Richmond School
School Departments | History
Welcome to the Richmond School History Department
Year 10 - Controlled Assessments
Click here to view Frequently Asked Questions
In the History Department we strive to create a passionate interest in History for our students and an understanding of the relevance of past events to world and UK issues today. Our students are taught important transferable skills that are essential for independent learning.
We aim to provide an education which provides the best for every student, helping them to access the curriculum and reach their full potential.
The Department makes ful use of the school's Fronter site in order to enhance and support the learning of all students. This is especially important for GCSE and A Level students who are revising for their examinations. Students are able to access the school's Fronter site via the Richmond School website homepage. Click here to access Fronter
Parents are encouraged to contact the Head of Department (Mr P Jackson) if they have any concerns about their son/daughter's progress or wish to find out any more information.
Key Stage 3
From Year 7 until Year 9, students at Richmond School have one History lesson per week. Following the National Curriculum, students study a wide range of historical issues and learn many historical skills such as using sources, understanding causation, exploring diversity, considering different interpretations and developing a sense of chronology.
All students in Year 7 will take part in a walk round Richmond to learn about its History in conjunction with Geography, English and Art. Students in Year 7 begin by learning about their own histories and the history of Richmond - including the History of Richmond School.
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Richmond Lower School pictured through the ages. In 1850, Richmond Lower School was a Boys' Grammar School (pictured left). Pictured right is Lower School in 2010.
In June, Year 7 students visit Middleham Castle, near Leyburn.
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Year 7 Students at Richmond School about to charge up William's Hill near Middleham Castle in June 2009
In Year 7 History students learn about:
- Richmond at the start of the 20th Century
- Invaders and Settlers: Romans, Vikings, Saxons & Normans
- The Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest
- The story of Power: William the Conqueror to Henry VII
- Ordinary lives in the Middle Ages - including a project on Medieval Lives
In Year 8 History students learn about:
- Ordinary lives - 1500 to 2000 - including a project on the Industrial Revolution
- The British Empire
- The Slave Trade and the abolition of slavery
- The development of democracy from King John to the Suffragettes
In Year 9 History students learn about:
- The History of Warfare - from Hastings to the Cold War (via World War One and Two) - including a project on World War 1
- The Holocaust
- Civil Rights from Martin Luther King to Barack Obama
- The assassination of John F Kennedy
- Terrorism and the 21st Century
- The Olympics - a history
Key Stage 4
Students have the opportunity to pick History as an option for GCSE. In Years 10 and 11 students who opt for History have two lessons per week. The school follows AQA Syllabus B (Modern World). For more information visit AQA GCSE History B
Students studying GCSE will benefit from innovative teaching and learning techniques and experienced GCSE teachers. Students studying Modern World GCSE are given the opportunity to go on an optional tour of the World War I battlefields of France and Belgium. This trip will be going out at Easter 2011.
Students will study the following at GCSE:
- International Relations 1918-1955 (Assessed by an exam taken at the end of Year 10)
- Britain during World War I and II (Assessed by controlled assessment)
- 20th Century Depth Studies - Germany and America during the inter-war period (Assessed by an exam taken at the end of Year 11)
A Level History
Students at Richmond Sixth Form College have the opportunity to study A Level History. History has long been regarded as an excellent A Level subject choice and is regarded as a very strong academic discipline by universities and employers alike.
Students who choose A Level History are able to visit Russia on a bi-annual trip. The next trip departs at Easter 2011.
Richmond School Sixth Form students on the Battleship Aurora in St Petersburg, Russia in 2009
History A Level will be examined by 4 units through the exam board EdExcel.
For more information visit EdExcel A Level History
AS Year
AS Unit 1 – ‘Communism and Democracy in the 20th Century’
- Russia in Revolution 1881-1924
- Stalin’s Russia 1924-1953
This unit looks at Russian History between 1881 and 1953 including the 1905 Revolution, the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, the rule of Lenin and the rule of Stalin. Students taking History will be given the opportunity to visit Russia on a trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg at Easter 2009.
Assessment is by one written exam at the end of Year 12.
AS Unit 2 – ‘Early Modern British History: Crown and Authority’
- Henry VIII: Authority, Nation and Religion, 1509-1540
This unit looks at the reign of Henry VIII including the events of his break with the Roman Catholic Church and the impact of the Reformation. Year 12 students will visit Fountains’ Abbey as part of this unit.
Assessment is by one written exam taken at the end of Year 12.
A2 Year
A2 Unit 3 – ‘War and Peace: Twentieth Century International Relations’
- The World in Crisis, 1879-1941
This unit looks at international relations including the European Alliance System, the Treaty of Versailles, the role of the League of Nations and the causes of World War II.
Assessment is by one written exam.
A2 Unit 4 – ‘The USA: From Reconstruction to Civil Rights, 1877-1981’
This unit looks at the struggle for civil rights in America including the role of Martin Luther King within the civil rights movement. Students have the opportunity to devise their own coursework questions. Students also visit York University to attend a seminar by an expert on American Civil Rights.
Assessment is by one coursework essay.
Contact Information
For further information, please get in touch with one of the History teachers by telephone on 01748 850111 or email by clicking on the names below:
Mr P Jackson (Head of Department)
Miss A Dakin (Assistant Head of Department)
Mr G Copland
Mr T Grimwood
Mrs S Mawer