History

History is best seen an ongoing debate about what happened, and what mattered, in the past. The History Department at Eltham College encourages all students to take a critical approach to both contemporary sources and the work of historians, so they can reach their own considered judgements on important historical questions. Ultimately, we encourage students to see that ‘what happened’ and ‘what mattered’ are issues of interpretation.

All students study History in their forms in Years 7 to 9 before it becomes an optional subject in Year 10 and 11. We offer a broad History curriculum in Years 7 to 9, to provide students with a secure understanding of some of the major transformations in English and European history, across the medieval, early modern, and modern periods. We also expose students to different types of history – political, cultural, military, social and economic – to offer a number of ‘lenses’ through which the past can be viewed.

History Department aims:

• To stimulate all students’ innate passion for studying the past, by using our teachers’ specialist knowledge to deliver a range of engaging and challenging learning episodes.
• To develop students’ precise knowledge of different periods, regions, approaches, and debates between historians.
• To cultivate students’ broader skills as scholars. Through their History lessons, we hope students will become:
  • ‘Critical consumers’ of sources and interpretations. Students will learn to take a judicious approach when investigating how the ‘traces’ of the past can be used as evidence for claims. They will also become increasingly comfortable evaluating the claims of other historians.
  • ‘Persuasive producers’ of historical writing. Our lesson activities provide regular opportunities for students to practise constructing a logical argument, whether orally or on paper.

Years 7 & 8

In Years 7 and 8, students have two lessons a week of History and one piece of homework. The structure of the course is broadly chronological, and comprises the following topics:

Students explore the past mainly through analysing primary documents, reading the work of historians, and debating with their peers in lessons. Group activities, creative writing, the use of e-resources, and independent research in the Library, are also used to support students’ exploration of the past.

Year 9  

In Year 9, students have three lessons of History each week. In the first term, students explore the complexities of the British Empire during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, engaging with recent debate and scholarship on imperialism’s profound impact on Britain and the world. This leads into an in-depth study of the origins, key events, and global aftermath of the First World War, during the Michaelmas and Lent terms. This lays the groundwork for the beginning of the IGCSE course, the first part of which is taught in the Summer term.

GCSE

History becomes an optional subject from Year 10 onwards. Students have four lessons of History each week, with two homework tasks. All students follow the Cambridge IGCSE syllabus, which is assessed via two examination papers and a piece of coursework. Following on from the Summer term of Year 9, the ‘core’ content for Papers 1 and 2 (focused on international relations between 1919 and c.2000) is taught over the course of Year 10, before students move on to the ‘depth study’ component (focused on Weimar and Nazi Germany) and their coursework assignment in Year 11. All students are provided with the latest edition of the Cambridge-endorsed textbook (both as an e-textbook, and a paper copy) and a number of additional bespoke resources prepared by their teachers.

From Year 10, students are invited to attend the Sixth Form-led History Society, exposing them to talks by fellow students and invited guests, in order to broaden their understanding of different historical themes, periods, and debates. In addition, the Department currently offers two popular educational visits: Year 9 students visit Ypres and the Somme battlefield region as part of Field Week, and Year 10 students take a trip to Berlin in the Summer Term to support their study of the Germany and the Cold War.

• Dr A T Davies BA, MA, PhD (Head of History)
• Mr E Cavendish, BA (Head of Academic Scholarship and Senior Tutor)
• Mr M Chesterton, BA (Head of Teacher Training)
• Mr D Grinstead, BA (Senior Housemaster)
• Mr A Higginson, BA (Teacher of Psychology)
• Mr J Martin, BA, MA (Deputy Head)
• Mrs K Powis-Holt, BA (Head of Politics)