"The value of history is, indeed, not scientific but moral: by liberalizing the mind, by deepening the sympathies… it prepares us to live more humanely in the present and to meet rather than to foretell the future." - Carl Becker
Think of Westminster and you think of history; located a stone’s throw from the centre of Britain’s political heart, the department is lucky to have all the capital’s world-class historical sites on our doorstep. In a challenging curriculum that is designed to ask the pupil to enquire and question, the pupils develop key historical skills of investigation and analysis using a wide range of sources and texts. Whilst the traditional approaches are used, so too is the use of interactive whiteboards and class laptops to enhance the learning environment. One cannot learn just in the classroom and the pupils are engaged through many site visits throughout each programme of study. These include visits to many of the typical London sites such as the Tower, Globe Theatre and British Museum as well as exploring the Thames foreshore and investigating the backstreets of the city. Visits are made to sites further afield such as Butser Ancient Farm (in Year 4) and part of the Year 5 residential weekend in May is a study of Medieval history with visits to Agincourt, St Valery sur Somme and Dover Castle.
Our syllabus encourages pupils to experience a wide range of historical study. In Year 3 the pupils are introduced to the subject through a study of Children in the Second World War, followed by the Ancients – Egypt and Greece. Year 4 sees the beginning of a study of British History with The Invaders – the impact upon these islands of the Celts, Romans, Angles and Saxons, and Vikings. From Year 5, subject specialists teach the pupils Medieval History, whilst Year 6 continues with the Tudors. In Year 7 the Common Entrance work begins with an examination of ‘What is History?’ in which pupils gain confidence to analyse, question and argue. This continues with the Stuarts and an in-depth study of the English Civil War. In the final year both scholarship candidates and Common Entrance pupils study the Industrial Revolution and How Britain Gained an Empire. In following this dramatic, vibrant and exciting period, the pupils become aware of the making of the world they will inherit and the role this country has played.