History
Department Staff Teaching
- Mr P Buckland - Subject Leader
- Mr T Piotrowski
- Mr J Sladden
Introduction
The History department at Queen Elizabeth’s aims to instill an enthusiasm and lifelong passion for the past in all students through the study of a variety of historical periods. In truly historic surroundings, the pupils are encouraged to think about the wider significance of events and how the past has shaped the world in which we live today. Extra-curricular clubs and school trips enrich this experience, further enabling pupils to transfer the fundamental historical skills of research, analysis and evaluation to other areas of the curriculum, whilst developing their role in society as responsible citizens, truly appreciative of their history.
Enrichment
In years seven to nine pupils have the opportunity to get involved in 'The Great History Debate' which pits students against each other in a series of tussles over matters such as the reputation of significant figures, chief triggers of major events and the value of historic sites. This club provides a perfect pathway to the senior debating society which many students down the years have gained a great deal from. Year seven pupils are also encouraged to participate in our 'Horrible Histories and Nature Club'. Through games, stories and laughter pupils get the chance to learn about the past in a truly fun and low stakes way and this has proven to be very popular!
The History Department also runs three annual competitions - ‘The Great Model Making Challenge’, ‘The Great Arty History Competition ‘and The Great Historical Fiction Writing Contest’. Students from across the school are invited to beaver away behind the scene on their entries before offering them up for judgement and prizes. This is a fantastic and fun way to get your hands dirty with the past in more of a creative way than the confines of a classroom can usually provide. We are always mightily impressed at the effort that pupils pour into such opportunities and the quality of the products that come our way.
KS3
In years seven and eight, emphasis is placed on introducing pupils to the historical skills they will need throughout their time at Queen Elizabeth’s - especially chronological and contextual understanding, using evidence (primary sources) and interrogating differing interpretations. After establishing the value of history as an academic discipline, pupils in year seven explore a 1,000 year theme entitled 'Life And Death: How Did The Lives Of Ordinary People Change Over Time - From Hastings To Windrush?' The social lives of people in the fields, workshops and factories from the Middle Ages to the Second World War are studied as well as the impact of events such as the Black Death, Reformation, slave trade, Industrial Revolution and the call to arms in 1914. Year eight pupils begin their studies by returning to 1066 and learning about the same stretch of time but with a different theme to focus on - 'Power and Conflict: How Has Power Been Imposed And Challenged Over Time - From Hastings To Auschwitz.' Here pupils will investigate topics such as the initial imposition of autocratic control during the Conquest, the Magna Carta, the execution of Charles I, the British empire and two world wars. Our fusion of a chronological and thematic approach to exploring the past aids both an appreciation of change and continuity as well as insightful analysis. It is in year eight that pupils make their GCSE option choices; and as a department, it is very much hoped that pupils will continue their study of history in order to further develop their understanding of their place in the world, if not their very identity itself.
KS4
At GCSE level, pupils continue to build on the skills of historical enquiry that they have gained from key stage three (e.g contextual knowledge, using evidence and interrogating interpretations). In history we are blessed to have a rich variety of topics that we can select to learn about and we are confident that our combination will intrigue, surprise and engage any student that opts to continue with the subject. We follow the AQA specification and, in doing so, explore four core topics over the course of three years.
1. Britain: Health and the people: c1000 to the present day
This thematic study is tackled first - partly because it continues the thematic approach to learning history that pupils have become used to from years seven and eight. Successful students gain a impressive understanding of how medicine and public health developed in Britain over a long period of time. They consider the causes, scale, nature and consequences of short and long term developments (such as the discovery of the smallpox vaccine), their impact on British society and how they were related to the key features and characteristics of the periods during which they took place. Although the focus of this study is the development of medicine and public health in Britain, it will also draw on wider world developments that impacted the development of medicine, surgery and public health in Britain - such as the Islamic Golden Age and the European Renaissance.
2. Conflict and tension, 1894–1918
This depth study enables students to understand the complex and competing interests of the Great Powers and other states at a crucial moment in recent history. It focuses on the causes, nature and conclusion of the First World War and seeks to show how and why conflict occurred, and why it proved difficult to end the stalemate and bring the war to a conclusion. This study also considers the role of key individuals and groups in shaping change and how they were affected by and influenced international relations.
