History

History lessons at Key Stage 3 are designed to develop both critical skills and an over-arching sense of the chronology of British History in its widest sense.

Key Topics and Projects

Year 7 starts in 1066 with the Norman invasion and investigates the reasons for William’s victory and how he secured control. We then move on look a Medieval life, the reign of King John, the signing of Magna Carta and the challenges facing medieval rulers. Core to this year are critical-thinking and reflection skills: how to construct an essay, how to evaluate primary source materials and why the significance of events can change over time. In Year 8 we move on to the Early Modern period and explore the challenges facing the Tudor and Stuart monarchs. This includes the English Reformation and the Civil Wars, and the start of the British Empire and slavery. There are opportunities for creativity with an exploration of the symbolism of Elizabethan portraits. We look at ordinary people too, including researching the lives of Black Tudors We also have a fascinating module on witchcraft to try to understand the social and cultural reasons for the persecution of women for an imaginary crime. In Year 9 we focus on the struggles of the 20th century. We start with the First World War, and then move on to the campaign for Women’s Suffrage. We then have a depth study on the Holocaust, a topic in which we are recognised nationally as having leading practice in teaching having been part of UCL’s Beacon schools’ programme in 2021. Finally, we compare at the struggles for Civil Rights in America and Britain.

RHS Learner Qualities

Reflective skills are absolutely crucial to our students’ development as historians. In addition, we always encourage our students to be inquisitive in project work which also develops presentation and collaborative skills. Finally, we value bravery: over the three years, the girls will have studied courageous women who have dared to be different.

Co-Curricular

As a department we want to develop students’ love of history. In year 7 we aim to visit a castle and in year 9 we run a trip to the Battlefields of the First World War. We also run a fortnightly film club open to all girls where we watch and discuss some of the great films about the topics we study.

‘History teaches us about the past of our country and the cultures of others. It lets you see things from different perspectives.’

Student, Year 8