“History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.” WINSTON CHURCHILL

AIMS AND PHILOSPOPHY

In an increasingly time-consuming world people often ask why study the past? History is one of the classic humanities and helps us to reveal all that is present. It is indispensable as it helps us to understand people and societies; change and how our world has come to be. More importantly, History helps us to become better people.

The aim of the History department is to inculcate an enthusiasm for, and interest in, the subject among all of the pupils we teach. We hope that studying the past is a thoroughly worthwhile activity. We also aim to provide a wide variety of skills for our students, and in particular, transferable ones which will be of great use after leaving Aldenham. Those who learn to analyse and articulate ideas effectively are in a strong position in most Further Education courses and careers.

The History department currently has three full-time teachers each with their own designated classrooms, and the department is well-resourced and close links with the school Library, audio-visual equipment and modern, well-written textbooks. It is the intention of the department that a wide variety of teaching techniques should be used to allow all our pupils to develop their own individual potential.

The department offers a number of trips and ‘History Days' during the year. Visits outside school, to museums and other sites, are considered very important. This year trips are planned to the Normandy Battlefields, the National Army Museum, Hampton Court, St. Albans Roman museums, and local castles. These trips are useful in establishing an interest in the subject and many of these are linked closely with project work undertaken by the pupils. In this way, our students are encouraged to work independently, and this will stand them in good stead when it comes to coursework later in their school careers.

The department has also run several overseas trips for the Sixth Form Historians. In recent years we have visited Russia (Moscow and St. Petersburg) and Poland (Krakow, Auschwitz). This year's Sixth Form History trip will be to Berlin to complement the teaching on The Cold War. Plans are already being made for a trip to Washington DC the following year on top of the annual Battlefields Trip to Belgium.