The History Department is highly successful and staff are fully committed to delivering high quality, enjoyable lessons across Years 7 to 13. There is a team of four, highly experienced specialist members of staff within the History department, whose interests vary from Tudor England to the Modern World. We are housed in a dedicated suite of new classrooms, all well equipped with Interactive whiteboards and a small library of specialist reading to support taught courses. The department is well resourced and there has been a considerable investment in both new resources and new technology in recent years.
We are passionate about our subject and believe that the study of history is important because it stimulates pupils' curiosity about the way of life of people living in the past, in the local area, in Britain and in the wider world. By engaging with the past, pupils develop their understanding of societies, political structures, cultures and beliefs, the very essence of what influenced the actions of people in the past. Pupils develop their individual and collective sense of identity and learn to appreciate the diversity of human experience, by understanding and valuing their own and others' histories. In acquiring historical perspective, we are able to develop a deeper understanding of the present.
History is a very popular option at both GCSE and A Level, with a high percentage of students going on to study history or a history related subject, such as Law, at university. We are keen to promote history outside the classroom too, including visits to local sites such as Blists Hill Victorian Town, Ironbridge, as well as organising visits further afield to Berlin and Russia, for example. Many extra-curricular opportunities are provided for Sixth Form students too including participation in the 'Lessons from Auschwitz' Project, organising history-taster days at top universities and involvement with a number of high calibre competitions and lectures, including those affiliated to the Historical Association.
The study of history equips the student with a plethora of transferrable skills, such as that of historical enquiry and communication, essential components in developing an appreciation of the nature of evidence. Pupils develop their ability to become detectives as they learn to interrogate the evidence with discrimination, formulating their own independent theories to explain the past and learning how to communicate those ideas to others. History stimulates interest in the past in its own right - we believe this is essential if we are to develop our students into mature, considerate adults, capable of forming their own opinions and listening to those of others.
Our aim is to encourage every student to strive for their personal best and to remind them: there's more to history than learning about dates!
