The History department is staffed by specialist History teachers who all hold well regarded degrees in the subject. We are passionate about delivering the highest quality of teaching and learning to pupils and our main aim is to encourage students to engage with the world around them through their study of the past.
At Key Stage 3 the History department teaches a range of local, British, European and International History ensuring that pupils have an understanding of the main trends and turning points in the last millennium. In Year 7, students study the period from 1066 to 1500 considering key features of Medieval Britain. In Year 8, students study the period 1500-1750 looking at the Tudors and Stuarts, the Industrial Revolution, the British Empire and slavery. The focus of the Year 9 course is the twentieth-century world and students learn about the world wars, the Cold War, the campaign for women’s suffrage and Germany and the Holocaust. The History curriculum encourages pupils to develop their understanding of cause and consequence, change and continuity, source evaluation, significance and diversity. Additionally, the study of History develops our pupils’ skills of research, the ability to structure a written explanation and confidence in articulating an opinion.
History is a popular choice for students at both GCSE and A-level. At GCSE (AQA) students have the opportunity to develop their Year 9 work. The examination topics covered include the USA 1920-1973, The Korean War and Vietnam War, Medicine through Time 1000-present and Norman England. In the Sixth Form we believe that it is important to offer a range of topics. We follow the OCR specification and students study Modern Russia 1894-1941, Britain 1783-1846 and American Civil Rights 1865-1992. Every year we support the applications of students to study History at a full range of universities, including Oxford and Cambridge.
