History

KS3 pupils are provided with weekly History lessons as part of the STARS curriculum. We aim to equip our pupils with the skills required to explore and question the world around them. By the end of KS3, we aim for pupils to have a good understanding of the chronology of British History; to recognise key time periods; and be able to critically evaluate sources of evidence. The ability to critically evaluate sources of evidence is vital for pupils to develop their analytical skills across the broader curriculum. The History curriculum allows pupils to explore the concepts of change, continuity, causation, consequence, similarity, difference and significance.

At STARS all Key Stage 3 pupils are taught together for History, which means that we do not follow a typical 3 year KS3 curriculum. Due to the nature of our provision, and our focus on reintegration, the two-year cyclical curriculum works well. Pupils are able to develop their knowledge of different time periods, whilst improving and developing their historical skills. In the unlikely event that a pupil was to remain with us for the full three years of KS3, the curriculum would be adapted to meet the individual pupils’ needs and avoid them repeating units. Across the two-year cycle pupils study: Pre Historic Britain; The Norman Conquest; Medieval Britain and the Islamic World; Tudors and Stuarts; the Slave Trade and Abolition; The Industrial Revolution; World War 1; World War 2 and the Holocaust.

Reintegration

Reintegration is supported in History through a curriculum that promotes independent learning and the development of core disciplinary skills. Whilst we offer a supportive environment, behaviour expectations are high and consistent with our mainstream colleagues. This ensures that pupils are prepared for reintegration into their school placements. Homework, although not compulsory, is set for each unit so that pupils are able to build stamina in preparation for the demands of a return to their referring school.

Pupils are encouraged to work in groups, pairs and independently, which mirrors the experience of pupils in mainstream History classes. Furthermore, pupils are strongly encouraged to present in groups to the class, helping pupils to build confidence with a smaller group of peers.

Strengths

The teaching of History at STARS ensures that pupils develop skills that they can use in other areas of the curriculum: for example, an understanding of context for the study of Dickens or Shakespeare in English. Strong cross-curricular links are made between English, RE, Geography and PSHE. Pupils are encouraged to develop their cultural capital through visits to museums and the study of a wide range of time periods and key individuals.

We have tried hard to ensure that the curriculum is diverse and reflects the experience of different groups of individuals through time.

Pupil Views

Encouraging pupils to question everything they see, hear and read is at the core of our History teaching. As a result, pupils engage with a large number of sources of evidence and there is a lot of discussion in our lessons. The feedback from pupils is overwhelmingly positive and suggests that pupils enjoy History lessons.

Enrichment

To promote literacy in History lessons, keywords and their meanings are given to each pupil and can be referred to throughout the course of the lesson. Our Humanities curriculum links closely to the English curriculum, helping pupils to understand historical and political references in literature.

History trips are staggered throughout the year and link closely to the topic being studied. Previous History trips have been organised for KS3 pupils to Butser Ancient Farm in Hampshire, Hampton Court Palace, and Battle Abbey and the 1066 Battlefield. Other visits have included a joint visit with Geography to the 'London, Sugar and Slavery' exhibition at the Museum of London Docklands, to support their class based learning on the Slave Trade.