History

Choose a subject:

“It is not well to forget the past. Memory was given to man for some wise purpose.”

These words of the great 19th century abolitionist Frederick Douglass certainly inform Welling’s History department. Studying History helps students to understand the past as well equipping them with skills to make sense of the present. We are a very passionate department with a range of interests in different periods of History. We try to teach in a range of techniques which test students in different ways and encourage learners of all abilities and learning styles.

At Key Stage 3, students start by studying the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest before moving on to look at Medieval Life. This looks at the role of people power and the Church by examining the significance of religion, kings and rebellions. We also study the Tudors by making a comparison between the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I before moving on to study the English Civil War. 

In Year 8 we trace the emergence of Britain as a major world power, through the impact of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, industrialisation and the British empire, which we approach through the prism of historical interpretations. We finish the year by studying the Great war and the changing status of women.

In Year 9 we take an in-depth look at the inter-war years, focusing on the challenges of industrial unrest, war in Ireland and the impact of the Great Depression. Students look at the key turning points of WW2 across the globe. They finish the academic year by looking at the challenges of treating wounded soldiers on the western front.

At Key Stage 4, we follow the Pearson Edexcel exam board. Our thematic study is Medicine in Britain, c1250 - present. We study Superpower Relations and Early Elizabethan England. The modern depth study is Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918 - 39

In Key Stage 5, students study Route H of the Edexcel course, Democracies in change: Britain and the USA in the twentieth century. How do advanced democracies cope with challenges to their very identity? In Year 13 students embark on the The witch craze in Britain, Europe and North America, c1580–c1750 and their coursework, a 3,000 exploration of interpretations of the planning of the Holocaust

How can you support your child? 

  • Encourage your child to read as widely as possible
  • Visit the many local and national historical sites with your child
  • Continue to ask after your child’s day at school!
Back