History at King James’s School is about understanding the past in order to understand the world we live in and the reasons why we face certain challenges in the modern world. History teaches us who we are and how our society has developed and progressed. It is not merely a study of the past but empowers us to understand the present. Pupils studying history will gain a superb understanding of past societies and will also be taught how to think analytically and construct both written and spoken arguments as well as consider significant debates from our past. At Key Stage 3 our curriculum is underpinned by themes such as: power and the growth of democracy; conquest and the movement for independence within the British Empire; religious, racial and cultural prejudice and discrimination and the fight for equality; migration and the development of multiculturalism.
As a department we have an important responsibility to teach our pupils to understand, question and debate important issues facing our nation and our world. Pupils follow an enquiry-based curriculum and, by the end of Year 9, will understand some of the most important events that have shaped our nation and our world. Topics include the development of the English monarchy and growth of Parliamentary democracy, the rise and fall of the British Empire, the quest for civil rights for Native-Americans and African-Americans and other defining moments of the 20th Century, including women gaining the right to vote, two World Wars and the Holocaust. History is extremely popular at GCSE and the department boasts excellent results. Topics include Germany 1919-1939, the Cold War, Medicine in Britain, and the Norman Conquest. The subject is also a popular choice at A Level where we teach modules on the Wars of the Roses, Russia 1894-41 and rebellion and disorder under the Tudors. Our teaching staff are all history graduates and experts in the subjects they teach at A Level. They have a strong passion for teaching History which has led to it becoming one of the most popular option subjects.