History - Displays of work - History pictures

The Department

The History and Politics Department has a team of four teachers including a Politics specialist. We have four teaching rooms with access to T.V and video, overhead projectors, computer and digital projector, tape recorder and slide projector. Our area also houses the Departmental office, a small interview room and a resources room for the Sixth Form which contains a wide variety of reference books and specialist journals.

The Subject

From the Battle of Hastings to the Renaissance in Year 7, from the Reformation to the Industrial Revolution in Year 8, from slavery and the struggle for black civil rights to atomic power in Year 9, students follow the varieties of human experience – the good and the bad, the political, social, economic and cultural, in Britain and around the world. All students follow the National Curriculum in these years, and the majority opt to continue to GCSE (AQA), in which they learn about the Twentieth Century World. AS and A Level History (AQA) and Government and Politics (Edexcel) are both popular choices. The former focuses on 17th century Britain and 20th Century Europe, from Stalin, Mussolini and Hitler to German re-unification in 1990. AS Level Government and Politics focuses on the British experience in Year 12, then introduces a comparative study of the government and politics in the USA in Year 13.

Every student has her own up-to-date text book. Additionally, sets of topic books are used, together with resource boxes for extension and research work and a range of information and task sheets prepared by members of the department. We frequently use videos from our substantial and growing collection to bring the past alive. We all use ICT including Powerpoint presentations and Internet research. Politics students in particular find the Internet an invaluable source of information and ideas. Short answers, diagrams, discussions, role plays and drama are all used to vary the learning experience and give every student the chance to do well. Our results are well above the national average. In 2004, almost 90% of GCSE History students achieved grade A* or A. 100% of History students achieved Grade A or B at AS Level, while over 80% of A Level Historians and over 90% of Government and Politics students were awarded Grade A or B at the end of their 2 year A Level courses.