History

Fourth Form (Year 9)

This is the only year when History is compulsory, and for some, it will be the last History they study. The aims of the History Department are to make History fun and interesting using a variety of teaching methods. We study some of the most dramatic events in World History.

Year 9 Syllabus Outline:

• The Causes of the First World War 1870-1914
• The First World War 1914-18
• Rise and Fall of the British Empire 1600-1960
• The Rise of Hitler 1919-33

The History Department takes Year 9 pupils to the Imperial War Museum in London.

Fifth Form (Year 10 & 11)

GCSE Edexcel History A

The course focuses on some of the most exciting features of the 20th Century from the Russian Revolution in 1917 to the end of the Cold War in 1991. It includes social as well as political history and provides an excellent background for understanding current affairs.

1. Russia 1917-39 
   Year 10 starts with the Russian Revolution, which is a factual based paper. Key topics include: the collapse of the Tsarist regime, Bolshevik takeover and consolidation, the nature of Stalin's dictatorship, Economic and Social changes.
2. War and Transformation of British Society1931-51
   This unit is source based and key topics include: The Impact of the Depression 1931-39, Britain during World War Two 1939-45, Labour in Power 1945-51.
3. The Cold War 1943-91
   Year 11 starts with a factual based paper and key topics include: Why did the Cold War Develop?  Cold War Crises in Berlin, Hungary and Czechoslovakia; Why did the Cold War End?
4. Government and Protest in the USA 1945-70
   Controlled Assessment (coursework) completes the GCSE course and key topics include: Civil Rights; Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson; Protest Movements and Assassination.

The History Department takes Year 11 pupils to the Somme battlefields in France.