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We have designed our curriculum using the KS3 National Curriculum and it is delivered under the framework of the IB Middle Years programme. We have also referenced the KS2 Programmes of Study in our initial planning.

The Drama Department students within Mascalls Academy will have a confident understanding of themselves and how they can adapt to social, cultural and economic situations within the wider world explored through the medium of Drama, therefore, developing their own understanding of where they fit in an ever changing world. Drama studies will allow them to experiment and develop their varied forms of communication; non-verbal and verbal, dissect characters from different global contexts and experiment with their creative thinking, so that they can take these transferable skills with them beyond the classroom walls making them well-rounded characters that will contribute positively to society. Alongside this we aim to inspire and enthuse students to consider the varied career opportunities within the arts.

KS3 history

Topic 1

Explore the  position of England before the death of Edward the Confessor – What groups were involved previously (Romans, Celts, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings). Reasons why England was a converted country after the death of Edward. Examine the events of 1066 – The Four Contenders, their preparation for battle, Battle of Fulford Gate, Battle of Stamford Bridge and the Battle of Hastings.

Topic 2

Exploration of how William consolidated his power in England. First steps taken by William between the October coronation in December, the development of castles, introduction of the feudal system, law and order and use of the Domesday book. To counter their power we look at the rebellions that were led against the Norman Conquest.

Statement of Inquiry

To be updated

Key Concept(s)

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Related Concept(s)

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Topic 1

Exploration of the challenges to the monarchy through Medieval England. Cause and consequence. Context set on the move through different events –  Anarchy, Black Death, the murder of Thomas Beckett, King John and the Magna Carta. Explanation of the emergence of parliament.

Topic 2

Exploration of the many styles of conflict throughout the period of the Crusades / The Hundred Years War / the Peasants Revolt / the other (Jews/women) / War of the Roses.

Statement of Inquiry

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Key Concept(s)

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Related Concept(s)

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Topic 1

Exploration of the many styles of conflict throughout the period of the Crusades / The Hundred Years War / the Peasants Revolt / the other (Jews/women) / War of the Roses.

Topic 2

Exploration of whether the Tudor age was a religious rollercoaster – change of religion and the elements of continuity through looking at Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. Focus on the question of religion  and other developments in their reigns.

Statement of Inquiry

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Key Concept(s)

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Related Concept(s)

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Topic 1

Exploration of the emergence and development of the Transatlantic slave trade and the role of Britain in this. Reasons why slavery happened, trade triangle, the role of Liverpool in the slave trade and conditions for the slaves on the different parts of the slave triangle. Exploration of the steps towards abolishment, covering all the main figures.

Topic 2

Overview of the reasons for building an empire and the wider context on why Britain became empire builders. Case study on the Caribbean, 13 colonies, Africa and India. Collapse of the empire and how it is linked to the Commonwealth today.

Statement of Inquiry

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Key Concept(s)

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Related Concept(s)

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Topic 1

Revolutions in the 1700s including the American, French, and 1798 Irish revolution.Focus on the causes of each event, key events, individuals and the consequences. Understanding of the connection with each other and how they formed the world we live in now.

Topic 2

Coal / Canals / railways / population growth / housing / factories / children in the IR.

Statement of Inquiry

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Key Concept(s)

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Related Concept(s)

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Topic 1

The development of medicine through time. Exploration of the beliefs and around causes of disease and the treatment of disease in the Middle Ages. Comparison with the Renaissance. Development of medicine through time through Edward Jenner, Louis Pasteur, the impact of war and Penicillin. Creation of the NHS and its role today.  

Topic 2

Examine the causes of WWI – both long term and short – interpretation and judgement. – Connection of WWI to the wider world through the role of the colonies in WWI, Russia’s involvement and eventual departure from WWI and America joining the war. Armistice and the steps towards peace and the Peace Treaty of 1919.

Statement of Inquiry

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Key Concept(s)

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Related Concept(s)

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Topic 1

Exploration of the political steps taken by hitler to get to power and how he was able to use the Reichstag fire to his advantage.The changes made to German society: One party state, Gestapo, SS, education, women, concentration camps for political prisoners.

Topic 2

Investigation into what Jewish life was like prior to Hitler’s rise to power – blame for WWI, hyperinflation in the 1920s and jealousy and stereotyping. Hitler’s early persecution: Nuremberg Laws and ghettos. Examine the difference between a concentration camp and death camps. Case Study: Auschwitz.

Statement of Inquiry

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Key Concept(s)

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Related Concept(s)

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Topic 1

Exploration of The Invincible German Military machine, Problems with German leadership + problems with Axis (Italy / Japan), Blitzkrieg – Fall of France, Battle of Britain, Bombing Britain, Battle of the Atlantic – Enigma, Operation Barbarossa (triumph), Operation Barbarossa (disaster), Bombing Germany, D-Day, Collapse and Defeat.

