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History

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” George Santayana

Head of Department: Dr B Quinn

Teachers: Miss C Constantinou, Ms L Ferracane, Ms M Sturley

The History Department at Latymer believes passionately that the study of history is vital to the intellectual and social development of our pupils. We are committed to developing students who can understand the challenges faced by the world in which they live through an understanding of the past. We firmly believe that studying history contributes to their sense of identity and empowers them to engage with and challenge important ideas.

The History Curriculum at the Latymer School aims to:

  • Encourage intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm for the study of past.
  • Enable students to understand that the academic study of History is not merely the discovery of the past but an exploration of how we, as historians, have interpreted that past.
  • Introduce students to the key historical concepts used by historians to interpret and order an understanding of the past.
  • Facilitate the development of intellectual skills which ensure students can think historically and critically about the society and world in which they live. This is partly achieved through taking opportunities to explore the social, moral and spiritual aspects of the topics we cover where possible.
  • Enable students to think imaginatively and empathetically about the past.
  • Promote an interest in History beyond the classroom. At Key Stage 3 this is done through the Years 8 and 9 history forums and the History Society and later through participation in the Politics Podcast and History Magazine.
  • Foster links with other departments where appropriate.
  • Develop transferable skills, such oracy and essay writing skills.
  • Produce students who are critical thinkers and can evaluate arguments through an appreciation of alternative perspectives on key issues.
  • Develop students who are confident enough and passionate enough to take History at university.

KEY STAGE 3

The curriculum is designed to allow students to engage with some of the most important and dramatic events in the British History. It will do this by allowing them to investigate that history from the Medieval period through to the development of the Modern World. Students will be critically engaged with the major moments of social, political and religious change, and they will be encouraged to think critically about the historical narrative they are investigating.

Year 7

  • The Romans
  • The Norman Conquest
  • Medieval Society: Religion and Social Structure
  • The Black Death
  • The Peasants’ Revolt
  • Islamic Civilisation

Year 8

  • The establishment of the Tudor Dynasty
  • The Reformation in England
  • The Witch Craze in Early Modern England
  • The English Revolution
  • The French Revolution

Year 9

  • The British Transatlantic Slave Trade
  • Industrialisation and Empire
  • World War I
  • 20th Century ideologies: Communism and Fascism
  • War and social change: Civil rights in America and women’s suffrage in England
  • World War II
  • The Holocaust

KEY STAGE 4

History is an increasingly popular option at GCSE and students follow the Edexcel specification. They study four units designed to give them an insight into the Medieval, Early Modern and Modern World. They will, in the course of their studies, acquire valuable historical skills such as the ability to evaluate sources and critique different historical interpretations.

Topic One

Topic Two

Topic Three

Topic Four

Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-1991

Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1919-1939

Medicine in Britain, 1250 to the present

Early Elizabethan England, 1558-1588

KEY STAGE 5

At A Level we follow the AQA History specification. In our study of the English Revolution students are given the chance to explore one of the most exciting and influential moments in English History. They engage with important historical concepts such as Revolution and evaluate the successes and failures of the radical ideas which emerged in this period. The Russia option provides an interesting contrast and an opportunity to look at the development of a country over a long period of time.

In addition to their examined unit pupils are asked to undertake an independent investigation into the relationship between Ireland and Britain over an extended period. We are confident that students are provided with a rigorous and intellectually challenging experience and that they are well-prepared to undertake undergraduate study.

Depth study

Thematic study

Historical investigation

The English Revolution, 1625-1660

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855-1964

Ireland and Britain, 1798-1921

 

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES 

  • Educational visits to Normandy and Berlin
  • History Society run by Sixth Form students
  • Guest lecturers
  • History Review
  • Online seminars and websites
  • Student subscription to the Historical Association
  • History Magazine (Clio) run by students
  • History Reading Group

DESTINATIONS

One of our central aims is to produce students who will want to study History or History-related subjects at university. Between 2018 and2020, 27 students went on to study History or a combination of History with another subject, usually Politics.

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