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Welcome to the History
Department...
Please click
here to download the history departments summer 2008 newsletter
Please
click here to see
information regarding the Year 7 Castle Building Competition
And Please scroll down the page to see what our
G.C.S.E. History course involves
Please click here to view our
Mountfitchet Castle Trip Photos
- 2010
Please click here for a
report written by a student
about the Mountfitchet Castle Trip - 2010
Please click here to view our
Belgium (Ypres) Trip Photos
- 2010
Please click here for a
report written by a student
about the Belgium (Ypres) Trip - 2010
Please click here to view our
Kentwell Hall Trip
Photos - 2009
But will it be of any use to me when I'm older?
Apart from being interesting, history is very useful. Employees who
see that you have a qualification in history know certain things
about you. They will know that you have taken on certain key skills
which, learnt through history, can be applied to all sorts of other
situations.
They know that:
you can understand how people tick, what motivates them, what they
think and feel;
you are able to gather and read different kinds of information;
you are able to look carefully at this information and can check it
for bias or propaganda;
you can read maps, graphs and other diagrams;
you are able to communicate clearly and have learned to express
yourself verbally on paper;
But I don't want to teach or work with old documents!
History is a useful, and often necessary, subject for a lot of
careers and not just the obvious ones:
What about conservation work or environmental work?
Town planning?
Building restoration?
Tourism?
They all require some knowledge of history.
History is also a good qualification for budding
journalists, secretaries, accountants, TV researchers, policemen and
women, and lawyers to name but a few possible careers.
But I want to be a scientist ...
Remember that scientists have to communicate effectively, work with
and manage other people. Their projects are not isolated but are
carried out in a context which relates to the whole of society.
Employers and universities like to see that you followed a balanced
course at school. History is an important part of keeping that
balance.
But there's more to life than work ...
Starting on a career is important, but education means more than
just training. At the Council of Europe they believe:
Historical awareness should be an essential part of the education of
all young people.
Why do you think they said this?
Ask yourself:
How else can you make sense of the present unless you have a good
understanding of the past?
How else can you understand why the pace where you live looks the
way it does?
How are you going to change the world if you haven't looked at how
it got in the state its in already?
How are you going to participate in the system if you don't know how
it works?
How will you carry on building up your own set of values without
looking at how others have done so in the past?
Answer: by taking History.
Maybe this is not the moment to drop history for ever ...
History can give you the skills most employers want - whatever the
job you have in mind.
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History @ GCSE
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Thinking of choosing History as one of your options?
Here’s what you need to know:-
We follow the OCR Modern World History syllabus which comprises two
exams at the end of Year 11 and two pieces of coursework.
Year 10
In Year 10 you will begin by studying Britain between 1906
and 1918, which includes the Liberal Reforms, Votes for
Women, the Home Front and Propaganda, and Recruitment. The
emphasis is on studying and analysing sources and the
examination on this section is source-based.
The next area is the Search for Peace between the Wars. This
involves looking at the peace treaties after the First World
War and the League of Nations, and the collapse of peace
which led to the outbreak of the Second World War. This
section of the exam requires detailed knowledge and
understanding as well as the ability to interpret sources.
Finally in Year 10, you will study the U.S.A. in the 1920’s
when the economy was booming, and the 1930’s in the years of
the Depression and the New Deal. There are two compulsory
questions on the U.S.A. in the exam, one is a source
question and one is a structured essay question.
At the end of Year 10 all pupils complete their first piece
of coursework which is about Hitler and Nazi Germany.
Year 11
Year 11 begins with the second coursework topic which is on
the U.S.S.R. between 1905 and 1941; it is a source-based
task.
The rest of Year 11 is spent studying The Cold War and two
key areas; The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War.
These are examined on the essay-style paper.
As you can see, there is a lot of
learning, reading and thinking involved. In addition you
will be expected to analyse a wide variety of sources and
write detailed structured answers. Homework is set regularly
and is an important part of the process of understanding.
Lessons are varied, including, watching and discussing
films, making notes, debating issues, taking part in ICT
activities and writing exam style answers to questions. It
is important to attend regularly and keep up with your work
or gaps will occur in your knowledge and understanding which
will be hard to make up.
There are
two visits during the course.
In October
of Year 10, pupils visit Ypres in Belgium to try to
understand how the effects of the First World War made the
countries of Europe determined to try to avoid another.
In January
of Year 11, pupils visit the Imperial War Museum to study
the background and events of the Cold war.
If you enjoy asking questions and thinking out answers and
are prepared to work hard you will enjoy studying history at
G.C.S.E.
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