History

The History Department aims to enable all students to become successful learners who enjoy learning, make progress and achieve their potential.  We encourage students to become confident individuals and responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society.

We inspire, challenge and move our students with the dilemmas, choices and beliefs of people throughout history. We encourage pupils to ask and answer questions of the present by engaging with the past.

Read Our Head of Department's Perspective here...

Students develop their understanding of their own identities through a study of history at a personal, local, national and international level. They find out about the history of their community, Britain, Europe and the world. They appreciate the significance of what they are learning as they

Learning outside the classroom

At Key Stage 3 all students take part in a visit which is closely linked to their curriculum studies.  At Kenilworth Castle, Quarry Bank Mill and the Imperial War Museum students enjoy interacting with the exhibits and artefacts.  They also take part on a ‘hands-on’ workshop run by specialists and historians.  These visits also form the basis of a piece of investigative, imaginative and creative project work on our return to school.

At Key Stage 4 and 5 students enjoy many different opportunities to develop their enthusiasm for, and understanding of, their studies.  These range from interesting lectures by eminent historians and university professors to one-off competitions and activity days at schools and colleges across the Midlands.

In addition to visits linked to the curriculum, all students have the opportunity to take part in the Department’s extra-curricular trips such as our biannual Battlefields Tour.  This visit is spread across four days throughout which students visit memorials, cemeteries, preserved battlefields and many moving sights of interest across the Somme region of France and the Ypres Salient in Belgium.  

A highlight of the weekend is always taking part in the Menin Gate Ceremony.  The visit is always a truly emotional experience providing pupils with a moving insight into the reality of warfare and the related ethical dilemmas.

On-going assessment

Homework is issued regularly, in line with the KS3, 4 or 5 homework timetable.  Furthermore, students complete three formal assessments, one in each term.  For each of these they are assigned a National Curriculum Level.  The first two assessments are conducted during lesson time, whereas the third assessment is the school examination in May.

Outcomes

All students should:

Accommodation
The History Department is housed in the Humanities Block, on the ground floor.  We have 2 well-equipped classrooms adjacent to each other which provide vibrant and stimulating learning environments for our students.  Teachers make use of ICT facilities to enthuse and to enhance students’ learning, such as interactive whiteboards, audio-visual clips, podcasts and mind-mapping software.

Useful points of reference
www.schoolhistory.co.uk
www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone
www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/history.htm
www.schoolshistory.org.uk

The History Department aims to ensure that every lesson is a positive and rewarding experience.