History

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History Department Information

We put our high level of recruitment down to an exciting, engaging and challenging Key Stage Three curriculum, which opens up our pupils’ young minds to the curiosity of the past and encourages them to study it further at GCSE and A-Level. Our history teachers pride themselves on their subject mastery and of instilling a love of studying the past. We have also worked on projects with the English Heritage. 

Year 7 pupils begin their history course with the core basics of how to use sources as evidence, which we do with our first unit: Migration. Here, our pupils learn the key skills required in History, from chronology to examining sources. Students then progress to study the Normans and the Battle of Hastings; the Church and the Crusades; Changes to Medieval Kingship and the Plague; the Peasants Revolt and the History of Barking. 

Year 8 pupils progress through their studies by looking at the Tudors; Elizabeth; the Civil War; African Kingdoms; the Industrial Revolution, the British Empire and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. In these units, students will focus on developing their key skills including source analysis, change and continuity and interpretations. 

Year 9 pupils focus on more modern History, looking at the causes of the First World War and the trenches; the Suffragettes; Nazi Germany and the Holocaust and Civil Rights in the USA. Here, students will aim to develop their skills in line with the demands of the GCSE specifications. The aim of this is to ensure their readiness for the beginning of their GCSE’s in year 10.

KS4:

History is the most popular GCSE option at Eastbury Community School 2020-2021. This highlights the enjoyment pupils have of the subject, which is facilitated through high quality teaching and a love of learning that is developed in KS3. 

At GCSE students study for three examination papers. They study Crime and Punishment through time, which focuses on the key skill of change and continuity. This paper has an environment study on Whitechapel, which allows students to display their source skills. 

Following this, students turn their focus to the USA. They study Civil Rights in the USA and America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. Here, pupils will again use their source skills as well as other skills developed in earlier Key Stages such as explaining and evaluating. 

Finally, pupils study Henry VIII and the Cold War. Whilst they study this as two units, the examination for this will be one exam paper with questions about both units. Here student’s main skill development will be in identifying, explaining and evaluating, with less focus on source skills. 

KS5:
A-Level is a very popular choice for students at Eastbury. Students study Germany and West Germany 1918-1989 alongside the Rise and Fall of Fascism in Italy in year 12. 

In year 13 students study Yorkist’s and Lancastrians as well as completing a piece of coursework from a range of topics including Civil Rights in the USA.