History

Aims of the History Department

To develop a positive attitude to the subject, including confidence, enjoyment and continuing interest in historical events and enable pupils to strive for excellence. This will involve appropriate knowledge, skills concepts and techniques related to pupils’ ability, aptitude and personal needs. It is a fundamental aim of the History Department to provide a safe and caring environment in which pupils can learn and develop valuable skills.

Henry VIII

Teaching History - Years 7-9

Introduction – What is history? How the historian uses evidence.

• The Romans
• Medieval Realms

Year 8

• The Tudors and Stuarts
• The Native Americans

Year 9

• The Industrial Revolution
• 2oth Century History – the First World War
  

  Into the tunnel Ypres

• The Post War Period
• The Rise of Nazi Germany
• The Holocaust

History Trips Years 7 -9

Educational trips help to generate interest and enrich the curriculum. At KS3 all year groups have the opportunity to participate in a History outing during the academic year.

Year 7 Horrible Histories theatre trip

Year 7 The Tower of London

Battlefield Ypres

Year 8 Hampton Court

Year 9 The First World War Battlefields Ypres, Belgium

GCSE History

The Making of the Modern World

Examination Board: Edexcel (specification A)

History is a very enjoyable subject and a popular option, which will provide a pupil with an opportunity to build on knowledge of the wider world and to continue to develop key skills. History is not compulsory at KS4, but a majority of the pupils opt to continue with their history studies.

Year 10 and 11 pupils follow the EDEXCEL examination course in Modern World History.

The new GCSE specification for September 2009 (first examined in June 2010) has made History more accessible for students, by reducing the emphasis on content and by allowing units to be studied and examined in modules. Units can thus be taught, examined and banked. There will also be an opportunity for pupils to re-sit modules, taking advantage of Edexcel’s ResultsPlus service, which provides analysis of students’ performance. In this way Students can maximise their potential to achieve the top grades.

Hampton Court

History is widely recognised by all colleges, universities and employers as a subject which develops an understanding of the world we live in and the events of the last 100 years, which help to explain the problems and opportunities of the world today. In History pupils will study real people, working out what motivated them and they will improve their ability to judge whether they are being told the truth, to construct a logical argument, to communicate effectively and clearly and develop skills in the interpretation and evaluation of source material. The course provides a sound basis for study at a higher level.

In year 10 pupils attend an exam busting session run by the chief examiners which provides valuable insight into how their scripts are marked and gives them useful tips to improve their answers and attain the higher GCSE levels.

Exam Results

After their GCSEs many pupils are sufficiently inspired to continue their studies in History at AS and A level. A significant number choose to take history at degree level and have been very successful in their achievements. The fact that so many of our students come back to tell us of their successes is a clear indication of the fond memories they have of their time at Palmers Green and how much they have valued their experiences.

History results are excellent at GCSE and in 2011 girls achieved 100% A*/A grades.