Topic 2

Exploration of the Rise of the Superpowers: USA & USSR and postwar agreements, containment / Truman Doctrine / Marshall Plan / Greece & Turkey, The Iron Curtain and the Berlin blockade – NATO & Warsaw, The Korean War, 1950-1953, What was the ‘nuclear deterrent’? + arms race, U2 crisis 1960 / The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962, The Space Race + research, Vietnam: Why was there conflict?, Vietnam: Why defeat?, Detente, Fall of the Berlin Wall and The Post-Cold War World – problems and advantages.

Statement of Inquiry

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Key Concept(s)

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Related Concept(s)

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Topic 1

Exploration of Jim Crow Laws, origins of KKK (more general look at persecution), education

Topic 2

Exploration of ILT – Black British History, Women’s rights, LGBTQ+, Disability, Consolidation.

Statement of Inquiry

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Key Concept(s)

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Related Concept(s)

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KS4 history

1920S economic boom, experiences of minorities, entertainment industries, women in the 1920s, changes for women, prohibition causes and consequences, racial tension, Sacco and Venzetti.

Results of WWI, the Big 3 and their aims, terms of the Treaty of Versailles, reaction of the Big 3 to the treaty, reaction of Germany to the treaty, treaties on Germany’s allies, strengths and weaknesses of the treaty.

Wall Street crash – cause and consequence, Hoover’s reaction to the Great Depression, Roosevelt vs Hoover, the New Deal, impact of WWI on the economy, society and popular culture in the 1930s.

Purpose, organisation and membership of the LON, success of the commissions, success of the LON, decline in international cooperation, international agreements, Manchurian crisis, Abyssinian crisis, End of the League.

Post war America – consumerism and the American dream, McCarthyism, segregation, Martin Luther King and peaceful protest, violent civil rights leaders/ groups, JFK and LBJ domestic policy, women from 1945 – 1973 and the emergence of the feminist movement.

Exploration of Hitlers rise, rearmament, remilitarization, Anschluss, appeasement, the Sudentenland and Munich agreement, the Great British and French reaction, the Nazi-Soviet pact and the invasion of Poland.

Exploration of the Tudor Dynasty, 16th Century England background, problems at Accession, Royal court, privy council, parliament, succession crisis, threats to authority, Essex rebellion, gentry and The Golden Age, emergence of theatre, why did poverty increase and how did Elizabeth  and her government react to poverty and the exploration of cause and consequence.

Religion – Catholic / Protestants/ Puritans, problems with religion – Northern rebellion, excommunication, Catholic plots and threats, the government response to religion, Mary Queen of Scots, the response to MQS, the execution of Mary, naval warfare, the Spanish Armada cause and consequence. 2020 Historical environment study – Spanish Armada.

KS5 history

USA: Weaknesses of the federal government: Johnson, Grant and the failure of radical reconstruction, politics of the Gilded Age. Economic growth and the rise of corporations: railways, oil, developments in agriculture, urbanisation, Laissez Faire dominance and consequences and the impact of the end of the frontier.

BRITAIN: The Liberal Governments: the 1906 election, new Liberalism, the influence of Campbell-Bannerman, Asquith, Lloyd George and Churchill; the position of Labour and the Conservatives. The state of the economy: Staples, new industries, agriculture, trade and invisible earnings, economic concerns and external competition.

USA: Social, regional, and ethnic divisions, divisions within and between North, South and West, position of African Americans, limits of foreign engagement and continuation of the Monroe doctrine; territorial consolidation (Alaska) and Canada

BRITAIN: Social issues: class division, poverty, changes in taxation, the ‘People’s Budget’, liberal, social and welfare reforms and reasons for legislation and its effect. Challenges and crises: the Constitutional crisis, the issue of female emancipation, Irish home rule and industrial unrest.

USA: Political tensions and divisions: The reaction against big business at national and state level. The ideas and influence of Bryan, Roosevelt and Taft; Populism, Progressivism and Wilson’s new freedom. Economic change and developments: The rise of us dominance as an economic and industrial power and the consequences. 

BRITAIN: Politics in wartime: The 1915 coalition; Llyod George and Bonar Law, liberal division, the influence of the Labour party and the 1918 constitution, the 1918 election and the LLoyd George coalition, politics, problems and Lloyd George’s fall. Economic issues: Britain’s wartime economy, housing and austerity, trade unions, post-war industrial problems, the position of the staple industries and trade. The social and cultural impact of war: role of women, reform of the franchise, unions and labour, cultural change, issues of patriotism, conscientious objection, effect of trenches on soldiers, the war poets. Ireland: the Easter Rising, the war of independence and the Anglo-Irish Treaty.

