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HistoryWatch this video to find out more about GCSE history
"The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see"
Winston Churchill
Three reasons to study history
Studying history helps to explain the world you live in.
History is full of great stories of the people and events which changed the world
The skills developed in history will train your brain and prepare you to for the world of work
What students have to say about history
“History is an interesting subject. It gives you skills for life, such as recognising bias and propaganda.”
“It’s challenging, but it helps you to learn the history of your own country and the wider world.”
“It really makes you think. In a good way!”
Course content
Our course covers four diverse topics across different countries and periods of time. We investigate some of the major events of world history as well as the people who have shaped the Britain we live in today.
America, 1920–1973: Opportunity and Inequality
We will find out why American ‘boomed’ in the 1920s and how people like Al Capone became millionaires, while others lived in fear from poverty and prejudice.
Then we will discover how the USA got back on its feet after the Great Depression and how its people fought another battle for Civil Rights and equality.
Conflict and Tension, 1918–1939
We will investigate why we suffered two world wars only twenty years apart; did history simply repeat itself?
Did the problems of WWI cause WWII?
Who was really to blame?
Britain: Health and the People
We will wade through the messy and bloody history of medicine, from the dangers of the Black Death to the amazing technology of modern surgery.
How have brilliant individuals and lucky breaks shaped our treatment of disease?
Elizabethan England, c1568–1603
We will explore how the reign of Elizabeth I not only surprised her contemporaries but shaped the development of England.
From religious turmoil, plots, spies and foreign invasions to the theatre and discoveries of the ‘New World’, Elizabethan England reaches far into our second Elizabethan age!
Future career/progression possibilities
Career opportunities are endless. You will develop a valuable skill set including data analysis, decision-making skills using reasoning and prioritising as well as developing your persuasion and communication skills. This makes history ideal preparation for many careers from the law and medicine to marketing, journalism and management. Well-known history graduates range from Jonathon Ross, JFK, and Shakira to Sacha Baron Cohen.
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