Year 7
Foundations of History
The Roman Empire: Students begin their historical journey by exploring the development of the Roman Empire, examining what made the Roman army so extraordinarily successful and understanding the complex factors that led to the empire’s eventual collapse. Through detailed analysis, students learn to evaluate military tactics, political structures, and social changes that shaped one of history’s most influential civilisations.
The Medieval Period: Students investigate the pivotal events of 1066, analysing the sequence of events leading to the Battle of Hastings and evaluating the importance of William’s leadership in the Norman victory. They explore how William I successfully controlled England after the conquest, examining the sophisticated methods of Norman rule. The year concludes with a study of the Black Death, where students debate whether this devastating pandemic actually improved life in 14th-century England, developing skills in analyzing complex historical consequences.
Assessment Focus: Year 7 assessments challenge students to explain historical causation, evaluate the importance of leadership and tactics, analyze control mechanisms, and develop balanced arguments about controversial historical interpretations.
Year 8
Power, Politics, and Transformation
The Tudor Dynasty: Students delve into the dramatic world of the Tudors, exploring Henry VIII’s break from Rome and the closure of the monasteries. They investigate whether Mary Tudor truly deserves the title ‘Bloody Mary’, examining evidence and interpretations to form balanced judgements. The study includes the execution of Mary Queen of Scots and culminates in analyzing the defeat of the Spanish Armada, where students evaluate the importance of English tactics in this defining moment of Elizabethan England.
The Stuart Period: The curriculum continues with an examination of the Gunpowder Plot, the English Civil War, and the controversial figure of Oliver Cromwell. Students develop sophisticated analytical skills as they debate whether Cromwell was a hero or villain, using evidence to support complex historical arguments about leadership, religious conflict, and political change.
The Industrial Revolution: Students explore Britain’s dramatic transformation between 1750 and 1900, investigating the growth of towns, the challenges of diseases like cholera, and the extent to which life genuinely improved during this period of unprecedented change. They analyse social, economic, and technological developments that shaped modern Britain.
Assessment Focus: Year 8 assessments require students to evaluate historical personalities, analyse the importance of tactics and strategy, develop extended arguments about controversial figures, and assess the extent of historical change over time.
Year 9
Modern History and Global Conflict
World War One: Students examine the complex causes of the Great War, exploring recruitment methods and the realities of trench warfare. They investigate the controversial treatment of deserters, developing empathy and understanding while maintaining historical objectivity. Through source analysis, students learn to evaluate the reliability of different types of historical evidence about life in the trenches.
Changing Role of Women: The curriculum traces the remarkable transformation in women’s lives, analyzing how women won the vote in 1918 and debating whether their lives genuinely improved in the following decades. Students explore changing social attitudes, economic opportunities, and political rights across the 20th century.
World War Two: Students investigate the Home Front experience, the significance of the Battle of Britain, the D-Day Landings, and how the war ultimately ended. They develop understanding of total war and its impact on civilian populations while analyzing the strategic decisions that shaped the conflict’s outcome.
The Holocaust: Through sensitive and age-appropriate study, students examine the Hitler Youth, the Nazis’ gradualist policy, the role of ordinary people like Battalion 101, and the horror of the Final Solution. This unit develops students’ understanding of responsibility, moral courage, and the importance of defending human rights.
Assessment Focus: Year 9 assessments challenge students to explain complex causation, evaluate source reliability, develop sophisticated arguments about controversial historical issues, and trace long-term historical change across extended periods.
Contact
The Thomas Adams School
Lowe Hill
Wem
Shropshire
SY4 5UB
Tel: +44 1939 237000