History

History Vision

Alde Valley history department aims to build an ambitious and caring learning community that fosters a deepening knowledge of the past, a respect and empathy for its people and an appreciation of how historians make sense of the past.  

Students are assessed in six skills areas with a focus on how historians work and interpret the past :

(Knowledge, cause and consequence, change and continuity, similarity and difference, sources and evidence and historical interpretations)

We encourage the British values, including those of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs are embedded in the History curriculum.

Students explore issues such as the development of democracy and the rule of law in their historical context and relate them to the modern day through studying aspects of British and World History from the Roman period to present day. This enables the students to understand how, overtime, changes happen and to evaluate their impact.

Students develop an awareness of how key individuals have influenced and shaped the country in which we live.

Teaching students to respect and value diversity is developed through showing respect for different viewpoints and ideas. Students gain a better understanding of our multicultural society through studying links between local, British, European and world history. Units of work in KS3/4 aim to provide an understanding of and empathy with people from different cultural backgrounds and examine how other cultures have had a major impact on the development of ’British’ culture.

History teaching units also enable students to further develop their understanding of SMSC issues. For example:

Spiritual

• Fostering the mystery of how and why events in the past happened and their many causes.

• Helping students to realise the incredible significance that some individuals have had in the past and how historical knowledge changes with new evidence and different interpretations of events.

• Allowing students to see the similarities between people now and in the past and bringing them alive through primary and secondary sources, artefacts and visits and visitors.

Moral

• Encouraging students to comment on ethical and moral questions and dilemmas from the past.

• Helping students to empathise with the decisions which ordinary people made at the time, based on their historical situation.

• Developing open mindedness when considering the actions and decisions of people from the past.

Social

• Encouraging pupils to think about what past societies have contributed to our culture today.

• Promoting pupils' own social development through working together and problem solving.

• The study of social issues is a common theme in History lessons.

• Exploring the similarities and contrasts between past and present societies and be made aware of how, in the main, we are very fortunate to live in ‘the modern world’

Cultural

• Developing a better understanding of our multicultural society through studying links between local, British, European and World history.

• Gaining an understanding of and empathy with people from different cultural backgrounds.

• Examining how other cultures have had a major impact on the development of ’British’ culture.