Our vision for history at Thorpe St Andrew School and Sixth Form is to create challenging, inclusive and fascinating history lessons every day. We want students to have a chronological understanding of British and World history from 1066 to the present day that will develop fundamental concepts and skills including change, continuity, significance, comparison and source analysis enquiry.
We also want students to develop a critical understanding of historical events, people and institutions and be able to form substantiated historical arguments with confidence and respect.
We also want students to examine who has recorded history and for what motivation, understanding that history affects themselves and the wider global community they live in and also that this history can be contested. We want history at Thorpe St Andrew to spark an intellectual curiosity at the beginning of what we hope is a life-long journey into the study of the past.
History is the study of past human affairs and encompasses political, cultural, social and economic change all over the world.
Apart from being interesting, History is a useful qualification. History is an enabling subject highly valued by universities and employers for the transferable analytical skills it develops in students. Employers who see you have a qualification in History know certain things about you. They will know you have acquired key skills which, learnt through the lens of History, can be applied to all sorts of other situations. The thinking skills you
will develop will help you in almost all lines of work, with History graduates often moving into journalism, teaching and business.
Unit 1 – Thematic study and historic environment c250 to the present
We look at developments in medicine and medical treatment and their impact throughout society; the nature and significance of changes, the extent of change and continuity and factors affecting these issues: the role of individuals, war, government, attitudes and beliefs in society, chance, science
and technology. We also look at the injuries and treatment of the British Sector of the Western Front in WW1
Assessment - Examination 1 hour 15 minutes (Sat in summer of Year 11)
Answering three source based questions on the Western Front before answering three more questions on the process of change over time to reach judgements. Percentage of overall GCSE Level qualification - 30%
Unit 2A – British Depth Study on Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060-88
We look at the fall of Saxon England and the Norman Conquest as well as how William the Conqueror transformed the country with castles, cathedrals and a new way of life in the early Middle Ages.
Assessment - Examination
1 hour 45 minute examination
(Sat in summer of Year 11)
Answering three in depth questions focusing on description, causation and judgement on an issue. Percentage of overall GCSE Level qualification - 20%
Unit 2B –
Period study on Superpower Relations and the Cold War 1941-1991
We look at how the Cold War developed, three Cold War crisis including the Berlin Wall, Cuban Missile Crisis and the Czech Uprising and finally why the Cold War ended and the Soviet Union collapsed.
Assessment - Examination 1 hour 15 minutes (Sat in the Summer or Year 11)
Focusing on three questions on consequence, connections between events and importance of events, people and developments. Percentage of overall GCSE Level qualification - 20%
Unit 3
– Modern Depth Study on the USA, 1954-1975:
conflict at home and abroad
This is a chance to analyse the fight for Civil Rights in America as well as the reasons for and nature of the disastrous conflict in Vietnam which left a Superpower defeated.
Assessment
- Examination 1 hour 20 minutes (Sat in summer of Year 11)
Answering six source based questions on interpretations of the events studied. Percentage of overall GCSE Level qualification - 30%.
"A successful student needs to have an interest in people and society. An enquiring mind is vital for success. If
you want to understand how our environment has come to pass, then history will explain the world around
you. The subject involves a fair amount of reading and writing and is 100% examined in three examinations at
the end of Year 11."
Supporting Documents
