The past creates the present. It is impossible to fully comprehend the world today unless you understand history.
The aim of the department is to encourage a love of history amongst pupils throughout the school. This is achieved in many ways, all of which are designed to stimulate enthusiasm for the broad narrative sweep of history, while developing an appreciation amongst pupils of the subtleties of source analysis. Learning is augmented by trips abroad, visiting speakers, and regular meetings of our two societies.
Our curriculum builds strong foundations in Years 7–9 and prepares pupils for success at GCSE and beyond. Through an engaging programme of study, boys develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to enjoy the subject and achieve their potential.
Year 7 – 9
In the first three years, we teach a chronological survey of British history from 1066 through to the 19th century. Major world events are also studied such as the French Revolution. In Year 9, there is a far more of a global approach as the main events of the early 20th century are studied. The concentrated time period allows us to study topics such as the First World War in some depth and develop techniques such as source analysis and extended writing that will be needed if they continue with the subject higher up the school. The syllabus ends in 1945 ready for the GCSE Cold War topic. After the summer exam there is an opportunity for the pupils to do independent research into an historical topic of their own choosing.
GCSE
- The department follows the Edexcel IGCSE course. This comprises the study of four topics:
The Cold War
Weimar and Nazi Germany
The Russian Revolution
The Arab-Israeli Conflict or the Changing Nature of Warfare.
The pupils are strongly encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning by doing additional research and keeping a record of how well they understand each topic they cover.
