Our History department aims to instil in students a curiosity to know more about the past, the complexities of people’s lives, and the challenges of their time. Students are supported to gain a firm understanding of Britain’s past and that of other countries, in turn developing key historical skills such as the use of historical evidence, source analysis and interpretation.
To complement classroom teaching, we offer an extensive enrichment programme of activities and events. At Key Stage Three level, students participate in debates, public speaking and workshops at the Bodleian Library. Each year our students also participate in several annual historical fiction writing competitions which are linked to, amongst others, the Historical Association, Oxford University and Cambridge University as well as meet with a historian. Each year our Year 9 students have the opportunity to participate in a poignant trip to the Belgian and French battlefields of the First World War.
Beyond Key Stage Three, students also enjoy the opportunity to participate in a range of talks, lectures, visits and competitions to supplement their in-classroom learning, such as the Historical Association’s ‘Great Debate’. Key Stage Five students are also offered the chance to visit Berlin and Krakow and participate in the ‘Lessons from Auschwitz Project’, coordinated by the Holocaust Educational Trust.
At Key Stage Three, building on Key Stage Two knowledge, students explore further aspects of British and World History. To ensure students develop effectively as historians, they are introduced to key historical concepts and skills required to interpret and analyse historical evidence and events. Greater historical understanding and historical skills are consolidated and put into practice through a blend of extended writing and spoken presentation tasks as well as collaborative projects, equipping students for further study at GCSE if they so wish but also transferable to other subjects.
Key Stage Three Curriculum - Year 7 (Terms 3 & 4)
At Key Stage Four, we offer History as a GCSE option to students.
For more information, please read our Key Stage Four Curriculum Choices booklet.
Ahead of exam season, we have a Year 11 Curriculum Support Timetable in place to further support students in reaching for their potential at GCSE.
At Key Stage Five, we offer History as an A-Level option to students.
As part of the Extended Curriculum in the Sixth Form, Ancient History is offered as an AS-Level.
For more information, please read our Sixth Form Course Guide.
Our Acting Head of History is Mr Stringer.
For further information about our History curriculum, please contact Mr Stringer.