Aims and philosophy

History is one of the central humanities, embracing the study and understanding of all aspects of past human experience, individual and collective, political, social, cultural, economic and religious; the public and the domestic, the material and the intellectual, the sacred and the profane. The sources, primary and secondary, range from the written word and statistical data to the visual arts. Beyond intrinsic academic interest, History provides training in critical analysis, literary expression and the evaluation of widely contrasting evidence.

There are eight members of staff in the History department, whose expertise covers a wide range of periods from medieval History to the twentieth century. Several members of the department are actively pursuing their own research and have published academic books and articles.

Curriculum by year-group

History is a popular subject, with, typically, three quarters of the year group taking the subject as far as GCSE, about half of whom will continue into the Sixth Form.

In the Shell (first) year the subject is compulsory, all boys following a course based first on the British Empire, then the First World War. Those who opt to continue with History to GCSE then follow the Cambridge International Examinations board IGCSE syllabus, which covers European and World events from the end of the First World War to the Cold War.

In the Sixth Form boys follow the OCR AS and A-level specifications, and options are chosen in order to reflect as far as possible the preferences of the boys and the interests and expertise of their teachers. To give a flavour, during the last five years the following subjects have all been studied for A-level: Alfred the Great; Charlemagne; the reign of Edward the Confessor and the Norman Conquest; the Crusades; Crown, Church & Papacy 1066-1228; King John; Spain 1469-1520; Henry VII; the German Reformation; the Holy Roman Empire 1517-59; Henry VIII and Cardinal Wolsey; Elizabeth I; Tudor Rebellions; Philip II of Spain; James I, Charles I and the Origins of the English Civil War; Oliver Cromwell; the development of the French nation state 1498-1610; the Ascendancy of France 1610-1715; the French Revolution; and Britain and Ireland 1798-1921.

The History department prides itself on getting the best out of the boys who choose to study History, whatever their ability. Although there are no minimum requirements for boys to be allowed to do GCSE History, academic results are good: in 2009, 93% of A-level historians achieved an A or B grade; and at GCSE, 80% of candidates gained either an A* or A grade. The department also has a good track record of sending boys to read History at Oxford, Cambridge and other top British and world universities.

Outside the classroom

The Trevelyan Society, named after the Old Harrovian historian GM Trevelyan, organises regular lectures by distinguished academics, which are open to all members of the School community, and there are also popular societies devoted to medieval and military History. The department organises regular trips and excursions designed to enhance what has been learnt in the classroom – for example, in recent years to the battlefields of the Somme and Ypres; Normandy; Germany; Madrid; and Moscow and St Petersburg.