History

What is History?

History at HASU is the study of people, events, and ideas from the past – how and why they happened, and why they matter. Through exploring a wide range of cultures, societies, and individuals – some vastly different from our own and others strikingly familiar – students gain a deeper understanding of humanity and the world we live in today. Our curriculum examines history on both a local and global scale, equipping students with the knowledge, perspective, and critical skills that will support them throughout their lives.

Why do we teach History at HASU?

The History curriculum at HASU is designed to empower students to understand, question, and engage thoughtfully with the world around them. Our aim is for every student to develop a secure foundation of historical knowledge, cultural literacy, and analytical skill, enabling them to navigate a globalised society, evaluate differing viewpoints, and form their own well-substantiated judgements.

We ensure that the history our students study is as diverse, complex, and inspiring as they are themselves, helping them to appreciate the global connections that have shaped societies across centuries. Through the study of history, students learn to write analytically, build strong comprehension and inference skills, and apply what they have learned to contemporary issues. By the time they leave HASU, our students should be able to think critically about current affairs, draw meaningful comparisons with the past, and articulate their ideas with clarity, confidence, and insight.

How do we teach History at KS3?

Building a strong foundation of historical knowledge.
We ensure all students develop a secure understanding of key historical events, individuals, and ideas. British history is taught as part of a wider global narrative, helping students to recognise the diverse connections that have shaped the world they live in. This approach encourages them to become informed global citizens, while also fostering integrity, empathy, and the ability to draw meaningful links between different societies and cultures.

Teaching students to communicate like historians.
 Students are provided with the key vocabulary and conceptual understanding needed to discuss, analyse, and evaluate the past with precision and confidence. They learn to think critically, question assumptions, and express their ideas clearly in both written and verbal forms.

Encouraging independent thinking and argument.
 Students are supported to investigate the past for themselves, weighing historical evidence, considering differing interpretations, and forming their own substantiated judgements. They are encouraged to engage with historiography and to challenge established claims with reasoned, evidence-based arguments.

Delivering a chronological, enquiry-based curriculum.
Our curriculum is structured chronologically to help students develop a strong sense of period and to identify trends and patterns across time. Learning is framed around enquiry questions that focus on key historical concepts such as cause and consequence, change and continuity, significance, similarity and difference, evidence, and interpretation. This ensures that students not only gain secure knowledge but also practise the essential skills of historical enquiry – analysing, evaluating, and questioning the past both inside and outside the classroom.

How do we teach History at KS4?

At KS4, the way History is taught builds upon the enquiry-based approach established at KS3. Students continue to explore a broad and diverse range of historical topics, but with a greater focus on the advanced skills needed for GCSE success. Lessons emphasise the ability to construct analytical written arguments, engage with historians’ interpretations, and evaluate a wide range of historical sources. Knowledge retrieval remains central to every lesson, ensuring that key information is regularly revisited, reinforced, and securely retained. Each lesson typically includes retrieval practice, work with primary and secondary sources, and opportunities for extended writing and reflection.

The course begins with a thematic study, which provides students with a clear chronological overview of the past. This foundation helps them to situate subsequent topics within their wider historical context and make meaningful connections across time. As the course progresses, students are challenged to extend their understanding through additional case studies, independent research, and engagement with academic reading. This not only deepens their knowledge but also equips them to form well-supported judgements and to compare and critique different historical interpretations with confidence.

All students studying history complete the Edexcel History (9-1) GCSE Qualification. We study the following modules as part of this:

• Migrants in Britain, c800-present and Notting Hill, c1948-c1970
• Early Elizabethan England, 1558-88
• Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941-91
• Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918-39

How do we teach History at KS5?

At KS5, History at HASU continues to develop students’ curiosity about the past while equipping them with the analytical, evaluative, and written skills required for success at A Level and beyond. We aim to foster independent, critical thinkers who can engage confidently with complex debates, interpret diverse historical evidence, and form their own substantiated judgements about key developments, individuals, and ideas that have shaped the modern world.

Students follow the Edexcel A Level History course, which offers both breadth and depth across a range of periods and themes:

• Paper 1: In search of the American dream: the USA, c.1917–96
   Students explore the political, social and cultural transformation of the United States across the twentieth century, examining how America defined and redefined the idea of the ‘American Dream’.
• Paper 2: South Africa, 1948–94: from apartheid state to ‘rainbow nation’
   This paper focuses on South Africa’s struggle for freedom, analysing the origins, development and eventual dismantling of the apartheid system, and the creation of a new democratic nation.
• Paper 3: Rebellion and disorder under the Tudors, 1485–1603
   Students study political, social and religious upheaval in Tudor England, exploring the causes and consequences of rebellion and the challenges faced by successive monarchs in maintaining authority.
• Coursework (NEA): The Russian Revolution
   Students complete a 4,000-word independent investigation exploring differing historical interpretations of the Russian Revolution, developing their ability to research, analyse and evaluate the arguments of historians in depth.

Teaching at KS5 builds on the enquiry-based learning approach established at KS3 and KS4. Lessons are designed to challenge students to think critically about historical evidence and interpretation, while regular seminar-style discussions and essay practice encourage the development of sophisticated written and verbal arguments. Students are also expected to engage in wider reading and independent research, preparing them not only for A Level success but also for further study in History or related disciplines at university.