History is a vital part of the world around us and the people who have shaped the world in which we live. At Montgomery Academy we involve students in discovering the past and the significance of key people. To do this we develop their understanding of time, key periods of history and the impact people and events have had on others. From year 7 we develop students' understanding of interpretations, source analysis, inferences and investigation skills so they are able to explain the importance of people, key events and the effect on people around the world. Reading and the understanding of the key vocabulary and terminology is a key element of supporting the learning of all the students. This is done through whole-class reading, independent reading and pair analysis of historical sources to determine the full content and provenance of sources.
Every student in year 7 and 8 studies history and covers topics ranging from heroes and villains, the Tudors, the British Empire, the Slave Trade and 20th Century world conflicts. Students are given the opportunity to study history as an option subject using the AQA specification. The topics that are covered are Germany 1890-1945, Conflict and Tension: WWI, Elizabethan England and Britain: Health and Medicine. All the topics are designed to increase awareness of the actions of key individuals and what their significance is, to use a wide variety of sources to analyse events and to study sites of historical interest to show the relationship between periods of time and importance of places. The moral case for history is continuously developing through current affairs and very much personal development is considered through encouraging students to have an awareness of the world around them and to make informed decisions from what they see and read about what is happening. The ability to make links and show how often history does repeat itself is a valuable tool for them to have to consider their own rights and responsibilities. Students are given the opportunity to consider their future pathways through visits to Blackpool 6th form and students have regularly been involved in Holocaust Memorial Days.
In every lesson students are given a Challenge Question to clearly focus their learning and to set themselves a target to tackle a variety of concepts. The use of interleaving to sharpen their minds on current and previous learning helps build up their long term knowledge and confidence within every topic they study. Every teacher wants every student involved in their learning. This is achieved through pair and group work, mystery based learning, peer assessment and concepts that require a balanced argument leading to an independently considered conclusion. Every teacher will support the needs of every student through positive relationships, high expectations and clearly explained tasks.
We aim to instil a sense of wonder and amazement at how people lived their lives and how events affected their lives. We aim to motivate students to seek out their own independent learning and extend their enjoyment of the topic. Students quickly understand that both famous and infamous people from history have had a lasting impact on the world. This enables students to recognise that events from history have an ongoing bearing on the modern world. History is a study of the past, but it is also a window into the future to show how and why current events occur and the consequences that they bring with them.
History Curriculum Overview