History

Course summary

The History department is enthusiastic and energetic, relishing a collaborative engagement with the past; we believe that what we teach and study is vitally important. The department focuses on building the skills of source and interpretation analysis, synthesis of evidence, argument and judgement, which are all articulated via sophisticated written expression. Complex conceptual thinking is challenging and rewarding. Through the Morley Society, the History department offers a range of extension activities, including seminars, external lecturers, members’ papers and quizzes and a well-attended and fully costumed annual dinner. The Cheltenham Literature Festival is an annual fixture for the department, with pupils recently attending talks by Niall Ferguson on Henry Kissinger, the ‘legendary but controversial’ American statesperson and Don McCullin, one of the greatest war photographers, meditating on dilemmas such as to how one has ‘to bear witness [to the past] you cannot just look away’. The History Library offers a quiet and companionable area for individual study and research. The library is constantly restocked and enables pupils to broaden their thinking beyond the curriculum.