Could the battles of Stamford Bridge and Hastings in 1066 help your KS3 learners to become better leaders and bosses?
The battles of Stamford Bridge and Hastings in 1066 can serve as a platform to deliver skills in comparative analysis, evaluative thinking and summarising strategies and tactics.
Learning objectives
- Know and explain the strategies deployed at 1066’s two key battles
- Evaluate the Battle of Stamford Bridge’s impact on the Saxon army
- Analyse the tactical actions undertaken by both commanders
Activity summary
Familiarise KS3 students with the salient moments of the Battle of Hastings and the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Analyse the strategic and tactical decisions that produced those key moments.
Students will use the five main strategic goals of a battlefield commander, alongside the tactical maneuvers of the feint, the choke point, the fast and overwhelming force, the flanking and pincer maneuver, and the controlled chaos strategy to determine how and why each of the battles was won.
Equipped with this knowledge, students will then describe and explain the strategies and tactics that Harold Godwinson and the Vikings used at Stamford Bridge, and those used by Godwinson and William of Normandy at the Battle of Hastings.
Angus Dawson is an assistant principal at Atlantic Academy, Portland and has previously held several national educational roles. He is currently responsible for the Applied Transdisciplinary Learning Programme at Atlantic Academy.
