History

Our vision:

History immerses students in unfamiliar worlds, and in the diversity and commonality of human experience across time and place. At the same time, history helps pupils to make sense of their own experiences, and of the world they inhabit. At Orsett Heath, our expert history teachers provide students with a broad and ambitious history curriculum that helps students build a rich and connected knowledge of the past. Teachers use the power of stories to ensure that historical facts are retained over time.

The study of history is complex and constantly evolving through new approaches, new lenses and new evidence. Every pupil is entitled to encounters with the richness of the past and the complexity of historical enquiry. At Orsett Heath, we make real historical scholarship central to our curriculum, so that students can engage with real historian’s work. The disciplinary knowledge of causation, significance, change, and similarity and difference are built progressively over time. Students also engage consistently in the ‘doing’ of history by interrogating sources and interpretations. We aim to critique sources and invite narratives outside of an accepted canon to enhance pupil skill and understanding of historical events, whilst also disrupting the assumption of a singular narrative in the unfolding of history.

We see our key objectives as:

• Helping students to build a rich and connected knowledge of the past
• Allowing students to engage with the discipline of history through historical scholarship and evidence.
• Building progressively complex understanding of disciplinary knowledge
• Ensuring students can express their knowledge through extended writing

As a department, we believe that History is important to a student’s programme of study for a number of reasons:

• It helps students make sense of their own experiences, and the world they inhabit.
• It provides students with unfamiliar worlds and helps them to appreciate the diversity and commonality of human experience over time.
• It fosters important analytical skills, such as interrogation of evidence and the formation of judgements.
• It develops students’ ability to write academic arguments and explanations.

Learning Journey

Key Stage Three Programme of Study

Key Stage Four Programme of Study

Exam Board – Edexcel

Names and email addresses of key post-holders:

Ms Canneman             Curriculum Leader – cannemank@oha.swecet.org

Mr Taylor                         History Teacher – taylorl@oha.swecet.org

Ms Uzma           History Teacher - uzmar@oha.swecet.org

Ms Thompson       History Teacher - thompsonj@oha.swecet.org