History

Course summary

Westminster pupils are instinctively curious, inquisitive and sceptical. This is why so many of them love studying History here. Knowledge about the past is empowering and energising, as is an understanding of how to scrutinise and question received wisdom. Historical study provides all these things and at Westminster, this happens in an environment where expectations of scholarly rigour are combined with vigorous debate and robust argument. Westminster’s History teachers are all experts in their different fields, but they share with their pupils an enthusiasm for the diversity and complexity of the past. Pupils will encounter some challenging concepts – colonialism, fascism and the brutalities of war, for example – but through learning how to interpret historical sources, construct written arguments and justify their opinions, they will be encouraged to discuss, analyse and think critically about them. And by making historical connections they will be equipped to understand the range and depth of human experience and benefit from the emotional awareness that flows from this. Our aim is for pupils to leave us with the ability to evaluate more effectively both their own lives and modern societies through reference to those of the past. We are also uniquely fortunate to offer our subject in such beautiful and historic surroundings. Our very environment offers both setting as well as inspiration for the study of History at Westminster School. Pupils in the Upper School follow the OCR A Level syllabus. Individual pupils each have two History teachers who between them teach three options from the OCR syllabus across two years. Pupils also complete a piece of coursework in the Remove (Year 13): a 3000 to 4000-word essay on a topic arising out of their taught units. There is no single A Level curriculum taken by all pupils. Pupils will study those three topics from within the syllabus that their teachers choose to teach. Between them, therefore, our A Level historians study a wide range of historical areas ranging from Charlemagne in the eighth century to ‘Appeasement’ and the Vietnam War in the twentieth. Our preferred practice is to arrange the teaching so that the three topics delivered to all pupils are both chronologically and geographically apart. The richness of this provision enhances the vitality and variety of historical study at Westminster, as our young Historians come to appreciate the similarities, differences and resonances between the different periods they study and between those and the present day. Pupils gain a general historical awareness, as well as a strong foundation for historical study at university.