History

Our syllabus is designed to foster a love and curiosity of the past, allowing students to deepen their general understanding of history.

In Year 5, students learn about Benin, a non-European society that provides a contrast with British history. They also undertake a local history project learning about the school and its development, drawing on information from alumnae, our school archives and a variety of primary sources.

Year 6 students study the chronology of British history through the lens of how crime and punishment was used and changed as society developed. They also study the Ancient Greeks, learning about Greek life and achievements and their influence on the Western World.

Year 7 students begin their historical journeys immersed in the Middle Ages and end up in the courts of the Tudor monarchs. Across 500 years of intrigue, students encounter key players in world history and examine crucial events that shook the medieval world to its core: the signing of the Magna Carta, the Black Death, the Peasants’ Revolt, the Renaissance and the Reformation to name but a few.

In Year 8, students reflect on the birth of the modern world. Starting with the defeat of the Spanish Armada and the emergence of the fledgling ‘British’ empire, students will, through an exploration of world events, end the academic year with the world on the precipice of 1914.

In Year 9, students focus on the 20th century and, in preparation for our trip to the First World War battlefields of France and Belgium, students also spend time investigating the causes and events of the Great War; imagining the horrors of the trenches before seeing them first-hand upon Vimy Ridge. Students will then end their KS3 studies by looking at the decline of empires, analysing the impact of such dramatic changes to the global status quo and the lives of ordinary people.

To begin the iGCSE course, we turn our attention across the pond as we examine the impact of the First World War on the USA. Students explore the dangers and excitements of 1920s and the depression and opportunities of the 1930s. Students then continue to engage in a course that is both fascinating and global: our exploration of Weimar and Nazi Germany enlightens students to the pain of the period. In studying the growth of China in the 20th century we see the birth of a superpower and, in our module on the Cold War, east and west are brought to the brink of mutually assured destruction.

Sixth Form historians delve into the worlds of Napoleon Bonaparte, the Russian Tsars and the monarchs of the late-Tudor period. Over the course of two years, students have the opportunity to hone their craft through in-depth investigations that engender both passion and historical skill.

Innovative, engaging, and expert teaching guides students through key historical periods and they are encouraged to take ownership of their studies. We want our students to be historians rather than merely students of history.

Explore what our exciting A level History course has to offer.

A LEVEL HISTORY