall, Industrial Museum and the Thackray Museum.
Students will also receive assemblies on key universal celebration events such as Remembrance Day and Black History month, providing students with key and detailed knowledge.
Assessment
A range of formative assessment strategies are implemented in history lessons to support further teaching and our students progress. Summative assessment is also used at the end of ever topic with an end of year exam.
KS4 Specification
Careers
Within our history lessons, careers which connect to the content and discipline are frequently highlighted throughout lessons. We also ensure students understand the wide range of transferable skills they receive from studying history, and the varied careers these could lead to.
Curriculum Overview
| Year | Cycle 1 | Cycle 2 | Cycle 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 7 | History mysteries: why are there still mysteries is history? Invasion of Britain – Why did different groups invade Britain from the Celts to the Normans? Medieval Britain – What was life like after the Norman conquest? How did the Normans gain control over England? Key skills – sources and evidence, historical interpretations, historical significance and chronology | The Kingdom of Benin – How and why was the Kingdom of Benin powerful? Why did Britain colonise the Kingdom of Benin? The Tudor reformation – Why did Henry set up the Church of England? How did the change in the church impact Britain? Key skills – Cause and consequences of changes, sources and evidence, historical interpretations, historical significance, and chronology | The English Civil War – How did a fall out over power lead to the execution of a king? The Mughal Empire – What was the Mughal Empire and what was its legacy? Key skills – more developed source analysis, sources and evidence, historical interpretations, historical significance, and chronology |
| Year 8 | Transatlantic slave trade – How was Britain connected to the slave trade and how did it impact the lives of those enslaved? The Industrial Revolution – Why did the Industrial Revolution happen in the year 1500-1750? What impact did the Industrial Revolution have n Bradford and Britain? | The rise of the British Empire – How and why did the British Empire grow? World War 1 – What were the causes of WW1? What impact did WW1 have on Europe? How and why did the end of WW1 lay the foundations for WW2? | Crime and punishment – How have crimes and punishment changed from the Medieval period to the modern period? |
| Year 9 | The Ottoman Empire – How did a nomadic tribe become the strongest power in the Middle East? World War 2 and the Holocaust
| The fall of the British Empire – How and why did the British Empire decline after WW2? How did immigration from the empire shape modern Britain? The Cold War – What is a cold war? How close did the world come to nuclear war? | 1920s America What were the impacts of the economic boom in the 1920s? Who prospered due to the economic boom and who faced inequalities in society? |
| Year 10 | America, opportunity and inequality – The Boom: Key individuals and groups and how they shaped and impacted the development of 1920s America. America, opportunity and inequality – The Bust: The Wall Street Crash and its impact on American society and its economy. | America, opportunity and inequality – post war: The recovery process of the American economy and the changes which took place in the post-war period Britain, health and the people, approaches to medicine, medical doctors and training: Approaches to medicine from the medieval to modern period, training of doctors in the medieval and renaissance period, and churches running hospitals. | Britain, health and the people – surgery ideas and techniques: To know and access the different surgical techniques and how they changes from the medieval to modern period. Britain, health and the people – public health: To look at the issues and solutions to public health and problems from the medieval to modern period
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| Year 11 | Conflict and tension – Korean War and Vietnam War
| Conflict and tension – Korean War and Vietnam War
Norman England 1066-100
| Norman England 1066-100
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