In Term 1, the students begin their Paper 1 and Paper 2 courses. In Paper 1, the students learn about Henry VII's rise and consolidation of power. Within this, the students explore Henry's approach to controlling the nobility, the modernisation of the royal finances, and the arrangement of dynastic marriages both within England and in continental Europe. In Paper 2, the students learn about the nature of the Thirteen Colonies in British North America. There is a study of the different governments, economies, societies, and cultures of the colonies. As well as learning about the events and the outcome of the French and Indian War against France, and ultimately the relationship with Great Britain up until 1763. Within both courses, the students will explore the following second-order concepts alongside the historical context: change and continuity, cause and consequence, significance, and similarities and differences.
20-mark source question in class.
a country or area under the full or partial political control of another country and occupied by settlers from that country.
The thirteen British colonies on east coast of North America, which eventually became the United States of America.
Colonies in which the Crown had vested political authority in the hands of certain families: the Calverts (in Maryland) and the Penns (in Pennsylvania and Delaware).
The right to vote.
A force, make up of all military aged civilians, called out in times of emergency.
When the nobility use their wealth to pay for private soldiers.
Someone who pretends to be a prince/king.
When a young noble inherits his lands and and titles before the age of 18, the king will ensure the boy is looked after, but would take the young lord’s income as payment until he ‘comes of age’.
The income received by a lord for various historical feudal payments, such as a marriage fee when a vassal marries.
The first trade agreement with Burgundy that brought the embargo to an end.
Students develop in depth analytical source and essay-writing skills.
Students learn about British values and the rule of law and democracy.
In Term 3, the students continue their Paper 1 and Paper 2 courses. In Paper 1, the students learn about the early years of Henry VIII's reign. This includes Henry's personal character and aims as a young monarch and his approach to the legacy of his father, both in terms of royal finances and foreign policy. Furthermore, the students learn about the changes to the England government and the break with Rome. In Paper 2, the students learn about the Thirteen Colonies' formal declaration of independence from Great Britain and its evolution into becoming the United States of America. The students also learn about the outbreak of war between the new nation of the United States and Great Britain and the early events of the fighting in the war. Within both courses, the students will explore the following second-order concepts alongside the historical context: change and continuity, cause and consequence, and significance.
Students are assessed through a combination of discursive essay and evaluative source questions, in the style of the AQA exam.
A government ran by a collective council.
Henry VIII's chief minister in the early part of his reign.
The council used by Henry VII that Henry VIII dissolved due to its corruption and unpopularity.
Two very unpopular tax collectors executed by Henry VIII in his first year of his reign.
A distributer of money to the poor on behalf of the king.
Men who were pledged to rush to America's defence at a minute's notice.
Those Americans who supported Britain, also called 'Torys'.
The view that kings ruled by the authority of God rather than by the consent of the people.
People who support the revolution against Great Britain.
A last attempt by the American Congress to agree to a deal with King George III to avoid war.
Understanding of essay writing and communication skills, including analytical and advanced literacy skills.
The students understand the consequences of civil war within a country.
In Term 5, the students continue with Paper 1 and begin their NEA (coursework) on the way Russia was ruled between 1855-1953. In Paper 1, the students explore the economic change and development in England during Henry VIII's reign and the changes to the English Church after the break with Rome. The students also learn about the development of humanism in England during the first half of the 16th century.
For the NEA course, the following themes are taught:
- Political Liberalisation
- Autocracy
- Russification
- Economy
- Repression & Censorship
The following skills are taught:
- content analysis
- source analysis
- historical interpretation evaluation
Students write essays using AQA criteria; source evaluation and causation / analysis tasks.
A philosophical stance that emphasises the individual and social potential and agency of human beings.
The wealthy landowners who hold a title of the peerage.
A religious movement that challenged the orthodoxy of the Catholic Church.
The move from minor protestantism to back to traditional Catholicism in all but name.
A protestant-leaning book issued under Henry VIII.
When there is no limit on the ruler's power, such a ruler was called an autocrat.
Where the conscripts lived (with their families) and trained, all under the strict military discipline.
A 'non believer' according to the judgement of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The secret police used under the reign of Alexander III and Nicholas II.
An unfree peasant in Russian.
Students further develop their independent research and literacy skills tasks.
The students learn about the development and change of society in Russia and how it can be compared to society in Britain today.
