History at Bonus Pastor is about empowering our pupils to engage with the world around them as global citizens, understand their place in it, and have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to participate as empathetic and curious individuals. Our varied curriculum, both in the classroom and beyond, strives to make students lifelong learners and change makers who are able to make sense of the ‘present’ through their History education at Bonus Pastor. History’s challenging concepts help pupils to develop their critical thinking skills, construct arguments, become fluent written communicators, and confident debaters.

Big Ideas in History

Key Stage 3 History

Lessons at Key Stage 3 are compulsory; pupils receive four varied lessons across a fortnight which aim to build pupils’ curiosity and core historical skills. Pupils delve into the history of the British Isles and beyond and unpack big ideas such as power, religion, politics, and society over a broad time period. Pupils will participate in lessons that range from performing a play about the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket to building their own castles or debating the significance of Harriet Tubman and whether she should be on the $20 bill. Laying a strong foundation for GCSE History, embedded within these lessons are the opportunities for pupils to develop the fluency of their written communication, their critical thinking and source analysis skills and learn how to support and explain their arguments using evidence.

For a full list of our topics studied please see the Topic Overview.

Homework is set on a half-term basis, pupils consolidate their learning and are rewarded for conducting additional independent research through completing an Independent Learning Task. These tasks are varied throughout the year and range from investigative essays to diaries and guide books.

KS3 History Overview

Key Stage 4 History

History is not compulsory at GCSE, however, students are strongly advised to pick either History or Geography, in order to study the EBacc. History remains a very popular GCSE choice in which pupils build upon their previous learning such as the Tudors and Elizabeth I and the Civil Rights Movement in the USA. Alongside this, pupils are pushed to engage with more challenging modern concepts such as totalitarianism in Nazi Germany, ideological conflict in the Cold War, and the fascinating and evolving ideas behind health and medicine. 

More detail can be found about History GCSE on the subpage.

GCSE History Overview

Resources

The Department is well equipped with two dedicated teaching rooms housing a range of resources such as interactive whiteboards, historical artefacts, historical films, and a range of historical texts. The History department has links with many other local private and comprehensive schools as well as Historical organisations.

Enrichment and Extracurricular

The department club, the History Society, is open to pupils from Years 7-11 and it occurs every fortnight on a Tuesday week 2 in WS02. The History Society is for pupils who have an interest in History both in school and at home who would like to have the opportunity to broaden their interest by engaging in History that they may not be taught on the curriculum.

The Society has run trips to a variety of museums and exhibitions across London as well as residential trips to places such as Athens and Normandy. In addition, pupils watch historical films, listen to important speakers such as Holocaust survivors on Holocaust Memorial Day, and have even worked collaboratively to put on an exhibition within the school about Immigration to London after World War Two. We also have a close relationship with local schools and participate in History conferences and debates.

An important aspect of empowering our students to engage with the world around them, develop their cultural empathy and become active historians is through our yearly residential trips. In Year 9, pupils have the opportunity to visit Ypres, Belgium to learn about the First World War through experiencing the conditions in the trenches first hand and reflecting on the vast number of those who lost their lives at cemeteries such as Tyne Cot. In Year 10, pupils spend 5 days in Berlin experiencing the city’s rich history such as tracing the remains of the Berlin Wall and reflecting on the horrors of the Holocaust at Sachsenhausen concentration camp.

The department runs fortnightly after school intervention for Year 11 pupils alongside additional Saturdays and holiday interventions throughout the year. Moreover, all History GCSE students are encouraged to use the GCSE History Google Site which is a key hub of revision resources, masterclasses and exam tips. 

For more details please email our Head of Department

Ms A Whittle - awhittle@bonuspastor.co.uk