History

'History is more or less bunk’ – Henry Ford

At CHS, we certainly do not agree with Henry Ford!  History at CHS is a thriving and exciting subject where students are encouraged to aim high and fulfil their potential.  Learning in History focuses on both understanding historical periods and the development of key skills such as source analysis and independent learning.

At Key Stage 3, students are introduced to a wide range of historical eras including the First World War, the Ancient Greeks, Medieval England and C20th America.  There is no such thing as a typical history lesson – activities can vary from writing a song to demonstrate an understanding of ‘interpretation’ to building a Holocaust memorial.  As students move into the second half of the Key Stage, they complete homework projects where skills such as research and project management are also developed.

At GCSE, students follow the Edexcel Modern World Syllabus and study International Relations 1919-1956, Russia 1917-1941 and Britain and the First World War.  Controlled Assessment focuses on the Vietnam War and is completed in Y11.

History is a popular choice at AS and A2.  The course covers Mao’s China, Civil Rights and Henry VIII at AS, with a focus on Germany ‘from Kaiser to Fuhrer’ and coursework on Roman Britain at A2.

We believe that History should be experienced both inside and outside the classroom and so are involved with a variety of extra-curricular activities.  Our students have been on visits to Ypres, Rome, Berlin and even China in the past!  We have also recently introduced a short course in Classical Civilisation for Y10 students and have been overwhelmed with our students’ response.