History

This information is set out under the following headings:
Why study History?
Historical skills
Learning styles
Key Stage 3 (Years 7 – 9)
GCSE (Years 10 – 11)
'A' level (Years 12 – 13)

Why study History?

"Know then thyself, presume not God to scan,
The proper study of Mankind is man."
Alexander Pope

If Pope is right, then History is at the very heart of a proper education.   People look to history to help them understand how things came to be as they are.  From the ancient Greeks of Homeric legend to the most remote and isolated peoples in the Third World today, stories of the past have always been carefully preserved and passed on from generation to generation.  A society with no memory of its past is a society without roots, drifting in a meaningless present.  

History plays a central role in our own society, not only in our systems of government, administration and law, but also in popular culture.   Many adults have unhappy memories of school history – dreary lists of dates, kings and battles - but despite this the subject itself continues to exert its perennial fascination.    Television schedules are packed with programmes about history, ancient and modern, and historians and archaeologists have become celebrities.  

History is as much about the present as about the past.  We see the past through the prism of the present, and our understanding of history reflects our own views and values.   Young people can make more sense of today's world if they know what happened in their parents' and grandparents' generations, and why.

Historical skills

Our students learn to see the past not as a simple succession of events but as a series of interrelated changes.   They focus not just on what happened but on why and how it happened, and what were the consequences.    They also learn about the nature of historical truth:  what really happened, and how do we know that it happened?   In tackling such questions they learn to analyse sources, to evaluate evidence, to examine motives, to detect bias, to construct arguments supported by relevant evidence, and to make balanced judgements about people and their actions.   They learn not just to understand, but also to explain and persuade.   Such skills are invaluable for any educated person, and they are particularly relevant for anyone considering a career in law, the civil or diplomatic services, management, journalism or politics.

Learning styles

All history pupils are expected to participate in classroom discussion.  They are also required to develop their historical and literacy skills by producing written work, sometimes in the form of essays, or answers to questions, sometimes in the form of diaries, letters or newspaper stories.   However they have the opportunity to learn and to express themselves through a wide range of media, and styles of teaching and learning will vary according to the age group and the topic being studied.   Younger pupils may re-enact historical events and scenarios, and produce posters, leaflets and pamphlets which explore and explain particular events or developments.   Older pupils may use the forum of a debate to argue the case in favour of or against a particular course of action, individual or political philosophy.   From time to time history classes are shown and discuss videos which bring past times back to life.    

Key Stage 3 (Years 7 – 9)

The Park School history course 'shadows' the national curriculum [www.curriculumonline.gov.uk] without being bound by it.  At the heart of the course is the history of Britain.   Through examining what the people of these islands have suffered and achieved over the last two thousand years, from the Roman invasions to the Cold War, pupils are able better to understand modern Britain.   They also study major developments elsewhere in the world including the rise and fall of the Roman empire, Islam and the Crusades, the Renaissance, the Reformation, exploration and imperialism, and the American, French and Russian revolutions.   This helps our pupils acquire the international perspective which they need to make sense of the modern world.

GCSE (Years 10 – 11)

Pupils who are particularly interested in the 20th Century have a chance to study it in greater detail for GCSE, via the OCR Modern World History course (syllabus B). (www.ocr.org.uk)  The heart of the course is a study of international relations in the twentieth century, from the end of the First World War until the collapse of the Soviet Empire.   In addition certain countries and periods are studied in greater depth including Britain 1906-18, the USA in the 1920's, Russia 1905-41, and Germany under the Weimar Republic and the Nazis.  
Students are assessed through two coursework assignments (which together account for 25% of the marks available) and two examination papers.

'A' Level (Year 12-13)

 'A' level History students are expected to be highly literate and intellectually rigorous but they do not have to have taken GCSE History.

From September 2008 we are following the new Edexcel GCE 'A' level Specification (8HI01 and 9HI01).    This comprises four units:

AS    Unit 1.    Historical Themes in Breadth
AS    Unit 2.    British History Depth Studies
A2    Unit 3.    Depth studies and Associated Historical Controversies
A2    Unit 4.    Historical Enquiry

Within these four units there is a choice of over one hundred topics ranging in time from Roman Britain to Superpower Relations in the late 20th Century.    Our 'A' level History students are encouraged to help choose the five topics to be studied, in effect designing their own history course.  In recent years topics chosen have included Tudor government, the Golden Age of Spain, the Dutch revolt, the Restoration, poverty, public health and popular protest in England, the Risorgimento, the causes of the Great War, Russia under the Bolsheviks, Fascist Italy, British foreign policy between the wars, the dismantling of the British Empire, the Korean and Vietnamese wars and the Civil Rights movement in the USA.  Students are examined on four of the topics and they submit a 4000-word assignment on the fifth.  

The 'A' level History course teaches students to evaluate documents and other evidence in the light of the circumstances in which they were produced, in turn using the documents to understand the circumstances.   They learn to extract information and ideas from various sources and to organise them into logical, coherent and well-substantiated arguments.  They develop forensic and analytical skills through studying texts, writing essays, conducting seminars and attacking or defending hard cases.   Through it all they acquire imaginative sympathy which helps them transcend the boundaries of their own culture.   By learning to see the world through the eyes of people from other times they gain a better understanding of their own world.

Sixth form History is a demanding academic subject that develops a broad range of skills, complements several subjects and prepares the student for many different university courses and careers. Complementary 'A' level subjects dealing with human culture and society include Geography, English, General studies, Modern languages and Psychology. Relevant university courses also include anthropology, economics, law, philosophy, politics, sociology and theology.

Historians are particularly well placed to pursue careers in the law, journalism, other media, politics and foreign affairs, but historical skills have a wider value in the job market. A competent historian is well qualified to plan and undertake research, identifying, summarising and addressing problems, and reporting on them concisely using persuasive and appropriate arguments supported by credible evidence. Such skills are greatly prized in a wide range of managerial and executive positions in business, the professions and the public service.