History (Year 7)
See Year 7s History ‘Schedule of Learning’ for the 2025/26 academic year
| Topic | Content sub-topic | Disciplinary skill summary |
|---|---|---|
| What is History? | What is History? | Enquiry |
| Norman Conquest: How far did the Conquest change England? | What was England like in 1060s? | Change/continuity |
| Norman Conquest: How far did the Conquest change England? | Why did William win the battle? | Change/continuity |
| Norman Conquest: How far did the Conquest change England? | How did castles and rebellions take control? | Change/continuity |
| Norman Conquest: How far did the Conquest change England? | How did daily life change? | Change/continuity |
| Norman Conquest: How far did the Conquest change England? | Assessment lesson: Essay write-up | Change/continuity |
| Matilda: Too female to rule? | Matilda: How strong was her claim? | Causation |
| Matilda: Too female to rule? | Matilda: How strong was Stephen’s claim? | Causation |
| Matilda: Too female to rule? | Matilda: Who won the Civil War and why? | Causation |
| Matilda: Too female to rule? | Matilda: What was her legacy and preparation lesson. | Causation |
| Matilda: Too female to rule? | Matilda Assessed Task: Why did she not make it as England’s first ruling Queen? | Causation |
| Source enquiry: Were all medieval lives ‘nasty, brutish and short’? | Source enquiry: How bad was life in a medieval village? | Historical evidence |
| Source enquiry: Were all medieval lives ‘nasty, brutish and short’? | Source enquiry: Was life in a medieval town better? | Historical evidence |
| Source enquiry: Were all medieval lives ‘nasty, brutish and short’? | Source enquiry: Was the Black Death a disaster? | Historical evidence |
| Source enquiry: Were all medieval lives ‘nasty, brutish and short’? | Source enquiry: Could everyone get justice? | Historical evidence |
| Source enquiry: Were all medieval lives ‘nasty, brutish and short’? | Source enquiry: Assessment- Source assessment | Historical evidence |
| The Church: Who or what was the biggest problem for medieval kings? | Thomas Becket- Why was he a problem for Henry II? | |
| The Church: Who or what was the biggest problem for medieval kings? | Who murdered Thomas Becket? | Significance |
| The Barons: Who or what was the biggest problem for medieval kings? | King John- What were the causes of conflict with the Barons? | Significance |
| The Barons: Who or what was the biggest problem for medieval kings? | King John: How far did the Magna Carta deal with the threat of the Barons? | Significance |
| The Peasants: Who or what was the biggest problem for medieval kings? | Causes of Peasants Revolt | Significance |
| The Peasants: Who or what was the biggest problem for medieval kings? | Impact of Peasant’s Revolt- Why were the peasants a problem for Richard II? | Significance |
| The Medieval Islamic World | ||
| The Medieval Islamic World | Similarity/difference? | |
| Mali | Similarity/difference? | |
| Mali | Similarity/difference? | |
| Y7 exams (Wed, Thurs, Fri – English, Maths, Science) | ||
| Mali | Similarity/difference? | |
| Mali | Similarity/difference? | |
| Mali | Similarity/difference? | |
| Extension: Meanwhile, Elsewhere – Melisende | ||
| Extension: Meanwhile, Elsewhere – The Mongols |
What will you study?
Autumn term:
The Norman Conquest
A. How much did the Normans change Anglo-Saxon England?
B. Matilda: too female to rule?
Spring term:
How successful was resistance to the English medieval King?
A. Which Plantagenet Problem was the biggest? Church, Barons or Peasants?
What was life really like in the Middle Ages?
A. Was the Black Death a disaster? A. Source Enquiry. Were all medieval lives
“nasty, brutish and short”?
Summer term:
The Crusades: for God or gold?
The Kingdom of Benin: How much can the sources teach us?
Useful tips and resources
Visit historic sites – make the most of being able to enjoy being outside!
For instance… Battle (the appropriately named site of the Battle of Hastings), the
Tower of London, Canterbury Cathedral, any medieval castle! You may find you have an appropriate medieval site even closer to your home.
Read E.H. Gombrich, A Little History of the World
A great read to provide an overview of the historical narrative written in an engaging way, but meatier than Horrible Histories (as great as they are!)
Excellent BBC guides for most of our topics
Excellent trusted resource for detailed overviews of topics
Excellent Trust-subscription for more challenging extension articles
What super curricular activities can KS3 students engage with at school?
History Mysteries – Summer term
Every year the History department runs a ‘History Summer Challenge’ – this will be shared with the girls for each KS3 year group and is our full list of suggestions.