History

Including: Ancient History GCSE option

Head of Department: 

Mr. Sam Symonds-Keates 

Department aims: 

Our vision is to foster a love of History and impart an understanding of the importance of the past in the 21st century. We aim to develop learners who are able to use their contextual knowledge to understand and make judgements about current and future issues. Students will be equipped with  transferable skills, such as critical thinking, effective communication, resilience and creativity. 

For more information regarding topics covered in History & Ancient History, please see the curriculum information and Learning Journeys linked below

Reading List:

• Year 7 
  Arthur and the Seeing Stone, by Kevin Crossley-Holland (Set in Medieval England)
  King of Shadows, by Susan Cooper (A time travel adventure into the world of Shakespeare)
  The Inquistor's Tale, by Adam Gidwitz (Set in Medieval France)
• Year 8 
  Witch Child, by Celia Rese (Sixteenth century witch hunts)
  Remembrance, by Theresa Breslin ( WW1)
  Warhorse, Micheal Morpurgo (WW1)
• Year 9 
  Carrie’s War, by Nina Bawden (WW2)
  The Diary of Anne Frank, by Anne Frank (WW2)
  When we walked on the Moon, by David Long & Sam Kalda ( Apollo Missions)
• GCSE - Medicine Through Time
  The Ghost Map: A Street, an  epidemic and the Hidden Power of  Urban Networks, by Steven  Johnson
  The Knife Man: Bloody, Body snatching and the Birth of Modern  Surgery, by Wendy  Moore
  The History of Medicine: A Very  Short Introduction, by William Bynum
• GCSE - Superpower relations and the Cold War
  The Fire Eaters, by David Almond
  Sekiton 20, by Paul Dowswell
  The Cold War, by Odd A Westad
  Life: An Exploded Diagram, by Mal Peet
• GCSE - Anglo-Saxon England
  The Shield Ring, by Rosemary Sutcliff  
  The Norman Conquest, by Marc Morris
  Harold; The Last Anglo-Saxon King, by Ian Walker 
• GCSE - Nazi Germany
  All’s Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque 
  Schindler’s Ark, by Thomas Keneally
  The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, by John Boyne
  The Pianist, by Wladyslaw Szpilman 

Useful weblinks: 

Spartacus-educational BBC bitesize History for kids KS3 History Games

Extracurricular and enrichment:

• Year 7 Castle trip
• Year 8 Battlefields trip
• Year 9 Auschwitz trip
• Year 10 GCSE Germany trip (Berlin, Nuremberg, Munich)
• Year 10 Theatre workshop (Nazi Germany and Medicine Through Time)