The main aim of the History department is to make the subject a source of pleasure and enrichment, one to which students will want to return for the rest of their lives.

A good sense of chronology is important if students are to place new information into context, so our curriculum in the lower schools takes a broadly chronological approach. The quality of such knowledge is another important feature of the department. Our teachers are subject specialists and take pride in the range and depth of their historical knowledge.

We use a wide variety of resources and take imaginative approaches to lessons to make history come alive.

We also focus on making sure students develop the skills they will need to be excellent students of history. We teach girls how to critically examine evidence, think analytically about causation, continuity and change, develop balanced arguments and reach supported judgements.

We also look for opportunities to develop our pupils’ historical awareness through extra-curricular activities. In February 2017 we took around 40 IGCSE students to Berlin to enrich their understanding of Weimar and Nazi Germany. This trip took in a wide range of sites of historical and cultural interest, including the Berlin Wall, The Reichstag, the Jewish Museum and The Olympic Stadium. Our A Level students, together with the 4s, gained a deeper insight into Tudor power struggles during our Christmas term trip to Hampton Court.

History offers a wonderful spectacle of every type of human being trying to cope with being alive in the times into which they were born. Love, hate, greed, generosity, brilliance, stupidity – all human life is there.

Extra-Curricular Activities

To complement and enhance students' study of the past, we run a number of trips and organise visiting speakers. Previous activities have included residential visits to the WWI battlefields with U4 and a day at Hampton Court with the 4s. U4 students have also heard from a Holocaust survivor.

Students will have the opportunity to attend field trips to enrich their understanding of the materials covered. This is likely to include a trip to the Battlefields of Northern France and Belgium in 2020.
 

Lower School Curriculum

Aims

The main aim of the history department is to make the subject a source of pleasure and enrichment, one to which students want to return for the rest of their lives. A good sense of chronology is important if students are to place new information into context, so our curriculum in the lower schools takes a broadly chronological approach, but with a greater emphasis on thematic topics in U4 to stretch students and prepare them for GCSE.

We aim to:

  • Give students a sense of the excitement of studying the past by tackling historical debates through intriguing and challenging enquiry questions and we focus on helping students make progress in the key skills of historical analysis, such as evaluating causes of events and working with evidence
  • Encourage students to think deeply and critically about the past through answering big historical questions whilst also encouraging them to step outside of themselves and their modern-day perspective through a geographically and culturally diverse curriculum
  • Support the development of confident verbal communication as well as written communication through class discussions, group activities, debates and presentations

Curriculum

L4 (Year 7)

In L4 students begin by exploring the theme of monarchical and religious control in England, from the Battle of Hastings to the anarchy period.  We then help them understand why the Catholic Church caused conflict with Kings and the wider world by examining the Crusades and the rising Islamic Empire. To cultivate their independent study the L4s embark on a ‘History around me’ project which allows them to explore an area of personal historical interest. At the end of the year, we look at the move into the early modern period with the Renaissance. 

4s (Year 8)

In the 4s students concentrate on the early-modern period, in particular the Tudors and the challenges to royal authority in the 1600s. Recent additions to the curriculum have also included the study of Black Tudors and examples of early-modern female rule across the world. As part of the history department’s interdisciplinary approach the 4s receive lectures and workshops from other departments to further their understanding of topics. These have included the representations of black people in art, and the Islamic world in Elizabethan England. Finally, we finish with a unit on the British Empire and the transatlantic slave trade.

U4 (Year 9)

In U4 we begin by studying the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade before moving into the new technology of the 19th century and how this played a role in modern conflicts. We study the expansion of the franchise in the early 20th century and this forms part of our women and political power unit which seeks to understand the political voices of women throughout the 20th century to the present day.  In our challenges to global freedom unit, we examine the ideologies at play in the 1930s and how these developed into the Second World War. This unit includes a detailed study of the Holocaust and its causes and consequences. Lastly, we examine multicultural Britain and how the 1950s and 1960s shaped the Britain we know today.

Middle School Curriculum

EDEXCEL IGCSE HISTORY 4HI1

History is an enjoyable way of learning to understand the world in which we live. It is full of extraordinary characters and events, both inspirational and shocking. Our history students are regularly challenged to understand complex connections and to consider parallels between historical and contemporary events. GCSE History is viewed by universities and professional bodies as a rigorous academic qualification. It helps develop important skills, particularly the ability to handle information, to communicate ideas fluently and to view evidence critically. 

This course has the following four units:

Unit 1: Depth study 3: Development of a Dictatorship: Germany, 1918-45

•    The establishment of the Weimar Republic and its early problems
•    The recovery of Germany, 1924-29
•    The rise of Hitler and the Nazis to January 1933
•    Nazi Germany 1933-39
•    Germany and the occupied territories during the Second World War

Unit 2: Depth Study 7: A Divided Union: Civil Rights in the USA, 1945-74

•    The Red Scare and McCarthyism
•    Civil rights in the 1950s
•    The impact of civil rights protests, 1960-74
•    Other protest movements: students, women, anti-Vietnam
•    Nixon and Watergate

Unit 3: Historical Investigation A2: Russia and the Soviet Union

•    Tsarist rule in Russia, 1905-1914
•    Opposition to Tsarist rule 1914-17: the impact of war and the February Revolution
•    Provisional Government and the Bolshevik Revolution
•    The Bolshevik consolidation of power and the Civil War
•    War Communism and the New Economic Policy (NEP)

Unit 4: Breadth study in change B2: Changes in Medicine, c.1848-c.1948

•    Progress in the mid-19th century; Nightingale, Chadwick, Snow and Simpson
•    Discovery and development, 1860-75; Lister and Pasteur
•    Accelerating change, 1875-1905; Ehrlich, Koch & chemistry
•    Government action and war, 1905-20

Examination

The subject is examined in two papers of one and a half hours each, comprising a mixture of extended writing and essay based questions.

