History

 

From the Norman Conquest to the Battle for Berlin, from the Black Death to Bird Flu, History deals with the substance of life and death throughout the ages, and helps us to understand not only why mistakes have been made but also how they have been avoided, thus enabling us to avoid them in our own time. But this is only the most obvious benefit of studying History.

History develops verbal and written communication skills to a very high level – these skills are highly marketable commodities in today’s job market. History graduates can hope to find employment in many spheres of work, from journalism and human resources, whether in commerce or in industry, to law and advertising, the media or politics. History graduates like Jonathan Ross and Louis Theroux, Dermot Murnaghan, and Michael Palin are famous TV personalities, whilst David Sainsbury (CEO Sainsburys), Anita Roddick (founder of the Body Shop), Anthony Hudson and Charles Smith (former CEOs of ICI) have made their names in industry.

History at Wellington is taught using a variety of resources, including texts, handouts, whiteboards, multimedia powerpoints, video and DVD. Additionally we have educational visits for each year group, to Chepstow Castle, Tintern, Torrington 1646, Coldharbour Mill, London and further afield to Berlin or Krakow or the Normandy Beaches. Re-enactors visit to bring the history we study to life – whether it be the Hundred Years’ War, Iron Age craftsmanship, or the English Civil War.

At Key Stage Three we follow a course which is broadly in line with the National Curriculum as it stands at the moment, followed by OCR Modern World GCSE with the USA 1918-1941 as our Depth Study. At AS and A2 we offer the Edexcel syllabus, with Early Modern and Modern History units and coursework on 16th Century Spain or on Irish Nationalism. Many students choose to continue their studies at university whether as a straight History degree, a Joint Honours course, or even as part of an intercalated degree in Medicine.