In Term 2, the students continue their Paper 1 and Paper 2 courses. In Paper 1, the students continue to learn about the reign of Henry VII after his initial consolidation of power. This includes the study of his foreign policy towards Spain, France and the Holy Roman Empire, an exploration of English society during the early 16th century, and the state of the Roman Catholic Church in England up to 1509. In Paper 2, the students explore the breakdown in the relationship between the Thirteen Colonies and Great Britain and the causes of the revolution. The students will learn about the Stamp Act, the Townshend Act, and the Boston Tea Party and how these events contributed to the outbreak of war, in addition to the long-term causes prior to 1763. Within both courses, the students will explore the following second-order concepts alongside the historical context: change and continuity, cause and consequence, and significance.
25-mark AQA A-level essay.
Official ratification of a law given by Parliament.
Declaring a landowner guilty of rebelling against a monarch and making them an enemy of the state; their lands and sometimes lives could be forfeit.
Hired soldiers
Medieval system of government where the adult male head of a family had control over everyone living on his land.
the higher ranks of nobility
The money borrowed by a government and not yet paid back.
People who lived close to the colonial borders or in Native American territory and who were able to survive in what was often a hostile environment.
Power that is not bound by rules, allowing monarchies to do as they wish.
A tax on legal documents, its payment being confirmed by the affixation of a stamp.
An actual (but also symbolic) tree in Boston, Massachusetts, representing freedom from tyranny.
Essay writing, analytical thinking skills.
Understanding the background of parliamentary institutions and the development of key cultural ideas such as the Renaissance.
In Term 6, the students continue with Paper 1 and their NEA (coursework) on the way Russia was ruled between 1855-1953. In Paper 1, the students explore the short reigns of King Edward VI and Mary I. This includes learning about the approach to foreign policy, royal finances, rebellion, religion, and disorder during both of their reigns. Moreover, the students learn about the changes in English society and the economy during the mid-Tudor period.
For the NEA course, the following themes are taught:
- Political Liberalisation
- Autocracy
- Russification
- Economy
- Repression & Censorship
The following skills are taught:
- content analysis
- source analysis
- historical interpretation evaluation
Students complete essay writing tasks in line with AQA criteria.
In Catholic thinking, where souls waited to be purified before they went to heaven.
An area in the Church governed by a Bishop.
Scientific study of extraction, refining, alloying and fabricating metals.
A formal letter from the Pope.
Personal representative of the Pope.
The interim government after the abdication of Nicholas II.
The secret deployed by Lenin after the Russian Revolution.
Speculative traders who brought up produce from the peasants to sell in the towns to sell in the peasant markets.
This term was used against aristocrats, priests and merchants, who were considered against peasant prosperity.
To turn the mass of the population into urban workers; it was believed that the masses had to be proletarians in order to create a socialist - and ultimately, communist state.
Students learn important essay writing skills, important for University studies.
Students work collaboratively with each other in group and pair tasks.
In Term 4, the students continue their Paper 1 and Paper 2 courses. In Paper 1, the students continue to learn about the reign of Henry VIII. They explore his foreign policy approach in relation to France, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Papacy and the impact it had on Henry's stability as a monarch. The students also learn about the changes to English society and the rebellions and disorders that occurred during Henry VIII's reign. In Paper 2, the students learn about the main events of the Revolutionary War. This includes the main battles, the French intervention, and the factors why Washington's Continental Army ultimately won the war, despite the many disadvantages it faced. Within both courses, the students will explore the following second-order concepts alongside the historical context: change and continuity, cause and consequence, and significance.
Assessment via A Level-style practice questions.
Medieval social system dependent on land-owning in return for duties, labour or payment.
Members of the House of Lords; nobles.
The right of a farmer to allow his livestock to feed on an area's grass.
A company incorporated by Royal Charter which controlled the export of wool. Based in Calais until Calais was lost to the French.
A system of philosophical analysis in the medieval period.
German auxiliaries who fought for Britain and hired mercenaries.
The great wooden battleship employed from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries.
Privately owned vessels granted permission by a government to capture enemy ships.
Warfare by which small units harass conventional forces.
The land west of the Appalachian mountains.
Analytical and sophisticated literacy skills, marshaling an argument.
Understanding the consequences of war on society.
Students understand and contextualize religious difference and debate.