History
Key Stage 3
Subject Introduction
Students in Year 7 will begin to acquire an understanding of the key events that have shaped the world we live in. They will also develop skills in using historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, and significance. We also aim to develop within them a lifelong interest in the past – about their family, local community, our national heritage and the wider world. Students are taught in mixed ability classes in Year 7.
Modules
Enquiry 1: What is history? How and why do we study it?
Enquiry 2: What was Britain like pre-1066?
Enquiry 3: Why was 1066 such a significant year in British History?
Enquiry 4: How did the Normans consolidate their power in England?
Enquiry 5: Why was religion so important in Medieval England?
Enquiry 6: What was life like in medieval England?
Enquiry 7: Who were the Tudors and what impact did they have on England?
Assessment
Students complete termly assessments, and there is a final end of year examination.
Homework
Homework is varied. Some homework will be completing tasks started in class, some research based, and some linked to assessment preparation.
Enrichment activities
Students study the role of our patron Saint Wilfrid in the development of early Christianity in England. Students investigate the role of Henry II in the murder of Thomas Becket and perform their own dramatic reconstructions of this event.
Texts to be issued and arrangements for return
We have a variety of textbooks for use in Year 7. These are kept and used at school.
Subject Introduction
Students in Year 8 continue to acquire an understanding of the key events that have shaped the world we live in. They will also refine their skills in using historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, and significance. Students are taught in mixed ability classes in Year 8.
Modules
Enquiry 1: The development of Society 1506-1700- Significant events
Why was there a Witch Craze in the 16th and 17th centuries?
Why was the Plague of 1665 so deadly?
What were the Causes and Consequences of the Great Fire of London?
Enquiry 2: The Development of Church and State 1509-1700 – The Stuarts
Who were the Stuarts and what impact did they have on England?
Enquiry 3: Ideas, Industry and Change 1745-1900 – Industrial Revolution and its impact on Britain
What was the Industrial Revolution and its impact on Britain?
What was law and order like in the 19th century?
Enquiry 4: Ideas, Power, Industry and Empire: Britain’s Transatlantic Slave Trade and its effects
What was involved in the Transatlantic Slave Trade and what was the experience like for Africans?
Enquiry 5: USA in the 20th Century: The lives of African Americans up until 1970
How did the lives of African Americans change and develop after slavery ended?
Enquiry 6: Maritime History in the 20th Century
What was the Titanic disaster?
Assessment
Students complete termly assessments, and there is a final end of year examination.
Homework
Homework is varied. Some homework will be completing tasks started in class, some research based, and some linked to assessment preparation.
Enrichment activities
Students visit the Maritime Museum in Liverpool to enhance their understanding of the slave trade.
Texts to be issued and arrangements for return
We have a variety of textbooks for use in Year 8. These are kept and used at school.
Subject Introduction
In Year 9 students complete an in-depth study of the experience of British soldiers on the Western Front in WW1. Through this they can explore the rich vein of primary sources linked to the conflict and develop skills in source analysis. Students also complete a thematic unit- exploring the development of medical science through the medieval, early modern, and modern age. Students develop a complex understanding for the reasons for change in medicine over time, the speed and development of change, the significance of change, and the parallel elements of change and continuity. Students are taught in mixed ability classes in Year 9. This year serves as preparation for the demands of GCSE History.
Modules
Enquiry 1: The experience of British soldiers on the Western Front in WW1
Enquiry 2: The impact of Church, Society, and the State on Medicine in the Medieval Period.
Enquiry 3: How did the Renaissance in Europe contribute to medical science?
Enquiry 4: How far was the ‘Enlightenment’ or Age of Reason a period of rapid change in medicine?
Enquiry 5: What progress was made in understanding, treating, and preventing disease in the 20th century?
Note: students in Year 9 covered units on Britain, Europe, and the wider world in Year 8. This included a study of the persecution of Jews in Germany in the 1930s, and the Holocaust.
Assessment
Students complete half-termly assessments, and there is an end of year examination.
Homework
Homework is varied. Some homework will be completing tasks started in class, some research based, and some linked to assessment preparation.
Enrichment activities
Students have the opportunity to visit the battlefields of Belgium and Northern France.
Texts to be issued and arrangements for return
We have a variety of textbooks for use in Year 9. These are kept and used at school.
Key Stage 4
Subject Introduction
Students in Year 10 study the American West and the Early Elizabethan England as part of their Edexcel GCSE 9-1 course. The American West unit explores a fascinating aspect of US history as a huge number of people moved west to settle on the Plains and the frontier of settlement was pushed westwards. The lives of the Plains Indians changed dramatically over these 60 years, as railroads, the cattle industry and gold prospecting impacted on their previous way of life and means of survival, and they were moved into reservations. The Elizabethan unit explores how Elizabeth inherited a country torn by religious division and had to contend with a number of plots from leading Catholic nobles aimed at replacing her with the Catholic Mary Stuart.
