Members of Department

Mrs S Quigley

Mr A Clements

Mr S Westcott

Ms E Moffett

Ms C McMullan

What do all of the following people have in common:

Politicians Gordon Brown and Michael Portillo, BBC Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen, Head of MI6 John Scarlett, comedians Al Murray and Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat), TV presenter Jonathan Ross, the vice-chancellor of Oxford University, millionaire businessman Gerald Corbett and Five Live's Alan Green?

That's right - they all studied History!

There is much more to History than simply remembering dates and facts. History is the story of humankind; it is the story of great men and women; it is the story of good and evil; it is the story of the famous and the unknown. History allows us to learn about how and why the world we live in today has come to exist.

Key Stage 3 History:

Year 8: 
-What is History?
- History Skills
- The Normans
- The Normans in Ireland
- The Plague

Year 9:
- The Renaissance
- The Reformation
- Voyages of Discovery
- The Spanish Armada
- The Plantation of Ireland
- Cromwell in Ireland
- The War of Three Kings

Year 10:
- An overview of the 20th Century
- A century of turnings points
- The First World War
- The Holocaust
- The Partition of Ireland

GCSE History
The GCSE course provides a framework against which we can examine and learn about current issues, both in Europe and here at home.

Using 20th century events, issues and personalities, students are taught:

• To examine evidence with an open and critical mind,
• To make objective judgements,
• To recognise that events can be perceived in many different ways.

Each student will develop the ability to:

• Think logically and clearly
• Write logically and precisely
• Question evidence
• Make a balanced judgement.

These skills are essential no matter what career a student follows they are the skills most employers want whatever the job they offer. In fact the skills developed through the study of History generally prepare the student for the adult world.

GCSE History Programme of Study:
The GCSE History specification encourages students to consider the relevance of the past to gain a deeper understanding of the world we live in. Students have opportunities to learn about topics such as Hitler s dictatorship, the Cuban Missile Crisis, civil unrest in Northern Ireland and the USA s response to 9/11.

This revised specification balances factual content with developing students conceptual understanding and historical skills. Students analyse and evaluate historical sources to appreciate that there is not just one version of the past, but often competing interpretations.

Students develop key transferable skills that will be useful during further study and in the workplace. These skills include researching and organising information, analysing and weighing up evidence, and writing a coherent argument.

The exams are now single tier and contain a mixture of question styles, from short responses to essays.

Our students have the opportunity to take the Unit 1 examination in Year 11 and the Unit 2 examination in Year 12. Year 12 students also have the opportunity to resit the Unit 1 examination.

The specification has two units:

Unit 1
Section A: Modern World Studies in Depth

• Option 1: Life in Nazi Germany, 1933-45

Section B: Local Study

• Option 2: Changing Relations: Northern Ireland and its Neighbours, 1965-98

Unit 2: Outline Study

• International Relations, 1945-2003.

A Level History

We follow the NICCEA A Level Course and teach the following options.
Unit AS 1 Historical Investigations and Interpretations

Option 5: Germany 1919-45

Unit AS 2 Historical Conflict and Change

Option 3: Ireland 1823-67

Unit A2 1 Change Over Time

Option 4: The American Presidency 1901-2000

Unit A2 2 Historical Investigations and Interpretations

Option 4: Partition of Ireland 1900-25

The History course offers an excellent preparation for further study of History at degree level.

It enables students to develop skills which are transferable and highly valued by employers. By the end of the course the student will have learned

• How to evaluate and analyse different types of information
• How to weigh up evidence, judge its reliability, detect bias
• How to communicate complex ideas effectively - to develop a clear, logical, structured and balanced argument, to reach an informed decision.

Therefore the AS/Advanced History course provides an excellent foundation for a number of popular careers such as teaching, journalism, research, law and business. It is also useful for conservation work, environmental work, town planning, tourism, advertising and management at all levels.

History directly complements several other A Level courses, in particular English, Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religion. For students specialising in the sciences, History could also be considered at AS, the potential scientist also needs to analyse and to evaluate - some of the skills developed in the History course.

The process of historical research, discussion and communication lends itself naturally to the development of the following nationally recognised Key Skills at Level 3:

• Communication
• Information and Communication Technology
• Working with Others
• Improving Own Learning and Performance
• Problem Solving

Extra Curricular Activities

• Debates
• Educational Visits - Normandy, Berlin, Derry and Flanders in October 2018.
• Visiting Speakers and Historical Enactments
• Peer Mentoring