History

Introduction

"How do you know who you are unless you know where you've come from? How can you tell what's going to happen, unless you know what's happened before? History isn't just aabout the past. It's about why we are who we are - and about what's next". Tony Robinson, actor and television presenter.

Facilities

There is one dedicated history classroom that is fitted with a computer and multi-media projector. Along with this, the department can often be found making use of the many ICT facilities that the school has to offer.

The department contains a variety of artefacts that are used to bring lessons alive by letting pupils experience what it must have been like in certain times.

Curriculum

History is taught to all pupils at key stage three and it is a popular option choice at GCSE and A-level.

As part of the History curriculum students are encouraged to attend trips arranged by the department. In recent months we have visited Lincoln Castle, Eden Camp, the Leeds Armouries, Hitler on Trial Youth Theatre Show, Conferences on the Russian revolution and the Rise of Stalin and the World War I battle fields in Ypres and on the Somme. Below are some pictures from these visits.

There is also an emphasis on the skills of history and the aim is to ensure students are versatile thinkers who can question the information with which we create our ideas of the past. To this end students will use a vast variety of historical sources to begin to interpret the past and to question interpretations of this past. They will use diaries, newspapers, letters, oral histories, secondary textbooks, pictures, political cartoons, photographs etc.

At GCSE students follow the OCR 1937 Modern World History syllabus, which concentrates on international relations in the twentieth century. This is a fascinating period of study spanning the two world wars and the cold war era.

General

History is taught through a variety of methods and although we place great value on developing students' written skills we also make use of videos', speaking and listening activities such as group-work, discussion and presentations. Students will also make use of ICT and role play to help them to understand the subject. There will be an opportunity for each pupil in years 7 to 9 to produce a longer piece of work, project style, which can reflect their own interest within the topic they have been working on. By the time they choose their options at the end of year nine they should have developed a broad knowledge and understanding of British History, of an aspect of European History and of an aspect of non European History.

There are more and more 'History' web sites but with so much information the skills of sorting through it to find relevant, useful and appropriate information is becoming ever more important. Any historian should question the information with which they are presented; and when looking at web sites this should be remembered.

Staff