History
Everybody loves history! At the cinema, blockbuster films are set in history, millions tune into historical TV dramas and best seller books have historical themes. Even on holiday, we abandon sea and shopping to visit castles and cathedrals.
History is important as it helps us understand the present. It deals with those matters which turn us from people who watch events into people who understand and can influence events. History contains examples of almost everything that is interesting or important to us – science, engineering, medicine, economics, art – and if you want to understand them, you must understand history.
“A generation which ignores history has no past and no future.”
- Robert Heinlein
Utilising the latest educational initiatives, the department adopts an accelerated learning approach to education. Learning takes place in a co-operative, friendly environment where students are challenged to think for themselves and become independent learners. A variety of teaching methods are employed aimed at accommodating different learning styles and which often involve ‘active learning’. Lessons incorporate interactive use of the whiteboards, computers and dedicated online websites. Higher up the school we have our own on-line discussion forums to allow students to continue their debates outside of the classroom.
However it is the skills that our students develop and refine that we value the most. Together with nurturing a life-long interest in history, we want our students to develop a variety of important skills including the ability to evaluate evidence, identify and analyse different interpretations of the past, and substantiate any arguments and judgements they make. We also aim to make ‘learning to learn’ a priority so that our students are equipped with the knowledge and skills that are prized in adult life, enhancing employability and their ability to take part in the society in which they live.
Course Outline at Key Stage 3
From Year 7 to Year 9 we study a combination of overview, thematic and depth studies that take us through the medieval, early modern, industrial and twentieth century periods.
Course Outline at GCSE
We follow the new Edexcel syllabi on modern world history where we place a strong emphasis on making links to events and developments in the contemporary world in which we live today. There are four key areas that we study:
• International Relations (1945-1991). This includes an analysis of the development of the Cold War, its main crises and its end.
• Russia (1917-39). This includes an analysis of the collapse of the Tsarist regime, the Bolshevik takeover and consolidation, the nature of Stalin’s dictatorship and economic and social change.
• The USA (1945-70). This includes an analysis of McCarthyism and the ‘Red Scare’, the Civil Rights Movement and other protest movements in the 1960s.
• Change in British Society 1955-75, which focuses on youth culture, immigration, sex discrimination and the liberalization of society.
Further information about the course can be found by clicking on the following link:
http://www.edexcel.com/quals/gcse/gcse09/history/a/Pages/default.aspx
Course Outline at A Level
The AS and A Level courses build on studies followed at GCSE Level to provide students with a coherent overview and rich knowledge of the key developments across the world over the last century.
In Year 12, the study of Mao’s China alongside US actions in Asia during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts will enable students to understand the importance of ideas and beliefs in the policies developed by states, and how and why ideology is frequently a cause of both challenge and conflict. The study of the experience of warfare in Britain (1854-1929) will enable students to understand the impact of war on public attitudes, the development of medicine and social and political change during that period. The significance of newspaper reporting, propaganda, national efficiency campaigns, the recruitment and retention of a mass army and the morale and discipline of troops will all be examined within the contexts of the Crimean, Boer and First World Wars.
The course in Year 13 includes a unit which concentrates on the nature of, and policies associated with, imperial, democratic and authoritarian regimes in Germany in the first half of the 20th century and how these regimes influenced social change. A key element of study relates to the evaluation of interpretations relating to responsibility for the outbreak of the First World War and the popularity and efficiency of the Nazi regime in Germany.
There is also a coursework unit where students will develop their understanding of the process of change over a long period of time. 20th Century International Relations, 1879-1980, focuses on the changing relationship between the ‘superpowers’ and the ways in which this affected the balance of power throughout the period. Key topics include: the making of the European alliance system and the arms race 1879-1912; the post-war settlement and its breakdown, 1919-39; the origins of the Cold War; and Détente, 1969-80. This course addresses a number of interesting issues such as the drive for security, international diplomacy and ideological divisions which encourages discussion and analysis of these themes in our contemporary world.
Further information about the course can be found by clicking on the following link:
http://www.edexcel.com/quals/gce/gce08/history/Pages/default.aspx