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2020vision Merchants Connected ArchivesHistory
The History Department at Merchant Taylors' aims to ensure that all students at the school develop skills of critical thinking, incisive analysis, effective oral and written argument, reading between the lines, essay writing and much, much more. History is not simply a dry series of dates and events. It is an ongoing process of investigation, analysis, selection, debate and writing. It is this process which inspires inquisitive, challenging and analytical minds to pursue the subject up the school and beyond.
Lower School
In Years 7-9 we broadly follow the National Curriculum and we encourage the students to make connections and contrasts across time and continents, societies and cultures; religions and politics. In Year 7, we examine the Middle Ages, investigating such areas as the Norman Conquest, the Black Death and the Crusades. Pupils will compare and contrast the actions of different English kings during this period, as well as those of rulers of the Islamic Empire. In Year 8, students investigate the English Reformation and subsequent religious confusion, the English Civil War and Glorious Revolution analysing the causes and consequences of epoch-changing events and questioning how significant they were. Year 9 students follow a 19th and 20th century course, which begins with looking at the Industrial revolution and also evaluates the causes and course of World War One. The Year 9 course also includes a popular trip to the World War One battlefields in France and this area of study leads logically into our GCSE course.
GCSE
The boys follow the Edexcel Modern World Specification at GCSE and the current course is a natural progression from the Year 9 Course.
| Year 10 | Year 11 |
| Autumn | Unit 1 (Edexcel) TEXTBOOK AQA Modern World History Section 3: Why did war break out? International Relations 1929-39 The significance and impact of the Versailles settlement The impact of the Great Depression Hitler’s challenges to the peace settlement, 1933-March 38 The failure of appeasement Section 4: How did the Cold War develop? 1943-56 The widening gulf between the allies: the development of the ‘iron curtain’ and the Soviet control of Eastern Europe and the Allied response 1945-47 The development of the Cold War, 1948-9 following the Berlin Airlift Hungary: the tightening of control | Controlled Assessment (Edexcel) Unit 4 Vietnam Vietnam: Origins of Conflict Vietnam: The Military Experience Vietnam: The Civilian Experience Vietnam: Finding Peace |
Spring | Unit 1 (Edexcel) Section 5: Three Cold War crises: Berlin, Cuba and Czechoslovakia c1957-69 Berlin: a divided city Cuba: the world on the brink of war Unit 2 TEXTBOOK The US economy 1919-29: Causes the consequences of the economic boom, declining industries, problems in agriculture US Society 1919-29: The Roaring 20’s, Prohibition and gangsters, racism and tolerance The USA in Depression 1929-33: Causes and consequences of the Wall St Crash, government reaction 1929-32, the impact of the depression on people’s lives Roosevelt and the New Deal: The nature of the New Deal, opposition to the New Deal and the extent of recovery by 1941 | Unit 3 The War and the transformation of British Society c1931-51 TEXTBOOK The impact of the Depression 1931-39 Britain Alone Britain at War Labour in Power, 1945-51 |
| Summer | REVISION EXAMS |
A Level
A level historians also follow the Edexcel course and the aim of the department is to make sure that all of the boys are challenged and supported throughout their course periods. Teachers within the Department teach what they are interested in and passionate about, with the aim of all boys finishing the Sixth form having studied and variety of historical periods and a variety of ‘types' of history, whether it be social, political, economic or military. The course is currently as follows:
A/S | A2 | |
| Autumn | Unit 1 The Road to Unification: Italy 1815 – 70 The Unification of Germany 1848 – 90 | Unit 3 |
Spring | Unit 1 The Road to Unification: Italy 1815 – 70 The Unification of Germany 1848 – 90 Unit 2 | Unit 3 The United States, 1820-77: A Disunited Nation? Unit 4 |
Summer | Completion of courses, revision and exams | Completion of courses, revision and exams |
Every year, students go on to study History at university and, over the last few years, a number have won Oxbridge places. The department runs regular enrichment classes to push forward the historical thinking of those who desire to be further challenged and a clinic is held every Tuesday lunchtime for boys needing extra help with their GCSE studies.
The department uses a wide variety of teaching styles, understanding that students learn in different ways. The pupils can expect to be presented with ideas or questions of a genuinely challenging nature in every lesson. History is brought alive by the teachers' genuine passion for their subject. Teachers and students alike make good use of the extensive departmental DVD and book libraries, as well as the main school library where there is an extensive History collection.
The Department consists of three full-time historians and three other teachers who also teach some classes up to Year 11.
J P Carter