The aim of the History Department at Longbenton High School is to make students curious about the past. 

History has many ‘big questions’ and we aim to explore these through well planned and simulating lessons that leave students wanting to find out more. We aim to make students independent learners who have the desire to seek knowledge of the past from a range of sources.  We do this through giving students a range of opportunities to research and investigate a wealth of topics and encourage them to be creative in the work they produce.  We follow a curriculum underpinned by the key skills that students can gain through their study of the past, whether that be enquire, analysis or the evaluation of key historical sources.

Key Stage 3

At Key Stage 3 we cover a range of topics designed to engage and stimulate the interest of learners.  These include:

  • The Norman Conquest
  • The development of society in the Middle Ages, The magnacarta, The Black Death
  • The reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I
  • Slavery and civil rights i the USA
  • The case of Jack the Ripper in 1888 and the Industrial Revolution
  • War and genocide in the 20th Century with a study of World War I and II and the Holocaust.
  • Skills unit: what is History?
  • How has life in Britain changed since 1950?

Key Stage 4

We follow the Edexcel History 9-1 specification.  Students take three exams at the end of the course. The topics studied are as follows:

  • The reigns of Richard I and John 1189-1216
  • The American West C.1835 - C.1895
  • Weimar and Nazi Germany 1918-39
  • Crime and punishment C.1000 - present day including an envrionment study of whitechapel in 1888. 

We follow the AQA A Level specification.  This course allows students to study a new range of topics that will give them a breath and depth of knowledge of history at a high level.

The topics we study are:

  • The Tudors: England 1485-1603.  This is a study of Tudor England from the reign of Henry VII to the end of the reign of Elizabeth I.
  • Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia 1917-1953.   This is a study of Russia from the revolution in 1917 to the end of the rule of Stalin.
  • Spain 1469-1598. (this topic is a non examined assesment worth 20% of the A-level, a 3500 word essay researched and written independently.)