Key Stage 3 – History
We study the past in order to help us to understand the present. Many systems, buildings and social ideas have their basis in the past.
History offers opportunities for students to:
- learn about the past in Britain and the wider world
- consider how the past influences the present
- find out about what past societies were like, how these societies organised themselves, and what beliefs and cultures influenced people’s actions
- develop a chronological framework
- see the diversity of human experience and understand more about themselves as individuals and members of society
- reflect on their personal choices, attitudes and values
- use evidence, weigh it up and reach their own conclusions
- research, sift through evidence and argue a point of view
Content
During the WES Key Stage 3 History Course students learn about significant individuals and events in the history of Britain from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. They also learn about key aspects of European and world history. They show their understanding by making connections between events and changes in the different periods and areas studied, and by comparing the structure of societies and economic cultural and political developments. They evaluate and use sources of information, using their historical knowledge to analyse the past and explain how it can be represented and interpreted in different ways.
In history, students acquire and apply knowledge, skills and understanding in five main areas:
- chronological understanding
- knowledge and understanding of events, people and changes in the past
- historical interpretation
- historical enquiry
- organisation and communication
These aspects of knowledge, understanding and skills are developed by studying history through three British studies, a European study and two world studies.