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History Department

• Staff
• Key Stage 3
• Key Stage 4
• Post 16
• Extra Curricular Activities
• Gallery 

Teaching Staff

Mrs. G. Morris Mr. B. McGurran Mrs. S. Thomas Mr. D. Fell Miss. R. Healy

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History fires pupils curiosity and imagination, moving and inspiring them with the dilemmas, choices and beliefs of people in the past. It helps pupils develop their own identities through an understanding of history at personal, local, national and international levels. It helps them to ask and answer questions of the present by engaging with the past.

 

 

Pupils find out about the history of their community, Britain, Europe and the world. They develop a chronological overview that enables them to make connections within and across different periods and societies. They investigate Britain's relationships with the wider world, and relate past events to the present day.

As they develop their understanding of the nature of historical study, pupils ask and answer important questions, evaluate evidence, identify and analyse different interpretations of the past, and learn to substantiate any arguments and judgements they make. They appreciate why they are learning what they are learning and can debate its significance. 

 

 

 

History prepares pupils for the future, equipping them with knowledge and skills that are prized in adult life, enhancing employability and developing an ability to take part in a democratic society. It encourages mutual understanding of the historic origins of our ethnic and cultural diversity, and helps pupils become confident and questioning individuals.

 

 

For further information about the statutory requirements relating to the teaching of history at Key Stages 3 and 4, follow this link:

http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stages-3-and-4/subjects/history/index.aspx?return=/key-stages-3-and-4/subjects/index.aspx 

 

History is a very popular subject at Bishop Challoner Catholic College, across all Key Stages, with students achieving some of the best results in the school at both GCSE and A Level. Programs of study across all Key Stages have undergone a number of changes in recent years, changes which have been embraced with creativity and enthusiasm by the committed and forward looking staff.

 

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Key Stage 3

  

At Key Stage 3 we have developed a curriculum which examines British, European and World history through the investigation of six broad themes. Each half-term all students in Years 7, 8 and 9 study different aspects of the same historical theme, or development. So, for example, in the first half of the Autumn term all students will be studying something to do with the theme of Movement and Settlement. This is followed by the theme of Power and Human Rights in the second half of the Autumn term. Open a Table of KeyStage 3 topics

 

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 Key Stage 4

We want our GCSE students to be able to engage with the past as effective and independent learners, to develop their understanding of historical events and themes, to be able to, and want to, ask questions about the past and to recognise that the skills, knowledge and understanding developed in History also prepare them for their role as a responsible citizen.

 

With this in mind the History Department has chosen to follow the OCR Modern World History Specification

 

"Our new specification" focuses on the turbulent history of the twentieth century, its key events, people, changes and issues. Viewing history from both a national and global perspective, students will learn about international relations, global conflict and the political development of key countries, and take a detailed look at changes in British society.' OCR website.

 

We have chosen the following studies from the specification:

• Aspects of International Relations - The Cold War, 1945 - 1975
• Study in Depth - Germany, 1918 - 1945
• British Depth Study - How was British society changed, 1890 - 1918?
• Controlled assessment  - The Role of the Individual in History
  

 

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Post 16

 

At A Level we have chosen AQA as the examination board. We have chosen AQA because their units allow students to study:

 

The history of more than one country or state or the history of more than one period

Aspects of the past in breadth (through period(s) or theme(s)) and in depth

Significant individuals, societies, events, developments and issues within a broad historical context

Developments affecting different groups within the societies studied

A range of appropriate historical perspectives, for example: aesthetic; cultural; economic; ethnic; political; religious; scientific; social or technological.

The specific Units we offer are:

• Unit 1 - Change and Consolidation : Totalitarian Ideology in Theory and Practice, 1848 - 1941
• Unit 2 - Historical Issues: Periods of Change : A Sixties Social Revolution? British Society, 1959 - 1975
• Unit 3 - The State and the People: Change and Continuity : Triumph and Collapse: Russia and the USSR, 1941 - 1991
• Unit 4 - Historical Enquiry Coursework : Women and Politics 1832 - 1932

 

 

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Extra Curricular

 

Each year the History Department runs a successful, highly popular trip to the Battlefields of Northern France and Belgium.

 

"Many who study the Great War somehow feel a strong sense of empathy towards those from all sides who suffered such terrible losses in this so-called "war to end all wars". The Great War continues to cast a long, deep shadow on future generations - like a messenger who having delivered his message somehow refuses to leave the room. It is difficult to explain".

 

(Battlefields tour website)

 

Here are some photographs of our most recent visit, November 2009.