Sixth Form Curriculum

A Level History

History offers a wonderful spectacle of every type of human being trying to cope with being alive in the times into which they were born. Love, hate, greed, generosity, brilliance, stupidity – all human life is there. Our A Level students are regularly challenged to broaden their understanding of the subject through wider reading and enrichment activities. We use technology extensively for independent research, collaborative tasks and as an easily accessible repository for class materials.

Aims

To teach a variety of periods and issues; to encourage an interest in the subject through reading, discussion and writing; to develop skills of use in other areas.

Syllabus (OCR H505) and Examinations

Paper 1: British period study and enquiry

Learners study one unit of British History. The Enquiry is a source–based study which immediately follows the outline period study.

The unit is likely to be the following: England 1485–1558, the Early Tudors (Enquiry topic: Mid Tudor Crises 1547–1558)

  • 1 hour 30 minute paper (25%)

Paper 2: Non–British period study

Learners study one unit of non–British History.

The unit is likely to be the following: The Cold War in Europe, 1941-1995

  • 1 hour paper (15%)

Paper 3: Thematic study and historical interpretations

Learners study one unit of thematic history, a study over a period of at least 100 years, and three in–depth studies of events, individuals or issues that are key parts of the theme.

Learners will develop the ability to treat the whole period thematically, and to use their detailed knowledge of the depth study topics to evaluate interpretations of the specified key events, individuals or issues.

The unit is likely to be the following: Civil Rights in the USA 1865–1992

  • 2 hour 30 minute paper (40%)

Paper 4: Topic-based essay (coursework)

Learners will complete a 3,000–4,000 word essay on a topic of their choice, which is likely to arise out of content studied elsewhere in the course. This is assessed by the teacher and moderated by the examination board.

  • 20%
Potential Degree Courses and Career Choices

History gives you an excellent education and, as an A Level or a degree, is widely respected. If you do it well, you can handle information, write a convincing argument and criticise different points of view. Such skills are highly desirable in many occupations including law, business, journalism, politics, education and other similar fields.

Academic Stretch

Key Stage 3

  • What should you be doing to challenge yourself in history?
  • Complete the challenge tasks in your lessons
  • Ask questions about, and do some independent research on the topics you are learning about
  • Keep up to date with current affairs
  • Take part in the history trips available
  • Seek out history documentaries on TV or streaming services
  • Visit some of the local museums
  • Read some relevant non-fiction and historical fiction books 

What resources are available?

Online resources

Wider reading – non-fiction and historical fiction

There are lots of inspiring non-fiction and fascinating historical fiction books you can read, several of which are in the School library. There are a few suggestions for you below.

  • 12 Years a Slave - Solomon Northup
  • Carrie’s War – Nina Bawden
  • Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls - Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo
  • Goodnight Mr Tom - Michelle Margorian
  • Horrible Histories series - Terry Deary
  • I am Malala - Malala Yousafzai
  • Private Peaceful - Michael Morpurgo
  • Someone Named Eva – Joan M. Wolf
  • The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia  – Candace Fleming
  • War Horse - Michael Morpurgo
  • Warriors Don’t Cry - Patillo Beals

Local museums

Key Stage 4

What should you be doing to challenge yourself in history?

  • Complete the challenge tasks in your lessons.
  • Practice past exam questions
  • Try to learn as many details such as statistics and names as you can to use in your answers
  • Do some independent research on the topics you are learning about
  • Take part in the history trips available
  • Keep up to date with current affairs 

Wider reading – non-fiction and historical fiction

If you want to go beyond the IGCSE syllabus, there are lots of inspiring non-fiction and fascinating historical fiction books you can read, several of which are in the School library. There are a few suggestions for you below.

  • 1984 - George Orwell
  • A Little History of the World - EH Gombrich
  • A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson
  • Conquest series - James Aitcheson
  • Countdown (The Sixties Trilogy #1) - Deborah Wiles
  • Homo Deus - Yuval Noah Harari
  • Lord of the Flies - William Golding
  • Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind - Yuval Noah Harari
  • The Book Thief - Marcus Zusak
  • Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy - John le Carre
  • To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
  • Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way) – Sue Macy
  • Wild Swans - Jung Chang

Key Stage 5

What should you be doing to challenge yourself in history?

  • Do some of the wider reading for the topics you have studied, suggested to you in the lesson (available on OneNote)
  • Read some of the books on the Library’s reading list – Suggested reading for history at university
  • Read some of the articles in Modern History Review (in the library)
  • Do some research into areas of interest on the History Study Centre (available via the library webpage)
  • Read some of the articles and listen to the podcasts on the student area of the Historical Association website (Login details are on OneNote)
  • Listen to some of the Audiopi podcasts (Login details are on OneNote)
  • Take part in the history trips available  

What resources are available?

Online resources for history