History

At St. Edward's School we believe that children are naturally curious about the past. This curiosity has been nurtured at Junior School, where most pupils will have followed a 'patch' syllabus, exploring historical subjects like the Victorians, the Greeks and Romans, British life in the Second World War and medieval castles. By the time they reach secondary school, most pupils are ready to begin placing their existing historical knowledge and new topics into the context of chronology.

In Key Stage 3 (11-14) we focus on British History, broadly following the guidelines of the National Curriculum but scaling it down in order to go into fewer topics more deeply:

Year 7:	English medieval history, 1066-1485.
Year 8:	The Tudors & Stuarts, 1485-c.1700
Year 9:	The Era of George III (Autumn Term) Britain and the First World War (Spring Term) 'Spotlight' topics on 20th century history (Summer Term)

In each year work in the classroom is supported by field trips to Chepstow Castle (Year 7), Harvington Hall (Year 8) and the Big Pit Coal Mine at Blaenavon (Year 9). The work we do in the classroom is varied and colourful, with regular practice at extended writing (once every half term) and frequent use of primary and secondary sources.

At GCSE we follow the Edexcel Modern World History syllabus. Pupils have been prepared for this in Year 9 by their work on the First World War. In recent years the emphasis has shifted towards the second half of the century, so at the present time the topics studied are these:

The Second World War, 1938-1945
The U.S.A., 1941-1980
Superpower Relations, 1945-1990
The Vietnam War

Coursework is minimal - 2 pieces of approximately 1500 words each - and we aim to have finished this before the start of Year 11. Every other year the Department, in conjunction with Languages, runs a residential field trip to Belgium and France to study the battlefields of the First World War, which can be used as an exam paper option. All pupils in Years 10 and 11 are welcome.

At A Level we go back in time to the 16th and 17th centuries. British History focuses on the era of the English Civil War, 1625-1660, looking in depth at the political crisis which overwhelmed the British Isles in the 1640s and its consequences. European History concentrates on topics like the Italian Renaissance, the Reformation and the making of Imperial Spain.