USA: SOCIAL DEVELOPMENTS: Mass immigration and urbanisation and their consequences; the position of African-Americans. Foreign affairs; Imperialism; engagement in international affairs; Spain and the Philippines; the Panama Canal; the first world war, neutrality and entry. USA by 1920: political, social and economic divisions and renewed isolationism

BRITAIN: POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS: The decline of the Liberal; the 1923 election; the first Labour government: aims, reforms, international relations and collapse. The Conservative resurgence and government; the roles of Baldwin, Churchill and Chamberlain. Economic issues: Post-war re-adjustment and return to gold standard; the problems of the coal mines; industrial disputes and the general strike. Social and cultural change: unemployment and regional division; the post-war role of women; the growth of the media including newspapers and cinema; the cultural reaction to war. The 1929 election: the franchise extension and ‘Flapper vote’; the new Labour government; MacDonald and Snowden and their aims and the state of Britain by 1929.

USA: DOMESTIC POLITICS: Harding, Coolidge and republican conservatism; Hoover and the depression. FD Roosevelt and the new deals: conflict of ideas over the role of the federal government. The economy: boom to bust and recovery; structural weaknesses and the impact of the new deals and the second world war on economic recovery.

BRITAIN: POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS: The Labour government; domestic policies and response to economic problems; the reasons for and policies of the national government; the leadership of Macdonald, Baldwin and Chamberlain. economic issues: the depression and financial crisis; changes to economic policy, including moving from the gold standard; tariff reform and imperial preference; effect on industry, agriculture and trade.

USA: Extensive research on chosen topic. Source and historian research. Analysis of sources contemporary to the time chosen. Evaluation of historian arguments around the topic chosen.  Development of ideas to a personal response. Production of personal response. 3500-4500 word essay.

BRITAIN:  Extensive research on chosen topic. Source and historian research. Analysis of sources contemporary to the time chosen. Evaluation of historian arguments around the topic chosen.  Development of ideas to a personal response. Production of personal response. 3500-4500 word essay.

USA:  Extensive research on chosen topic. Source and historian research. Analysis of sources contemporary to the time chosen. Evaluation of historian arguments around the topic chosen.  Development of ideas to a personal response. Production of personal response. 3500-4500 word essay.

BRITAIN:  Extensive research on chosen topic. Source and historian research. Analysis of sources contemporary to the time chosen. Evaluation of historian arguments around the topic chosen.  Development of ideas to a personal response. Production of personal response. 3500-4500 word essay.

USA: Social and cultural developments: ‘the Jazz Age’ in the 1920s; new social values and the role of women; the failure of prohibition and its significance; social impact of the depression and the second world war. Social, regional and ethnic divisions: countryside versus city; divisions between north, west and south; African-Americans and the rise of the Ku Klux Klan. The USA and international relations: the extent of isolationism; fdr and the end of isolationism and the second world war.

BRITAIN: Social and cultural impact of the depression: changes in working opportunities and living standards; national government policies; social and regional division; literary responses; radio and cinema; social and cultural responses to international crises. Challenges to stability: the abdication crisis; radical political groups: the BUF; communism.

USA: Domestic politics: Truman, Eisenhower and post-war reconstruction.

Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon; new frontier; the great society; Nixon and republican revival

economic change and developments: the rise of the consumer society and economic boom.

BRITAIN: Political developments: the fall of Chamberlain; Churchill as wartime leader, character and style; coalition government; the reasons for Labour victory in 1945; Attlee as prime minister; labour ideology and aims. Economic issues: mobilisation of resources in wartime; the post-war economic readjustment; labour’s post-war balance of payments problems and policies, including nationalisation.

USA: Ideological, social, regional and ethnic divisions: McCarthyism; civil rights; youth culture; protest and the mass media. The USA and international relations: the cold war and relations with the USSR and China; the Vietnam war.

BRITAIN: The social and cultural impact of ‘total’ war: Conscription; women and children; civil liberties and restrictions; propaganda; the blitz; plans for reconstruction including Beveridge and the Butler act; policies of post-war Labour government, including the creation of the NHS and medical advances. Britain by 1951: the festival of Britain; continuing austerity; Labour divisions; Conservative reorganisation and the elections of 1950 and 1951.

USA: The USA by 1975: its place as a superpower; the limits of social cohesion; new cultural developments, including the role of women and the position of African-Americans.

BRITAIN: Conservative governments and reasons for political dominance: Churchill, Eden and Macmillan as political leaders; domestic policies; internal Labour divisions; consensus politics. Economic developments: post-war boom; balance of payments issues and ‘stop-go’ policies. Social and cultural developments: rising living standards; the impact of affluence and consumerism; changing social attitudes and behaviour; class and ‘the establishment’, the position of women. Britain by 1957: issues relating to new commonwealth migrants and race-relations; nuclear concerns and the formation of CND.