3. Elizabethan England, c1568–1603
This unit allows students to study a specified period, the last 35 years of Elizabeth I's reign, in depth. The study will focus on major events of Elizabeth I’s reign considered from economic, religious, political, social and cultural standpoints - such as her relationship with Mary Queen of Scots, conflict with Spain, involvement in the slave trade and the difficulties of being a female ruler in the 16th century.
4. Germany, 1890–1945: Democracy and dictatorship
This period study focuses on the development of Germany during a very turbulent half century of change. It was a period of democracy and dictatorship – the development and collapse of democracy and the rise and fall of Nazism. Students will study the political, economic, social and cultural aspects of these two developments and the role ideas played in influencing change. They will also look at the role of key individuals, such as Wilhelm II, 'Red Rosa', Stresemann, Hitler and Himmler, and groups, such as the Spartacists, SS and White Rose, in shaping change.
KS5
At A Level, students push their analytical and evaluative skills even further and begin to write truly impressive and persuasive essays. Like at GCSE, we are delighted with the topics that we can provide and, especially at this level, we relish the opportunity to get under the skin of the fascinating individuals, groups and events that underpin the stories that we tell. We continue to use AQA as our exam board and, due to this, students find the expectations of markschemes logical, achievable and aspirational.
Component one (Mr Piotrowski)
Historical Breadth Study - The British Empire, c1857 - 1967 (exam paper 1)
At its territorial peak the British Empire consisted of 120 overseas colonies. From Canada to New Zealand and from the Falkland Islands to Hong Kong the British flag fluttered over so much space that some said ‘the sun never set’ upon it.
Opinions about this empire were both varied at the time and remain split to this day. Whilst the empire brought significant gains to Britain it was not always a welcome presence for those who lived inside the colonies. Equally, not all British people celebrated the empire and not all indigenous people resented it.
Welcome, therefore, to a truly fascinating topic to get your teeth into!
This course will focus on issues such as why the empire grew and collapsed, what drove imperial policy, how economic factors influenced expansion, how British culture was impacted, how indigenous peoples (such as the Banti and Mau Mau) responded to rule from London and the role of key individuals (such as Gandhi and Rhodes) and groups at that time.
Component two (Mr Buckland)
Historical Depth Study - America, A Nation Divided, c1845-1877 (exam paper 2)
The great African American campaigner (and once slave) Frederick Douglass wrote, in 1878, that, “The Civil War was not a mere display of brute courage and endurance … it was fought in dead earnest for something beyond the battlefield.”
This component searches for what that ‘something’ was by exploring three beguiling questions:
1) What caused the Northern and Southern states of the USA to tear apart and suffer four years of bloody civil war?
2) How did President Lincoln win that conflict and vanquish the Confederates?
3) How successfully was America glued back together again in the years after General Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House?
In attempting to address these questions students will be taken back to an era when slavery was not only a norm across the Southern states but also something that many people were prepared to fight and die to preserve - even if they didn’t own enslaved people themselves!
Component three (both teachers)
NEA (Coursework) - Tudor Rebellion, 1486 - 1569
Students have the opportunity to independently research and then compose an extended essay (of 4,500 words) which will contribute to as much as 20% of their final overall grade. Fortunately, there is an intriguing question to focus upon - what caused people, in the Tudor era, to risk life and limb in rebellion against the authorities? Year 12 Students are set weekly homework tasks, between September and Easter, in order to research and collate the raw contextual knowledge that they will need. In Terms 5 and 6 students are afforded the time to write their essay so that it can be handed in for marking and moderation by the Summer Holiday.
History in Years 12 and 13 equips pupils with the skills they will rely upon should they wish to read History at university level. However, the skills of effective research, careful analysis, shrewd evaluation and clear communication are also beneficial to many other Higher Education disciplines. History trains the mind for many careers - especially journalism, law, politics, police work, the armed forces and a life in business. However, in the end, regardless of all of this, we are driven by a passion to plant the seed of history into the heart and imagination of every pupil that we welcome into our classrooms and hope that all of them leave us as better inspired and well-informed young people ready to take on the 21st century.