Introduction

History lessons at Channing are filled with discussion, inquisitive minds and lively debates.  We encourage students to be independent learners who enjoy thinking critically and are excited about the past, with an understanding of how it has shaped the world today.

KS3

Pupils are introduced to the study of History through a chronological journey that starts with the Norman Conquest of England and ends with aspects of the 20th Century World.  Pupils begin to explore how to write logically and relevantly, and to use evidence accurately and critically. There are opportunities to learn independently and in small groups, and have the chance to explore the past through research, debates, presentations and role-play.

Year 7

• The Medieval World: The consolidation of Norman control; the importance of religion and the Church to medieval people; the Black Death; the Peasants' Revolt
• Power and Image in the Tudor period
• Changes during the Renaissance

Year 7 visit the Tower of London

Year 8

• The English Civil War; Oliver Cromwell; the Restoration; Witchcraft in the Early Modern period
• The French Revolution
• The Slave Trade
• The Industrial Revolution and its impact on Britain

 Year 9

• The First and Second World Wars
• Other aspects of the 20th Century World

KS4

We follow Edexcel's Modern World syllabus, which covers aspects of the Twentieth Century and has British, European and World History components. Candidates study two topics in outline and two in depth.

Outline Studies:
1. The Emergence of Modern China, 1911-1976
2. Superpower Relations, 1945-1990

Depth Studies
1. The Russian Revolution, 1910-1924
2. Nazi Germany, 1933-1939

There are two written examinations, which together form 75% of the final grade and a coursework component of two assignments for the remaining 25%.  The coursework assignments focus on British History: the campaign for votes by women, and the impact of the Second World War on Britain

GCSE History from September 2009

GCSE History is designed to deepen and extend students’ interest and understanding of the past. It provides background knowledge to help students understand the world we live in today. It also helps them to think and write logically and relevantly, and to use evidence accurately and critically.

We have devised an exciting GCSE course that covers aspects of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and has British, European and World History components, with strong political, social, cultural and economic themes. This complements our study of the First and Second World Wars in Year 9. Candidates study one outline topic, two depth topics and a coursework topic that focuses on the role of an individual in History.

Aspects of International Relations

i) Outline Study

A New World? 1948-2005

• How secure was the USSR’s control over Eastern Europe, 1948-c.1989?

• How effective has terrorism been since 1969?

• What is the significance of the Iraq War?

ii) Depth Study

Mao’s China, c.1930-1976

• Why did China become a Communist state?

• How far had Communist rule changed China by the mid 1960s?

• What was the impact of Communist rule on China’s relations with other countries?

• Did Communism produce a cruel dictatorship in China?

British Depth Study

How far did British Society change 1939-1975?

• The development as Britain as a multi-cultural society

• Changes in the role of women

• Changes in the lives of teenagers

Coursework

The role of the Individual in History: Lenin and the Russian Revolution

There will be two written examinations both of which contain source questions and structured questions.

Board: OCR

Coursework: 25%

Written Examination: 75%

KS5

Students who choose to take History at AS and A Level from September 2008 will study a varied course containing elements of Early Modern British and European History and aspects of American and Indian History in the Twentieth Century.  Students are encouraged to be more independent in their studies, making use of recent literature produced, and have the opportunity to prepare presentations and take part in debates on key historical issues.  Our examination board will be Edexcel.

AS

Unit 1: Historical Themes in Breadth (themes from two periods are compared)
Power, Belief and Conflict in Early Modern Europe: Luther, Lutheranism and the German Reformation, 1517-55; The Revolt of the Netherlands, 1559-1609

Unit 2: British History Depth Studies (source paper)
Britain and the Nationalist Challenge in India, 1900-47

A2

Unit 3: Depth Studies and Associated Historical Controversies (Synoptic)
Protest, Crisis and Rebellion in Tudor England, 1536-88

Unit 4: Historical Enquiry (taught coursework with a choice of individual studies)
The USA: From Reconstruction to Civil Rights, c1877-1981

In addition, lunchtime seminars are held for those who wish to study History at university, where students are able to debate the nature of History as a discipline and draw out common themes from their study of different periods of History at GCSE and A Level.  Guidance is also provided for students preparing for the Oxford HAT test and University interviews.

Outside the Classroom

We run a range of different trips for all of our History students to build on their learning in school.

These include visits to local museums, the Tower of London, the National Archives at Kew and Sixth Form Conferences.

Year 9 girls have the opportunity to visit WWI battlefield sites as part of a residential trip (see below), and there have also been opportunities to visit Russia with the Languages Department and Washington/New York with the Politics and Economics Departments. Girls in Year 10 and 11 visited Budapest earlier this year, as part of their studies into the Cold War and international relations.