History

Course summary

The human past is intrinsically fascinating, a source of endless wonder, discussion and insight into mankind’s nature. We believe that the periods of history we have chosen to study are particularly inspiring. Our History Department has a unique expertise in the Anglo-Saxon period of English history (410-1066) - we have literally written the textbook! We chose this period because of our millenia-old school’s unique ‘sense of place’ set in the medieval heart of Wells. This period is the time when England was born, and we trace the earliest history of the kingdom from its foundations in the shadowy days after the fall of Rome through the trauma of the Viking invasions into the 10th century ‘Golden Age’ when England emerged as the world’s first nation-state. To complement this we also teach Japan’s comparable but much later (and much faster!) journey from the medieval empire of the Samurai to the modern expansionist state that launched the Pearl Harbour raid during the period 1853-1937. The cast of our studies includes legendary kings, nation builders, warriors, rogue emperors and even a warrior princess. The skills sixth-form historians acquire from studying these periods are different but also complimentary to those gained from modern history. You will leave the sixth form with an exceptionally broad based range of historical skills and knowledge.