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15/06/25

Our Sixth Form taster is fast approaching! Join us on the 10th July 2025 pic.twitter.com/5bfCvm7tM7

11/06/25

Just some creative line marking on one of our fields this summer. pic.twitter.com/4P0sy62J0u

06/06/25

for all those teachers and school staff out there: National Thank A Teacher Day is coming up on the 18th June. You can send a card to a friend, colleague or teacher, using this link: https://t.co/lexztaa3QH pic.twitter.com/7CsYwlOJZT

06/06/25

HAO received it's Social Value Certificate from this week, which is calculated from the hours our students have volunteered and contributed to and in the wider community. A great achievement to our Bronze, Silver and Gold award participants! pic.twitter.com/EC4XljXuVM

06/06/25

Though we often have Friday fish and chips for lunch, today HAO marked National Fish and Chips day with some extra flare. Thanks to our catering team for providing great food, as always. pic.twitter.com/dTja4pPmV9

03/06/25

A reminder for parents and students of some of our afterschool sporting clubs available this term. pic.twitter.com/gW7pH13Icl

02/06/25

A warm welcome back to our staff and students as we start the summer 2 term. Good luck to those that are finishing the last round of external exams and to those about to start their end of year assessments. pic.twitter.com/F45kzKthla

23/05/25

It is finally the end of the the first summer half term and we want to wish our community a wonderful break next week. For Y11 and Y13, don't forget we have masterclasses taking place: https://t.co/4AhuKYZCYn pic.twitter.com/SNw73mezdb

16/05/25

As we approach the last half term, this is a reminder that many of the year groups will have end of year assessments taking place soon. To help, we have created year group assessment revision packs, now available on our website.https://t.co/oLgKKs6hRO

14/05/25

There was an award ceremony at the end of the talk, with a possible six awards. Two of these awards went to Harris students and one, to our very own Shyanne for 'responsibility'. Congratulations Shyanne! Visit our website for more details on the event: https://t.co/jcPdSW8aeU pic.twitter.com/78xz0I3xDT

14/05/25

Hosted by , the event 'The Game Plan Roadshow' featured panel discussions and interactive activities aimed to develop the skills, resilience and mental strengths needed for the workplace.https://t.co/Ysc2fCpHfz

14/05/25

Last week some of our Y12 students attended a High Performance Roadshow event for schools. Six students from HAO attended the live filming of a podcast episode and had a great time hearing from inspirational individuals. pic.twitter.com/HZ1csJVdta

08/05/25

At the end of last term, some of our sixth form students in biology, art and psychology got a chance to visit the and Bethlem Museum of the Mind. All to boost their knowledge and understanding, giving insight to treatments as well as the artwork created by patients pic.twitter.com/6OqaWpeUTC

08/05/25

Uni prepared a delicious Japanese sushi dish which won over the judges. Uni was presented with a stunning Lingua Chef 2025 trophy, as well as a bag of cooking items, her own Lingua Chef 2025 apron, and a beautifully illustrated graphic novel recipe book. pic.twitter.com/wq4wjsssh0

08/05/25

A huge congratulations Y8 Uni who was one of the talented Lingua Chef winners this year. The Federation MFL LinguaChef competition invites students to create culinary dishes inspired by cuisine from around the world. pic.twitter.com/JkaMuNXj67

08/05/25

At the end of last term, some of our sixth form students in biology, art and psychology got a chance to visit the and Bethlem Museum of the Mind. All to boost their knowledge and understanding, giving insight to treatments as well as the artwork created by patience pic.twitter.com/VqeOmw70IQ

08/05/25

Check out the schools website for the full exam timetable for Y11 and sixth form, in the coming weeks. We have also set up some masterclass sessions and you can read about how to prep for the exams and the rules and regulations here: https://t.co/cdvEBeQPis pic.twitter.com/HJJqN2x14z

02/05/25

All the key UCAS dates and deadlines for May 🗓️ We’re closed this Bank Holiday Monday, but you can still find all of the support and advice you need on our website: https://t.co/6rqb0wSa4N pic.twitter.com/hlqi3dpEKB

02/05/25

A few subs and some calm heads prevailed, and the next 5 minutes belonged to HAO. A penalty awarded that Solomon dispatched comfortably to make it 5-4 to HAO. The team held on for the final 2 minutes to take the win. A close and very tense game but still a victory for HAO. pic.twitter.com/hJ9t9snn5a

02/05/25

The second half started with confidence, precision and good decision making as HAO went up to 4-0 by the 50th minute. However, upped their game and something shifted as they clearly dug deep, bringing the score to a nail biting 4-4, and only minutes left. pic.twitter.com/5h35Z1XkyE

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History

What is the intention of our KS3 curriculum?

At Harris Academy Orpington our vision is clearly communicated to our students.  ‘We want you to know stories of the past, explore scholarship and examine sources of Britain and the wider world. You will be curious and critical of the diverse and changing world around you and the impact you can make upon it’.

The history curriculum at Harris Academy Orpington will:

  • Increase knowledge of historical periods, people, trends and events - both to develop and retain a rich knowledge of the past
  • Increase disciplinary knowledge by engaging students with latest scholarship, historical sources as well as varied and changing interpretations of the past
  • Ensure that knowledge is retained through a planned curriculum, chronologically sequenced and driven by historical enquiries
  • Ensure students are able to communicate their understanding of the complex past using subject specific language to enable them to construct written and verbal responses
  • Ensure that the curriculum we deliver gives students the opportunity to study an overarching narrative of British history in relation to the local, national and wider world
  • Interweave diverse histories which speak to our student’s own identities and gives them a greater sense of place and belonging within the world they live in

Through doing this, students will gain ownership of their skills and understanding of the discipline of history and its importance in every individual’s life.  


How will this be implemented?

We teach all topics through historical enquiries focused around a second-order concept, such as ‘historical significance’. These explore local, national and world histories, putting an emphasis on the discipline of history and the complexities of the past. We strive to make our curriculum diverse and representative of all protected characteristics. Additionally, students celebrate, commemorate and participate in history beyond the curriculum with our KS5 fellowship programme, termly competitions, educational visits, assemblies and national awareness days.

The topics covered at KS3, KS4 and KS5 are as follows:

History Curriculum 24 25

 

How will we judge the impact of the curriculum?

As a department, we judge the impact our history curriculum has on all students through our Monitoring, Evaluation and Review (MER) process for the department. This process has been designed to maintain the consistency of quality teaching and the effectiveness of the history curriculum using summative and formative assessment, lesson drop-ins, book looks and discussions with students. This helps to further develop the history curriculum in the long-term.

Additionally, the impact of the history curriculum is judged through Federation-wide summative assessments twice a year. This means that students’ progress can be analysed, in relation to thousands of other history students across London. This helps inform conversations around curriculum and ongoing professional development of the department. We use varied styles of formative assessment throughout our lessons and at the end of each historical enquiry.

Students receive feedback in line with Harris Academy Orpington’s feedback and marking policy. Within history, we ensure students receive constructive feedback on their substantive and disciplinary knowledge. Students are given opportunity within lesson time to discuss their feedback with their teacher, redraft their work and therefore improve.