Department Vision
In History, we believe in creating a learning experience in which every pupil can thrive, where the past truly ‘comes alive’ in the imagination of our pupils, and where everyone feels confident in expressing their opinions.
We aim for every pupil to learn a rich and varied history of the United Kingdom and the wider world, to develop into a confident reader, speaker and historian, and to enjoy lessons which are well-structured, exciting and memorable.
In History, pupils acquire a valuable understanding of themes including monarchy, change, causation, democracy and respect. They learn valuable source-analysis skills that are increasingly valuable in the world today. And finally, pupils acquire knowledge to help them understand how our world became how it is today, and consider how it may change in the future.
Years 7-9
In Year 7, pupils learn about the following topics, related to the theme of Monarchy:
- How did a French man become King of England in 1066?
- How did William the Conqueror change England as King?
- Why did King Henry II agree to be whipped by members of the clergy?
- Who was the better Plantagenet monarch: ‘Richard the Lionheart’ or ‘Bad King John’?
- How did Mansa Musa become the richest man in history?
- What can sources tell us about the Black Death?
By studying these topics, pupils are encouraged to compare and contrast the actions of different medieval rulers, in order to build a ‘big picture’ understanding of what qualities made a successful monarch in medieval times. This also helps connect to Year 8, when pupils learn about how the world changed from the medieval era to the modern era.
In Year 8, pupils learn about the following topics, related to the theme of Revolutions:
- Why was European art and culture ‘reborn’ in the Renaissance?
- Why has the Tudor era been called a ‘religious rollercoaster’?
- How far does the English Civil War quality as a revolution?
- Why is it important to remember the Haitian revolution?
- How did different people experience the Industrial Revolution?
- What can sources tell us about revolutions in America and India?
These topics, covering different revolutions, help to change pupils’ preconceptions of what a revolution might look like: not just political, but also artistic, religious or technological. This builds towards a focus on what makes something a ‘real revolution’, and how we talk about change more widely in History.
In Year 9, pupils learn about the following topics, related to the theme of Democracy:
- How democratic was Britain by 1914?
- How did the First World War make Britain more democratic?
- Why did German democracy rise and fall in the interwar years?
- How were Jewish people’s rights removed in the Holocaust?
- Why was Adolf Hitler’s dictatorship defeated in the Second World War?
- What can sources tell us about civil rights movements around the world?
Our focus in teaching these topics is for pupils to recognise the vital importance of democracy, respect and tolerance as a foundation for modern society. We teach how democracies rise, but also how democracies can be vulnerable and collapse. As well as teaching pupils valuable skills for GCSE, we encourage pupils to consider the world today and why democracy is so valuable.
GCSE
We study the Edexcel International GCSE in Modern World History, and teach the following units:
- Russia and the Soviet Union, 1905-24
- Dictatorship and Conflict in the USSR, 1924-53
- A World Divided: Superpower Relations, 1943-72
- China: Conflict, Crisis and Change 1900-89
We have selected these topics in order to tell a complete and compelling story of modern politics, deeply exploring themes such as democracy, dictatorship and communism. These topics are international in scope and tell a global history that is extremely relevant to issues affecting the world today. We encourage pupils to bring their own passion and understanding of our world into the classroom to help inform discussion around these important issues.
QG Super Curriculum
Visitors to a History classroom at Queen’s Gate are often surprised by the level of enthusiastic, detailed discussion that forms a huge part of our lessons. We believe in the value of teamwork and collaboration in learning, and so our pupils are frequently discussing their learning to support one another and achieve the best academic outcomes.
As a department, we organise the following summer trips:
- Year 7 pupils travel to Rochester in Kent, where they enjoy a guiding tour around the town’s medieval cathedral before exploring the ruins of a motte-and-bailey castle in order to work out why three of the castle’s towers are square, while one is circular.
- Year 9 pupils visit the Imperial War Museum, where the museum’s dedicated historians present a moving and thoughtful course about the experience of Jewish people during the Holocaust.
