History

1. Britain: Power and the People, c1170– Present Day. This thematic study will enable students to gain an understanding of the development of the relationship between the citizen and the state in Britain over a long period of time. It considers the causes, scale, nature and consequences of protest to that relationship. By charting the jour-ney from feudalism and serfdom to democracy and equality, it reveals how, in differ-ent periods, the state responds to challenges to its authority and their impact.
2. Norman England, c1066– 1100. This option allows students to study in depth the arrival of the Normans and the establishment of their rule. The depth study will focus on major aspects of Norman rule, considered from economic, religious, political, social and cultural standpoints of this period and arising contemporary and historical controversies.
3. America: Expansion and Consolidation (American West), c1840- 1895. This period study focuses on the development of America during a turbulent half-century of change. It was a period of expansion and consolidation – the expansion to the west and consolidation of the United States as a nation. Students will study the political, economic, social and cultural aspects of these two developments and the role ideas played in bringing about change.
4. Conflict and Tension in Asia, c1950 – 1975. This wider world depth study enables students to understand the complex and diverse interests of different states and individuals and the ideologies they represented. It considers the role of nationalist movements in causing and sustaining conflict. It focuses on the causes and events of the Cold War in Asia and seeks to show how and why conflict occurred, and why it proved difficult to resolve the tensions which arose.

Our GCSE Ancient History qualification provides a romp through some of the most exciting parts of Roman and Greek history, focusing on the key individuals and events that helped shape the ancient world. Students will have the chance to look at defining characters from the ancient world such as Alexander the Great and Cleopatra, and defining events including the Battle of Thermopylae, the Foundation of Rome and the creation of democracy. Students will undertake two period studies, giving them the opportunity to learn how the Persian Empire grew from a small kingdom in the Iranian plateau to become the world’s first superpower, and to study the early be-ginnings of the Rome from Romulus and Remus through to the beginning of the Roman Republic. Linked to each of these period studies are depth studies. These provide students with a well-rounded understanding of the an-cient world.
1. Persian period study: Rise of Achaemenid Empire: This period study focuses on the Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great, Cambyses II, Darius I and Xerxes I. Students develop their understanding of the unfolding narrative of substantial developments and issues associated with this period.
2. Greek depth study: Alexander the Great, 356 – 323 BC: This depth study covers similar geographical areas to the period study but allows learners to understand the Macedonian invasion, conquest of the Persian Empire and advance as far as India. The events covered in this depth study allow learners to study some of the events associated with the end of the Achaemenid Empire, which began under Cyrus the Great .
3. Roman period study: Rome: Kingship to Republic, 753 – 440 BC: This longer period study focuses on the kings of Rome and the early Roman Republic, with an emphasis on the most interesting events and characters.
4. Roman depth study: Cleopatra: Rome and Egypt, 69–30 BC : This depth study enables learners to under-stand the complexity of the relationship between Rome and Egypt between 69 and 30 BC and the political, military, religious, economic, social and cultural factors affecting the reign of Cleopatra and her relationships with key historical figures during this period of significant upheaval in the Mediterranean world.

1. Thematic Study: Power, Monarchy and Democracy. This thematic study will enable students to gain an understanding of the development of the relationship between the citizen and the state in Britain over a long period of time. It considers the causes, scale, nature and consequences of protest to that relationship. By charting the journey from feudalism and serfdom to democracy and equality, it reveals how, in different periods, the state responds to challenges to its authority and their impact.
2. Depth Study: The Norman Conquest: This option allows students to study in depth the arrival of the Normans and the establishment of their rule. The depth study will focus on major aspects of Norman rule, considered from economic, religious, political, social and cultural standpoints of this period and arising contemporary and historical controversies.