History

The History Department is flourishing at the moment. History is compulsory in Years 7-9, with two lessons each week devoted to the subject. We shadow the National Curriculum units, studying primarily British history from 1066 to the end of the Second World War.

At GCSE level, the subject becomes an option; in recent years, History has been an extremely popular choice with, on average, over half of our pupils choosing to continue beyond Year 9. GCSE results in recent years have been very impressive: the majority of our candidates achieve A or A* in 2009 and we usually have a 100% pass rate.

At A level, history has again proved to be a very popular option: since the advent of AS/A2 exams, we have had two sets in the Lower Sixth and the Upper Sixth and results have also been very good, with the majority achieving A and B grades year in year out.

We run a wide range of trips and excursions. Pupils in Years 7-9 visit Mount Grace Priory, Richmond Castle, Lindisfarne and the Beth Shalom Holocaust Memorial Centre. Older pupils are given the opportunity to venture further: we run trips to the First World War Battlefields at Ypres and the Somme, and to Berlin. Sixth Form students also attend lectures and conferences at Durham and Newcastle Universities. Recently pupils visited Auschwitz as part of a national initiative to raise awareness amongst pupils of the horrors of the Holocaust.

If you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me. My email address is: mpi@barneyschool.org.uk