The following will provide a summary of the programme of study for History. Each module will have a “Big Question” which will be linked to the knowledge, and key concepts and processes as identified within the National Curriculum, as well as the Fundamental British Values and the Pembroke Values or generosity, Curiosity, Courage, Wisdom and Passion.

The Importance of History

A high-quality history education will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world.  History helps pupils to ask and answer questions of the present by engaging with the past. It fires their curiosity and imagination, moving and inspiring them by the dilemmas, choices and beliefs of people in the past. It helps them develop their own identity through an understanding of history at personal, local, national and international levels.

Teaching should equip pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement. History helps pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time.

History prepares pupils for the future, equipping them with knowledge and skills that are prized in adult life, enhancing employability and developing an ability to take part in a democratic society. It encourages mutual understanding of the historic origins of our ethnic and cultural diversity, and helps pupils become confident and questioning individuals.

Curriculum Aims

Learning in history contributes to achievement of the curriculum aims for all young people to become:

• Students imbued with curiosity for understanding the wider world;  by knowing and understanding the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day;  knowing and understanding significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind
• Students who are generous of spirit in their dealings with others in their local, national and international communities; by gaining historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.
• Students who show wisdom in their life choices; by understanding the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed; by understanding historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses
• Students who are passionate about their future and their place in the world; by knowing how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world.
• Students with the courage to follow their dreams and pursue life goals.