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New Focus Education

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Key Stage 3, GCSE and A Level History resources available for purchase and download. New Focus Education offer resources from a teacher with 10 years teaching experience, a track record of excellent outcomes and experience of leadership at several levels. The main focus is AQA 8145 and AQA A Level, with key stage three resources available with GCSE skills and requirements embedded throughout.

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Key Stage 3, GCSE and A Level History resources available for purchase and download. New Focus Education offer resources from a teacher with 10 years teaching experience, a track record of excellent outcomes and experience of leadership at several levels. The main focus is AQA 8145 and AQA A Level, with key stage three resources available with GCSE skills and requirements embedded throughout.
Slave resistance
LauraMeadowcroftLauraMeadowcroft

Slave resistance

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Lesson exploring how slaves resisted on plantations. Inference starter, two layers of inference sources linked to utility, card sort categorising passive and active resistance leading to an explanation judgement regarding the most successful forms of resistance.
L7 - Drake's circumnavigation (HE 2024): Essay planning
LauraMeadowcroftLauraMeadowcroft

L7 - Drake's circumnavigation (HE 2024): Essay planning

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Lesson 7 in the series of lessons for the 2024 HE pack on Drake’s circumnavigation. This double lesson begins with a recap of the key historical knowledge gained in the past 6 lessons, linking to the circumnavigation. Students then explore a question focused on changes demonstrated by voyages, explaining 4 key changes/developments to plan this specific question style. Students then use the mark scheme to create their own ‘top tips’ for the 16-mark essay, moving on to a plan for a question focused on the main results of voyages like the circumnavigation: “The main result of journeys of exploration was the increase in the wealth and power of Elizabethan England”. How far does the study of Drake’s circumnavigation support this statement? This essay can be answered at home in timed conditions within the lesson. Finally, students annotate a model paragraph for this question exploring the strengths. If there is time students could also make amendments and improve the paragraph.
Cultural change in 1920s USA
LauraMeadowcroftLauraMeadowcroft

Cultural change in 1920s USA

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Exploration of social change in the 1920s. Whiteboard picture starter, carousel activity/market place exploring differen aspects of social change (music, cars, cinema and sport), judgement on if the roaring 20s really "roared" for everyone
AQA 7042 - Unit 6 - Special Relationship and War on Terror - two lessons
LauraMeadowcroftLauraMeadowcroft

AQA 7042 - Unit 6 - Special Relationship and War on Terror - two lessons

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Two lesson sequence exploring the development of the ‘special relationship’ under Blair and Britain’s involvement in the ‘War on Terror’ The lesson starts with a recap of what the special relationship was like by 1997, leading to assessment on how Tony Blair would change/develop this based on his ideology/leadership style. Using the hand out students list similarities and differences of the relationship under Blair, moving to analysis of a source on the ‘Blair Doctrine’ using the TEACUP frame. A clip allows students to assess how events in Yugoslavia and Sierra Leone gave Blair confidence, leading to assessment of the changes that 9/11 brought to British foreign policy. Students then categorise why the invasion of Iraq occurred, moving to assessing why the invasion of Iraq was/is so controversial. Students then analyse a source from 2006 to consider how foreign policy developed under Blair, leading a table analsying how Britain’s position in the world had changed by 2007.
AQA 7042 2S Britain - Decolonisation by 1964
LauraMeadowcroftLauraMeadowcroft

AQA 7042 2S Britain - Decolonisation by 1964

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Lesson exploring why Britain followed (and then accelerated) a policy of decolonisation 1951-64. The lesson starts with images exploring why the Empire was significant, leading to an introduction to the policy of decolonisation. Pupils then analyse part of Macmillan’s ‘winds of change’ speech assessing content, then value. In pairs pupils investigate two examples of decolonisation, then snowball to complete the table. Students then rank the reasons for the acceleration of decolonisation at this time, assessing which is most significant. The plenary is a clip of the ‘winds of change’ speech, asking students to assess if we can trust this as a key reason for decolonisation. This lesson, and the two previous will be utilised in a 25 mark essay planning lesson next in the learning sequence.
AQA 8145 Hardwick Hall  HE 2025 L4: What can Hardwick Hall show us about Elizabethan England?
LauraMeadowcroftLauraMeadowcroft

AQA 8145 Hardwick Hall HE 2025 L4: What can Hardwick Hall show us about Elizabethan England?

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Lesson 4 in the Hardwick Hall 2025 Historic Environment learning sequence. This lesson focuses on what Hardwick Hall can show about changes in the Elizabethan period. The lesson begins with a knowledge recall of Hardwick Hall, moving on to a carousel source activity where students use sources to explain key changes in England that Hardwick demonstrates (fashions, wealth, support for Elizabeth, rise of Gentry and new architectural styles. Students then explain what Hardwick Hall can show about Elizabethan England, explaining why Hardwick can be seen as a symbol of Elizabeth’s reign.
Witch trials
LauraMeadowcroftLauraMeadowcroft

Witch trials

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Lesson exploring the different witch trials in England - starter identifying features of a witch, video hyperlinked showing a witch trial, freeze frame creation of the different trials with an explanation question linked in. Optional homework also included.
What was life like for a peasant - KS3 and suitable for AQA 8145
LauraMeadowcroftLauraMeadowcroft

