History

Our History curriculum is designed to nurture global citizens by fostering critical thinking and encouraging students to explore a range of historical perspectives.

Through reasoned debate and the examination of diverse narratives, students develop a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the past.

Studying History equips students with essential lifelong skills in analysis and evaluation while also building a foundation of core knowledge that everyone should possess.

History is a vast subject with a wide range of topics. Our expert teachers draws on the latest research from Ofsted, the Education Endowment Foundation, the Historical Association, and others to craft an engaging, dynamic curriculum that students enjoy.

Our curriculum intent is to help students understand the modern world, the society they live in, their rights, and their role in shaping the future, through focused study of key historical themes:

• Democracy
• Empire
• Civil Rights
• Power and Protest
• Persecution
• Conflict
• International Relations

“To enable society to understand the society of the past and to increase its mastery over the society of the present is the dual function of history.” Edward Hallett Carr

Key Stage 3 – new adventures in history

At Key Stage 3, students embark on a chronological journey from Roman Britain through to post-war Britain and global conflicts after World War II.

In Year 7, students study empires through case studies such as Rome, the Islamic Caliphates, and African Kingdoms. They also explore the shifting political and religious landscape of England through the lens of medieval monarchs, the Reformation, and the English Civil War.

Year 7s are often excited to learn about periods of history they have not encountered before and enjoy the depth of knowledge they are exposed to by teachers. This includes examining primary source material and the work of academic historians.

Key Stages 4 and 5 – deepening historical understanding

In Years 10 and 11, students delve deeper into history with carefully selected units that not only prepare them for academic success but also broaden their global awareness and transferable skills.

In Years 12 students study communism in the USSR and China and in Year 13 they study the British Empire through five different case studies. These units are popular as they contain interesting individual characters as well as exciting themes which build on prior knowledge, such as an understanding of conflict, international relations and democracy.

“History is not the past but a map of the past, drawn from a particular point of view, to be useful to the modern traveller.” Henry Glassie, US historian

History and Active Citizenship

Throughout their time at Harris Dulwich Boys, students develop expertise in:

• Historical concepts such as cause and consequence, significance, similarity and difference, change and continuity, evidence and interpretation
• Diverse perspectives, including female history, Islamic and African empires, and the history of migration to the UK
• The evolution of civil and political rights in the UK
• The Holocaust and its enduring impact

History at Harris Dulwich Boys offers more than academic achievement - it teaches the values and knowledge essential to becoming Active Citizens. Together, these form the Master Key to our students’ future.