Barnhill Community High School

History

Courses

Key Stage 4 Courses Key Stage 5 Courses
Edexcel GCSE History Edexcel A Level History

Paper 1: Migrants in Britain, c800–present and Notting Hill, c1948–c1970 (30%)

Paper 2a: The reigns of King Richard I and King John, 1189–1216 (20%)

Paper 2b: The American West, c1835-c1895 (20%)

Paper 3: Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918–39 (30%)
 

Paper 1: Britain in conflict, revolution and settlement, 1625-1701 (30%)

Paper 2: Russia in Revolution, 1894-1923 (20%)

Paper 3: Civil Rights and Race Relations in the USA, 1850-2009 (30%)
Coursework: 3000-4000 word researched essay on Historical Interpretations
 

 

Why do we study History?

At Barnhill students learn powerful knowledge about the past. Our diverse curriculum, spanning the Roman invasion of Britain to modern multiculturalism, reflects our school’s community and highlights enduring themes of the human condition such as empire and migration. This is underpinned by an education in the disciplinary knowledge of history. Students learn to generalise appropriately, to use precedents to provide explanatory power to argument, while gaining familiarity with the common terms of reference required to challenge other viewpoints. These efforts are sustained by the department’s staff. Each is committed to advancing their historical understanding, and teaching practice, to ensure every student learns. This combination helps students achieve the highest of outcomes and a broad, diversified, knowledge of the past. Perhaps more importantly, it supports their growth as empathetic, conscious, and active citizens who flourish in their communities and society.   

The History Department Team

Click here to see the staff members in our History department.

The History Programme of Study

      KS3             Year 7               Year 8               Year 9
 Autumn
       1
How did the Romans change Britain?
Did the East India Company bring down the Mughal Empire?
What historical lessons can be learn from Nazi treatment towards Jewish people, 1933-45?
 Autumn
       2
What was the main consequence of the Norman Conquest?
How did the Transatlantic Slave trade turn Africans into Negros?
Can the dropping of the atomic bombs be justified?
 Spring
1
How far advanced was the Islamic World in the Middle Age?
How did the Industrialisation era affect Britain?
How far did Britain's role change in the Niger Delta, 1914-1970?
 Spring
2
What should we remember about the Crusades?
How far did European empires change the lives of indigenous peoples?
How well do parallel histories of Israel and Palestine help our understanding of the conflict?
 Summer
1
What really drove the Witch Craze in 17thC England?
What was Britain's and the Empire's role in World War One?
How and why have interpretations of the British Empire changed over time?
Summer
2
Did the Tudors and the Stuarts open up the world for England?
Did Britain 'stand alone' in World War Two?
Has Britain society transformed from the 20th to the 21st Century?

 Edexcel GCSE History

      KS4                     Year 10                     Year 11
Autumn
1
Migrants in Britain Unit 1,
Migration in Medieval England

Migrants in Britain Unit 2,
Migration in early modern England
Weimar and Nazi Germany, Unit 1, The Weimar Republic, 1918-29

Weimar and Nazi Germany, Unit 2, Hitler's rise to power, 1919-33
Autumn
2
Migrants in Britain Unit 3,
Migration in 18th and 19thC England

Migrants in Britain Unit 4, Migration in modern Britain
Weimar and Nazi Germany, Unit 3, Nazi Control and Dictatorship, 1933-39

Weimar and Nazi Germany, Unit 4, Life in Nazi Germany, 1933-39
Spring
1
Migrants in Britain,
Historic Environment Study,
Notting Hill, c1948 - c1970
The American West, Unit 1, Early settlement of the west 1835-1862

The American West, Unit 2, Development of the Plains 1862-1876
Spring
2
Richard and John, Unit 1, Life in England, 1189-1216

Richard and John, Unit 2, Involvement Overseas, 1189-1204
The American West, Unit 2, Development of the Plains 1862-1876

The American West, Unit 3, Conflict and conquest 1876-1895
Summer
1
Richard and John, Unit 2, Involvement Overseas, 1189-1204
Richard and John
Unit 3, John's Downfall, 1205-1216
The American West, Unit 3, Conflict and conquest 1876-1895
Revision
Summer
2
Richard and John
Unit 3, John's Downfall, 1205-1216

Weimar and Nazi Germany, Unit 1, The Weimar Republic, 1918-29
Exams

 

