Why Study History?

By the end of their time at Soham Village College, students will have a range of knowledge and understanding about the past, having studied a rich and varied History of different ages and people. This means students will have learned about not just British History, but also the history of other nations and societies in order to have an understanding of the experiences of others.

Students will develop an understanding of key second-order concepts such as cause and consequence, similarity and difference and change and continuity, as well as diversity and significance. They will also have a good grounding in substantive concepts such as parliament, government, democracy. Alongside this, students will develop a mental map of the past based around good skills of chronological understanding. They will also be exposed to historical sources and build evidential understanding as well as interpretations of the past and different ways in which it has been represented. Students will move from being able to describe, explain and analyse the past to being able to form reasoned and substantiated judgements and critical evaluations of arguments and evidence. These are vital, lifelong skills that students learn through History as a subject. This is increasingly important in a modern world where students are, and will be, exposed to sophisticated propaganda in varied forms. An enquiring and critical mind is essential for students to navigate this world. Our curriculum sets out to challenge students to think about prejudice and extremism in all its forms in order that they understand the potential consequences for the future of humanity. 

If you would like any further information about the curriculum please contact the Head of Department.

Further information about our history curriculum can be found in the links to the right, by year group.