Media Elements

History

History is all about time travel. History lessons will give you time travelling powers and the ability to understand complex stories and unusual characters, their motivations and personalities. You will be provoked and challenged to analyse historical material and to reach well-founded conclusions. Expect the unexpected – nothing is ever as straightforward as it might at first appear! Detective work is everything!

Pupils develop listening and note-taking skills as stories unfold analytical skills as evidence is explored and essay-writing discursive skills to persuade and describe events. Remember that today’s current affairs or news will be tomorrow’s history – you are living in it right now (some of you may even be lucky enough to make it in the future!) and there is no escape! Patterns will emerge between what has already happened and what may happen tomorrow – always be on the lookout. Watching carefully with a critical and analytical eye will be essential skills for the modern history student.

Towards the senior end of the School, History lessons take place in a designated History Room, with relevant and interesting displays and pupil work. We use a variety of resources, including fascinating textbooks and DVD presentations by such notable professional historians as Simon Schama and David Starkey to give you visual, original and alternative interpretations of key historical events. The key ingredient is YOU the pupil! By getting involved and revealing your ‘angle’ on the events will enable you to make the greatest progress. Discussion and argument are at the root of progress and fun!

The use of ICT is encouraged for research purposes and to locate relevant photographs and pictures to help bring text to life. Powerpoint presentations are designed and presented by pupils - they become ‘experts’ on their chosen topics. Visits to historical sites are encouraged – expect to go to famous castles and stately houses on Activity Days, but also make an effort to get out and about yourself to historical events and sites whenever the opportunity arises. Try reading historical novels for another insight into your topic – the school library has loads of interesting stuff to consider! Larger, more detailed personal research projects are undertaken periodically.

  •   Lower Division

    • (Years 3 & 4)

      Years 3 and 4 cover the following topics in chronological order, starting with the Egyptians, followed by the Greeks, Romans, Anglo Saxons and Vikings. We do loads of Brainstorming – particularly at the start of a topic to establish what we know, and what we want to find out. We watch relevant videos – for both Ancient Greeks and Egyptians, followed by discussion. We use the Interactive whiteboard/Powerpoint, alongside Gogglebox resources which include video clips and quizzes. Our creative work includes hieroglyphic cartouches, cat mummies, writing on papyrus, Egyptian collages, Greek masks and Medusa heads. We love doing Drama – particularly linking it to English, and acting out Greek myths. Food tasting – traditional Greek foods like olives, honey, pitta bread and dressing up in Egyptian outfits are among our favourite activities. We enjoy exploring artefacts/photographs, and looking at papyrus models of Egyptian gods, jewellery and Greek pots.

  •   Middle Division

    • (Year 5)

      Specialist History teaching for 2 lessons each week is provided. The pupils learn to use more complex historical texts, pictures and some artifacts, as we delve the rise of the Tudors and Stuarts through both social and political aspects of their lives.

      (Year 6)

      Teaching in a specialist room for 2 lessons a week is provided. Pupils gain a wider range of skills, through a variety of historical activities and topics, focussing especially on the Victorian era through the Edwardians and the Great War, depression years and the Second World War, emerging with the ‘revolutions’ of the 1950s and 1960s. Resources which are stimulating and challenging are used to enhance pupils knowledge and understanding.

  •   Upper Division

    • (Years 7/8)

      The Common Entrance syllabus is followed, and pupils receive 2 lessons each week in a specialist room, with access to a wide range of resources. The focus now is on the medieval period, from the death of Edward the Confessor through to the late C14th and the Peasants’ Revolt. Pupils are treated as maturing learners and will need to take an increasing responsibility for their own learning, and for effective co-operation with others through research projects, investigations, drama and group work. If all this is accomplished, pupils can expect to get the most from the course and to enjoy themselves in the process! There will be many memorable moments to remember!