The department provides the opportunity for students to gain knowledge and understanding through an unbiased curriculum that allows them to develop their own thoughts and opinions with each topic delivered in a way that allows them to appreciate its relevance to modern life.
At the beginning of year 7 the focus is on preparing students for the journey ahead as they are introduced to the skills that will be needed throughout their history career, which they will test by solving an ancient ‘murder mystery’. With their new skill set, students will move on to explore the gods and people of Ancient Greece and Rome before moving through to the Norman conquest of 1066AD and the resulting religious Crusades of the Medieval period.
Students in year 8 move from Medieval to Modern, beginning in Tudor England. Here they are introduced to in-depth studies and are asked to discuss various social, political and religious issues of the time (including Henry VIII’s love life!). They then move on to look at the fall of absolute monarchy during the English Civil War before finishing in late 18th Century France where they explore one of the bloodiest revolutions in history.
In year 9, students look at the Modern world from 1900AD and take on some heavier topics which ask them to search not only their skill set but also their own opinions. The year begins with a focus on slavery in the British Empire. From there they move on to the First World War, the rise of Adolf Hitler and the subsequent Holocaust during World War Two. Students end the year with a look at the rise of Global Terrorism and are rewarded with a topic dedicated to the History of Computer Games.
Year 10-11 (KS4)
The GCSE course takes students through Modern History with focus on the World Wars. Previous learning comes in handy in Year 10 as students build upon their knowledge of the First and Second World Wars before being introduced to the Cold War. In year 11, optional units are chosen by the individual groups to ensure a personalised approach to their studies as they have the opportunity to focus on events in America, Germany or Russia in the form of in-depth studies.
“Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” ~ George Santayana