History at Fort Pitt is about people, probably the most interesting thing in the world. Any subject can be linked to History, so welcome to the History Department at Fort Pitt.

Apart from being very interesting, History is very useful. Prospective employers will know that you have taken on key skills which, learned through History, can be applied to all sorts of situations. They know that:

• you can understand how people think, what motivates them;
• you can gather and read different kinds of information;
• you can look carefully at this information and can check it for bias or propaganda;
• you can communicate clearly both verbally and on paper.

Students with History qualifications have a vast selection of possible careers. As well as careers in conservation, environmental work, business, building restoration or tourism, History is also useful for journalists, lawyers, TV researchers, secretaries, and accountants, to name but a few.

Enrichment

We run regular workshops for specific year groups either to work on skills, or to enrich their curriculum with added context for their courses or topics they might not study in class. Students have the opportunity to attend lectures outside of school, for example, those run by the Historical Association. There is the ‘Rotten Romans’ club for Years 7 and 8, focusing on ancient History. The enthusiastic Sixth form subject prefects are also planning more extra-curricular opportunities for the lower school.

TRIPS AND EVENTS

Sixth form students are given the opportunity to participate in the Lessons from Auschwitz programme and are encouraged to attend Sixth Form Conferences on their A Level topics in London. Trips are designed to help students develop the contextual knowledge for their courses and to increase their experiential learning.

Subject Leader: Mrs E Kirsopp (ekirsopp@fortpitt.medway.sch.uk)

Curriculum Content

Key Stage 3

Students study a British-centric programme in Year 7 which will provide some context for their GCSE studies. In Year 8 they move to a programme which provides aspects of a world view to develop their skills in making links between second order concepts in History such as causes/consequences.

Year 7

• How far did the Norman Conquest change England?
• Who or what was the greatest threat to the monarch?
• What was life like for a medieval peasant?
• Who was the greatest Tudor monarch?

Year 8

• Who or what was most significant in the abolition of slavery?
• Why was Whitechapel notorious?
• Why wasn’t the Great War a war to end all wars?
• How far did the Second World War change the 20th century?

Key Stage 4 – History

Exam board: Edexcel

Students follow a course that gives them the opportunity to engage in a range of different units that cover hundreds of years of History.  Studying Medicine allows students to complete a thematic study which will give them an opportunity to look at a range of historical periods while charting the changing nature of a particular topic. The course gives students the opportunity to acquire an understanding of the past; investigate major events, use sources critically and analyse interpretations.

Year 9

• The American West
• Medicine through Time (Ancient to Medieval)

Year 10

• Medicine through Time (1250 to present)
• The Historic Environment: The Western Front
• Early Elizabethan England

Year 11

• American West 1835-1895 (2017-2018 only)
• Early Elizabethan England (2017-2018 only)
• Russia 1917-1941 (revision 2017-2018 only)

Key Stage 5 – History

Exam board: AQA

Students are required to study a British unit and a World unit in their A Level.  They study the Crusades, which is a relevant topic to today’s world as they are a subject which are often misappropriated. The Reformation course provides a study of a key stage in the making of modern Britain.

Year 12

• The Crusades and the Latin East c1071-1149
• The Reformation and the Church in England c1529-1547

Year 13

• The Crusades and the Latin East 1149 – 1204
• The Reformation and the Church in England 1547 – 1570