History

Aims

The aim of the History Department is to do our best to inspire our children and ourselves to an understanding that history is a magnificent, vibrant, tangible, breathing and colourful subject. We also aim to:

• stimulate and encourage interest in the past
• introduce pupils to what is involved in understanding and interpreting the past
• help pupils develop a sense of identity through learning  about the development of Britain, Europe and the world
• contribute to pupils’ knowledge of other countries and cultures
• help pupils begin to comprehend the immediate historical environment in which they live
• give pupils a general understanding of key concepts such as ‘change’, ‘cause’, ‘consequence’, ‘continuity’ and ‘empathy’
• provide a basis for further study and the pursuit of personal interest
• enrich other areas of the curriculum.

Organisation

Head of Department – Mr R Kendrick

History is taught to every pupil in the School. In Years 3 and 4 it is taught by the form teacher in topics as part of a Humanities programme. In Years 5-8 it is taught by subject specialist teachers.

Content

The History curriculum follows elements of both the National Curriculum and the ISEB Common Entrance Syllabus. In doing so, children study subjects as diverse as the Ancient Greeks, the Romans, the Victorians, the Tudors, Medieval Europe and the Second World War era.

The Department is extremely well resourced and uses a full range of teaching methods. It is our philosophy that to discuss history, to challenge accepted wisdom and present our own opinions and ideas is every bit as important as recording what has happened.

Click here to view a copy of the ISEB Common Entrance Syllabus for History.

Trips and Events

We’re particularly committed to promoting the subject outside of the classroom through a considerable array of theme-based days, visits and historical trips. Re-enactors frequently visit the School to lead theme-based days, such as our Roman Day with an emphasis on Gladiators.

Locally we visit a broad range of sites, including cathedrals, castles, medieval churches and museums.

Year 6 pupils spend a week in Belgium, where they visit museums to look at Renaissance art, go on historical walks of the cities, examine World War I battlefields and visit memorials and Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries. Our Year 7 pupils also undertake a field trip to northern France to study and compare the Hundred Years War battlefields of Crecy and Agincourt.