Curriculum Intent
The curriculum in History at Arena Academy is designed to be broad, covering a range of periods, as well as engaging and intellectually stimulating. It has been designed to be ambitious whilst still meeting the needs of all students. In History we aim to develop future historians, developing their skills for future learning and enjoyment.
As a department, we aim to provide students with opportunities of core knowledge which ensure students remember the content in the long-term, as well as integrating broader, hinterland knowledge, ensuring progress and successful outcomes for all.
The curriculum is designed to instill confidence in students to debate and discuss their knowledge, feedback in a way that is progressive, as well as nurture the disciplinary knowledge required in History, all whilst fostering a passion for the subject.
Elements of our curriculum have been tailored to our students to ensure that their own culture, traditions and history is covered, allowing others to learn and develop their own understanding of the world around them. It is also designed to introduce students to experiences they might not have available to them such as trips to historically relevant sites.
Ultimately within the History department we aim to help students become confident learners and developed young adults who are prepared to lead, make informed decisions and communicate effectively. Our History students will be able to reflect and adapt and become critical independent thinkers.
Our Teachers
- Mr D Hart – Head of Department
- Miss S Van Deventer – Teacher of History / Head of Year
- Miss H Cusack – Teacher of History / SEND Champion
- Mr G Skidmore – Teacher of History
- Mr C Reid – Teacher of History
Learning Journey
Assessment and Exams
Assessment Grid – History
Aspire 5
A grade 5 student should be able to:
- Demonstrate mostly accurate and appropriate historical knowledge, using first order concepts, combined with a clear understanding of key features and characteristics.
- Does the student have a good understanding of key knowledge of the topic in question?
- Can they communicate this understanding effectively?
- E.g., do they know the names of key people; significant dates and can they describe key events?
- Can they write about them in a structured way?
- Construct a coherent line of reasoning in relation to second order concepts and reach reasoned judgements.
- Does the student have a good understanding of why there was both change and continuity in the topics they have studied?
- Can they explain the causes and consequences of events and actions undertaken?
- Can they demonstrate a good understanding of the significance of key people and events?
- Can they communicate this understanding effectively?
- E.g., can they communicate the significance of a key person by explaining the impact of their actions and where necessary, give a justified opinion on how significant this person was?
- Analyse and provide some evaluation, to reach reasoned judgements, of:
- A range of sources, in context, to investigate historical issues and
- Interpretations and why they may differ
- Does the student know what historical sources and historians’ interpretations are?
- Do they know why they are both useful to historians?
- Can they extract some relevant content from a source and make a judgement on how useful (reliable) it is, using their own knowledge, whilst also making simple judgements on how the provenance of the source affects its ‘usefulness’?
- Can they identify differences between historian’s interpretations and suggest reasons for these differences? Can they explain why either could be agreed with, but give an overall opinion as to which one they think is more valid?
- E.g., can they explain how historians form their interpretations by using sources? Can they demonstrate the skills a historian would be interrogating these sources to determine their ‘usefulness’? Can they give justified opinions in relation to both?