Year 12
Paper 1: Britain in conflict, revolution and settlement, 1625-1701
Paper 2: Russia in revolution, 1894-1924
Paper 3: Civil rights and race relations in the USA, 1850-2009
Autumn
1
Unit 1: Quest for political stability 1625-60
Unit 1: The Rule of Nicholas II 1894-1905
Aspects in breadth: The changing geography of civil rights issues
Autumn
2
Unit 1: Quest for political stability 1660-88
Unit 2: The End of Romanov Rule 1906-14
Aspects in breadth: The changing geography of civil rights issues
Spring
1
Unit 2: Religion, conflict and dissent
Unit 3: Provisional government and its opponents February-October 1917
Aspects in depth: 'Free at last', 1865-77
Spring
2
Unit 2: Religion, conflict and dissent
Unit 4: Defending the Bolshevik Revolution
Aspects in depth: The triumph of 'Jim Crow', 1883-c1900
Summer
1
Unit 3: Social and intellectual change
Coursework
Aspects in depth: The New Deal and race relations, 1933-41
Summer
2
Unit 4: Trade, economy and empire
Coursework
Aspects in depth: 'I have a dream', 1954-68

 

Year 13
Paper 1: Britain in conflict, revolution and settlement, 1625-1701
Paper 2: Russia in revolution, 1894-1924
Paper 3: Civil rights and race relations in the USA, 1850-2009
Autumn
1
Unit 5: How revolutionary, in the years to 1701, was the Glorious Revolution of 1688-89?
Coursework
Aspects in depth: 'I have a dream' 1954-1968
Autumn
2
Unit 5: How revolutionary, in the years to 1701, was the Glorious Revolution of 1688-89?
Revision of Unit 1
Aspects in depth: Obama's campaign for the presidency, 2002-2009
Spring
1
Revision of Unit 1 and Unit 2
Revision of Unit 2
Revision - Aspects in breadth: The changing geography of civil rights issues
Spring
2
Revision of Unit 3 and Unit 4
Revision of Unit 3
Revision - Aspects in depth
Summer
1
Revision of Unit 5
Revision of Unit 4
Revision - Aspects in depth.
Summer
2
Exams
Exams
Exams

 

Important textbooks, resources and websites we use at each Key Stage

No one textbook is used at Key Stage 3, please instead refer to the Key Stage 3 History Reading List on the students’ Microsoft Teams page.

Below is a table of links to the textbook and revision guides of topics taught at Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5. The clicking on the name will take you to the exam board website, but other sellers are available too at a lesser cost. Furthermore, digital versions, accessible on smart phones and tablets are also available and at a lesser cost.

Key Stage 4, Years 10 and 11, Edexcel GCSE
Paper 1: Medicine in Britain,
c1250-present day (2021-2022 Year 11)
Paper 1: Migrants in Britain, c800-present day (Year 10 2021 onwards)
Textbook
Revision Guide, Workbook and App
Paper 2a: The Reigns of King Richard and King John, 1189-1216
Textbook
Revision Guide, Workbook and App
Paper 2b: The American West, c1835-c1895
Textbook
Revision Guide, Workbook and App
Paper 3: Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918-1933
Textbook
Revision Guide, Workbook and App

Key Stage 5, Years 12 and 13, Edexcel A-Level
Paper 1: Britain in conflict, revolution and settlement, 1625-1701
Exam board textbook
Revision Notes
Paper 2: Russia in revolution, 1894-1924
Exam board textbook
Revision Notes
Paper 3: Civil Rights and Race Relations in USA, 1850-2009
Exam board textbook
Revision Notes

 

Homework in History

At Key Stage 3, homework will include knowledge tests per topic and extended reading opportunities.

At Key Stage 4, homework will include knowledge tests and practice past paper questions.

At Key Stage 5, homework will inform the subsequent lesson. Students are expected to independently read ahead and note take according to their PLC (Personalised Learning Checklist), as well as complete more precise and detailed homework which will be reviewed during the next lesson. Students are then expected to consolidate their notes and acting on feedback provided by the teacher.

Enrichment opportunities in History

All students will be enriched primarily through the study of a diverse curriculum reflecting the multicultural community and society of the students. This will be enhanced through trips and visits to nationally renowned museums and places such as the British Museum, Museum of Migration and Hampton Court Palace and the Palace of Westminster. Students will also explore more local History, such as Uxbridge Bunkers, the Polish War Memorial, Hayes Canals, and Notting Hill.

In school, the History Department also runs a ‘Historical Film Club’ for different year groups, offering the chance for students to see historical interpretations of topics directly or indirectly related to the curriculum.

All students also have access to the Historical Association website and student zone. Logins are available directly through a member of the History department. https://www.history.org.uk/student

Furthermore, at each Key Stage there are specific reading lists. Please find them available by clicking on this link HERE. In addition, a Historical Fiction Reading List, complied by the Historical Association is also available by clicking this link HERE.


 

Gifted and More Able Students in the History Department

The History department sets challenging, engaging, and rigorous historical enquiries that all students are expected to tackle, providing the right support and guidance. Students will be stretched and pushed using targeted questioning and high quality resources.

Students who excel in History will also receive specialist advice about different pathways in History and will be heavily encouraged to continue to study History throughout their time at Barnhill. Students wishing to carry on their studying the subject after school will receive relentless support in UCAS applications and interviews.