What was life like for a peasant - KS3 and suitable for AQA 8145

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*Seventh lesson in the scheme - how the Normans changed England * Lesson exploring the life of a Medieval peasant. Source starter to introduce peasant life, video introducing peasant living, cartoon strip on the daily life/routine of a peasant (limited words for challenge), positive/negative table creation on the life of a peasant, GCSE style interpretation plenary.
AQA A Level Britain 1950-2007: Thatcher as a leader
LauraMeadowcroftLauraMeadowcroft

AQA A Level Britain 1950-2007: Thatcher as a leader

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Introduction to Thatcher - images starter, two videos comparing interpretations (hyperlinked in), spider diagrams on key aspects of Thatcher's leadership, source analysis of Thatcherism (content, tone and provenance), impact of Thatcher judgement. Homework included to research one minister with view to present findings next lesson - summary sheet to give out also attached.
AQA 8145 - Elizabeth: Why did the Spanish Armada fail? (L4 historic environment)
LauraMeadowcroftLauraMeadowcroft

AQA 8145 - Elizabeth: Why did the Spanish Armada fail? (L4 historic environment)

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Lessons focused around the 2020 Historic Environment on the Spanish Armada. The fourth lesson focuses on the key reasons for the failure of the Armada. The lesson starts with pupils analysing Phillip II’s plan and assessing advantages and disadvantages for Spain. Pupils then categorise the cards into reasons for failure; focusing on weather, English tactics, leadership, luck, Spanish mistakes and English ship design/weapons. Using the cards and additional information (plus relevant textbooks if required), in small groups pupils create a mini poster explaining one of the above reasons for defeat - presenting back after 15 minutes whilst all students complete a table recording the key details, allowing students to assess which reason for defeat they feel is most significant. The plenary focuses on the ‘how convincing’ question, using the Armada portrait as the source material.
AQA 7042 Unit 6 - Labour domestic and economic policies
LauraMeadowcroftLauraMeadowcroft

AQA 7042 Unit 6 - Labour domestic and economic policies

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Lesson analysing the successes and failures of Labour’s economic and domestic policies. The lesson starts with a headline from a newspaper in 2005 showing dissatisfaction with Labour. Students then highlight successes and failures of domestic policies and then link to the 5 key pledges made in 1997. Students than annotate a source from Gordon Brown and pick out the economic ideals of New Labour. Students then create a spider diagram picking out economic successes of New Labour leading to a judgement analysing the argument that the British economy was performing well 1997-2007. Students then practice the document question with a 10 mark source response for homework.
AQA 7042 - Unit 6 - attitudes to Europe
LauraMeadowcroftLauraMeadowcroft

AQA 7042 - Unit 6 - attitudes to Europe

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Lesson exploring the relationship with Europe under Blair and New Labour. The lesson starts with a recap of the relationship under Thatcher/Major, leading to a clip allowing students to assess how Tony Blair would change this relationship based on his ideology/leadership style. Students then analyse the aims of British foreign policy using a Robin Cook source, moving on to assessing how Britain’s role in Europe became more positive/tensions continued. A plenary assesses what factors continued to inhibit Britain’s relationship with Europe in this period, focusing on long and short term issues.
AQA 7042 - Unit 6 - Workers women and the youth
LauraMeadowcroftLauraMeadowcroft

AQA 7042 - Unit 6 - Workers women and the youth

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Lesson exploring the impact of New Labour on workers, women and the youth 1997-2007. The lesson starts with analysis of New Labour’s impact on society using a source focusing on value and limitations. Students then use a video and hand out to categorise successes and failures of Labour policies on workers, women and the youth. Using this information students create a mind map on progress in society for these three groups assessing which groups experienced the largest change and why. This leads to judgement activity assessing the extent of progress on the key social groups.
AQA 8145Health and the People - 16 mark essay revision sheet
LauraMeadowcroftLauraMeadowcroft

AQA 8145Health and the People - 16 mark essay revision sheet

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Revision resource focusing on how to structure the 16 mark statement essay question (e.g. How far has religion been the most important factor in bringing medical development. The sheet models the responses and allows opportunities for students to practice these questions in a variety of contexts.
Edexcel 1H10/B4 - L6 - Puritan challenge to Elizabeth's religious settlement
LauraMeadowcroftLauraMeadowcroft

Edexcel 1H10/B4 - L6 - Puritan challenge to Elizabeth's religious settlement

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Lesson 6 in the scheme for Edexcel 1H10/B4 - Early Elizabethan England, 1558-1588. This lesson focuses on the Puritan challenge to the religious settlement. The lesson begins with an inference starter on Puritan beliefs, before students link in why the religious settlement left some angry. Students then create a symbol poster reviewing the key aspect of Puritanism and the anger around crucifixes and vestments. Students then use the learning from the lesson to plan an answer to: Explain why the Puritans challenged Elizabeth’s religious settlement. You may use the following in your answer: • vestments • the Act of Uniformity You must also use information of your own (12 marks) Finally, students review the past three lessons in a retrieval plenary.
Edexcel 1H10/B4 - L24 - Raleigh and Virginia
LauraMeadowcroftLauraMeadowcroft

Edexcel 1H10/B4 - L24 - Raleigh and Virginia

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Lesson 24 in the scheme for Edexcel 1H10/B4 - Early Elizabethan England, 1558-1588. This lesson focuses on Raleigh’s attempts and plans to colonise Virginia. The lesson starts with a review of what students already know/can remember about Walter Raleigh, leading to a video which introduces his attempts to colonise Virginia. Students then explore the factors which influenced investment in this project, explaining how each would influence support for Raleigh’s project, moving to a strengths and weaknesses table exploring Raleigh’s plan. Students then assess how strong the plan was, building to exploring the significance in the following lesson.