The History Department at Shaftesbury School
Head of History:
Teacher of History:
Jason Langford
Vicky Little
Accommodation
The Department is a well resourced working environment and is housed in a new block,
which is less than four years old, within the main building. There are two dedicated
rooms equipped with computers with internet access and linked to a data projector.
Both rooms have DVD and Video facilities. History is a leading department within the
school in the development of e-learning and students enjoy excellent access to ICT.
The History department is a thriving and dynamic place to learn and teach. History is a
very popular GCSE option and results are excellent. Years 12 and 13 both have History
classes and results at AS and A2 are improving steadily.
Curriculum:
Key Stage Three
Is now organised thematically with the intention of developing the skills and conceptual
understanding through three distinct development studies;
Year 7 – “Life and Times”
Why did Alfred choose Shaftesbury? (An introduction to Historical investigation), The
Medieval Village & the Medieval Town, Rich & Poor in Tudor England, Smugglers &
Highwaymen, The Industrial Revolution, Victorian Sport & Leisure, The Titanic, The
“Home Front” in WWII and post-war Britain.
Year 8 – Empires & Nations,
The Roman Empire in Britain, Norman Conquest & Castles, The Early Empire
(Roanoke), Native Americans, Pirates, Slavery, Making the UK, The British Empire &
India
Year 9 – Rulers & ruled,
Boudicca & the Romans, Medieval Kingship, Tudor Kings & Queens, The English Civil
War, The French Revolution, 19th Century protests, Propaganda during WWI, The
Russian Revolution, Nazi Germany, Civil Rights in the USA
Thematic elements throughout Key Stage three; Local History, Crime, Punishment &
Protest, Propaganda
Please note that the Key Stage Three curriculum remains under review.
Key Stage Four
Students in Year 10 follow OCR Syllabus A (Schools History Project)
Development Study : Crime & Punishment
Depth Study : Germany 1918-1945
Modern World Conflict Coursework : The War on Terror
History Around Us Coursework : Shaftesbury Abbey
From September 2009 Students in Year 10 will follow Edexcel History B (Schools
History Project)
Unit 1 (Development Study) : Crime & Punishment
Unit 2 (Depth Study) : Germany 1919-1945
Unit 3 (Source Enquiry) : The Impact of War on Britain c.1914-1950
Unit 4 (Representations of History) : Britain in the 1960s
Key Stage Five (From September 2008, New GCEs AQA)
Year 12
Britain 1906-1951
Civil Rights in the USA 1950-1968
Year 13
Modern Britain, 1951-2007
Historical Enquiry (Personal Study) - a self-designed investigation of an
historical issue
Learning
The department has developed schemes of work and activities that seek to meet
the needs of all learners, at what ever level they are studying history. Students
are encouraged to participate in active learning – role-play, decision making, and
dilemma-based activities. The emphasis is very much on historical enquiry and
the ethos of the department is that learning in history should be fun, challenging
and rewarding. Trips organised this year have included a Year 7 visit to Corfe
Castle, Year 8 students investigating smuggling through the Dorset County
Records, Year 9s visiting Ypres and the first world war battlefields, Year 11s
seeing “Hitler on Trial” and a Sixth Form visit to a conference on Russian and
Soviet History. ICT features strongly in the range of activities developed and,
from Year 7, students are encouraged to develop as independent learners.
Assessment & Progress
Skills of historical enquiry are at the heart of students’ development in History.
Consequently, progress in knowledge and understanding of the past, handling
historical evidence and assessing interpretations of events and individuals is
regularly assessed and used as a basis for target-setting.
Jason Langford
Head of History