The Key Stage 3 History curriculum is intended to develop a love of the subject while equipping students with a wide range of knowledge and skills to succeed in later life. It offers rich opportunities to experience cultural capital, regardless of the subject options students go on to choose. The curriculum is carefully structured to ensure clear progression from one year to the next, with each unit building on the knowledge and understanding gained previously. Ultimately, the objective is for students to know more and remember more.

Students will explore significant events, people and developments from British and world history, often outside of their own lived experience. They will develop a deeper understanding of the complexity of the past, including different societies, cultures, beliefs and values, and how these have shaped the modern world. By the time students reach Year 10, they will have gained in-depth knowledge across a broad range of historical periods and themes, with the analytical and evaluative skills necessary to achieve their full potential in History.

The Key Stage 4 History curriculum is designed to build on the knowledge and skills developed at Key Stage 3, with a strong focus on deepening pupils’ analytical and evaluative abilities. Pupils study a range of in-depth historical units that assess their capacity to retain key knowledge, make informed judgements, and strengthen their examination technique.

The curriculum is delivered thematically where appropriate, allowing pupils to make meaningful connections across time periods and topics. A curriculum rich in cultural capital enables pupils to apply their historical understanding to real-world contexts, fostering a greater appreciation of how the world around them has been shaped by the past. In addition, pupils will have access to a variety of enrichment opportunities that support their classroom learning and provide valuable, culturally enriching experiences.

The Key Stage 5 curriculum for History, Politics, and Law is designed to develop students into independent, critical thinkers who can engage confidently with complex ideas, debates and source material. Building on prior knowledge and skills, each subject challenges students to analyse and evaluate evidence, construct substantiated arguments, and express informed judgements both in writing and discussion.

Through in-depth exploration of historical events, political systems and ideologies, and legal principles and institutions, students are encouraged to make meaningful connections between past and present. The curriculum also aims to equip students with the cultural capital necessary to understand and interpret the world around them, fostering a lifelong interest in society, governance and justice.

In addition, students benefit from a range of enrichment opportunities such as academic visits, speaker events and extracurricular activities, all of which support their learning and provide valuable insight into real-world applications of History, Politics, and Law.