Modules
The American West, c1835–c1895
Key topic 1: The early settlement of the West, c1835–c1862
Key topic 2: Development of the plains, c1862–c1876 The American West, c1835–c1895
Key topic 3: Conflicts and conquest, c1876–c1895
Early Elizabethan England, 1558–88
Key topic 1: Queen, government and religion, 1558–69
Key topic 2: Challenges to Elizabeth at home and abroad, 1569–88
Key topic 3: Elizabethan society in the Age of Exploration, 1558–88
Assessment
Students complete half-termly assessments, and there is a final end of year examination.
Homework
Homework is varied. Some homework will be completing tasks started in class, some research based, and some linked to assessment preparation.
Enrichment activities
Students are directed towards our YouTube channel for question technique guides and revision videos. Students are issued with a bespoke revision guide produced by the learning area.
Texts to be issued and arrangements for return
We have a variety of textbooks for use in Year 10. These are kept and used at school.
Subject Introduction
Students in Year 9 continue to acquire an understanding of the key events that have shaped the world we live in. Students will study the challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world in the 20th century. They will also refine their skills in using historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, and significance. Students are taught in mixed ability classes in Year 9.
Modules
Enquiry 1: The Challenges facing Britain and the Wider World 1901 - The First World War
Why was there a World War in 1914?
What was the experience of war on the Western Front and at home?
What was the outcome of the war?
Enquiry 2: The Challenges facing Britain and the Wider World 1901 onwards – The Rise of Hitler and life in Nazi Germany
Why was Hitler able to become Chancellor in 1933?
What was life like under the Nazis?
What caused the outbreak of a Second World War in 1939?
Enquiry 3: The Challenges facing Britain and the Wider World 1933 onwards- The Second World War and its outcome
What were the key events of World War Two and its outcome?
Enquiry 4: The Persecution of the Jews by the Nazis 1933-1945
How were the Jews persecuted in Europe between 1933-45?
Enquiry 5: Migration to Britain after World War Two
Who moved to Britain after World War 2? Local Study into migration to Blackburn
Assessment
Students complete termly assessments, and there is a final end of year examination.
Homework
Homework is varied. Some homework will be completing tasks started in class, some research based, and some linked to assessment preparation.
Enrichment activities
Students will study in-depth the mandatory requirement of our Key Stage 3 history curriculum, the Holocaust. Students will be introduced to primary material and first-hand accounts that help them to explore this topic through personal experiences and empathy.
Texts to be issued and arrangements for return
We have a variety of textbooks for use in Year 9. These are kept and used at school.
Subject Introduction
Students in Year 11 study Weimar and Nazi Germany 1918-39 as part of their Edexcel GCSE 9-1 course. Students consider the political turmoil facing Germany at end of the First World War, the fragility of the Weimar Republic, and the rise of Nazi dictatorship. In the final term students complete a revision unit, preparing them for the June examination series.
Modules
Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918–39
Key topic 1: The Weimar Republic 1918–29
Key topic 2: Hitler’s rise to power, 1919–33
Key topic 3: Nazi control and dictatorship, 1933–39
Key topic 4: Life in Nazi Germany, 1933–39
Revision unit - covering all units.
Assessment
Students complete half-termly assessments, and there is a final end of year examination.
Homework
Homework is varied. Some homework will be completing tasks started in class, some research based, and some linked to assessment preparation.
Enrichment activities
Students are directed towards our You Tube channel for question technique guides and revision videos. Students are issued with a bespoke revision guide produced by the learning area.
Texts to be issued and arrangements for return
We have a variety of textbooks for use in Year 11. These are kept and used at school.
Sixth Form
A Level History A at St Wilfrid’s (OCR H505)
Subject Intent
History is a challenging and rewarding A-Level subject. Students that take History do not just learn facts; they develop skills in analysis, problem solving, independent learning and communication.
Students who study History have the opportunity to explore events that have shaped the world we live in. Our topics cover a wide chronological, geographic and thematic range; from late medieval times to the present day; from the United States, to Russia; from the English Reformation to the US Civil Rights campaigns of the 1960s.
Course Overview
Unit 1: England 1485–1558: the Early Tudors
Unit 2: Democracy and Dictatorships in Germany 1919–1963
Unit 3: Thematic Study: Civil Rights in the USA 1865–1992
Unit 4: Non exam assessment: independent essay where students analyse a chosen historical topic using primary and secondary sources.
Assessment Breakdown
- Unit 1: 50 marks, 25%, source analysis and essay
- Unit 2: 30 marks, 15%, short answer and essay
- Unit 3: 80 marks, 40%, Interpretation and essay
- Unit 4 NEA: 3–4,000-word supervised essay, 20%
Homework & Independent Study
- Regular practice with exam-style questions, focusing on source analysis and essays
- Wider reading around your chosen topics and themes
- Research and scaffolded tasks to support the NEA
- Reflections on historians’ interpretations and local or digital archives
Enrichment & Skills Development
- Sessions on essay structure, source evaluation, interpretation skills
- Historical debates, discussion clubs, mock trials, or conferences
- Peer tutoring and revision clinics ahead of exams and NEA deadlines
Progression & Careers
A‑Level History is highly respected by universities and employers. It prepares students for degrees in History, Law, Politics, Journalism, International Relations, and more. Graduates develop strong critical thinking, research, debate, writing, and evaluation skills—making them valuable in sectors such as education, media, law, business, public service, and heritage.