History

At Hampton Court House we aim to provide our students with an understanding not merely of national history but its European and international context. Year 5 revolves around individual figures throughout history who left an indelible mark on the world around them. Each biographical study allows our students to develop comparative skills – both between individuals and the times in which they lived. Figures come from a variety of spheres and ages, including Leonardo da Vinci, Dante Alighieri, Charlemagne, Julius Caesar and Mozart. In Year 6, students undertake their first detailed chronological study, in part through the concept of dynasty. Alongside the House of Tudors we study the Valois Kings of France and the Habsburg Emperors. Again, the broader objective is to impress an international conception of history upon students before we turn our focus back to England in Years 7 to 9. In Year 7 students survey England from 1066 through to the Wars of the Roses. In Year 8 and in preparation for the 13+, all students study Reformation England under the Tudors and Stuarts. Year 9 is treated as a vital step-up year in preparation for GCSE: all students are expected to demonstrate complex interpretative skills in regard to sources, the ability to undertake independent research and to write persuasive formal essays. Unlike almost every other School we look in depth at the history of the Byzantine Empire. In Years 10-11 our students sit WJEC GCSE History – key topics include the Russian Revolution, the Nazis and the American Century 1929-2000.