Aims of the Department

History at Runnymede College takes account of the special multi-national nature of the student body, with a general aim being to be broaden the students' temporal and spatial awareness, thus giving them a wider perspective on world affairs and, therefore, fostering international understanding and co-operation. It is also hoped that an interest in and enthusiasm about the past will be instilled in the students. They will be introduced to the distinctive methodology of historians and will be encouraged to develop and refine their linguistic and communication skills.

The Purposes of School History

• To help understand the present in the context of the past.
• To arouse interest in the past.
• To help give pupils an understanding of their own cultural roots and shared inheritances whilst taking account of the special international environment at the school.
• To contribute to pupils' knowledge and understanding of other cultures in the modern world.
• To train the mind by means of disciplined study.
• To introduce pupils to the distinctive methodology of historians.
• To develop the ability to think critically and to make judgements about human situations.
• To enrich other areas of the curriculum.
• To prepare pupils for adult life.

Subject Specific Skills

• To acquire knowledge and understanding of the human past.
• To investigate historical events, changes, people and issues.
• To understand the nature of cause and consequence, continuity and change, similarity and difference.
• To develop understanding of how the past has been represented and interpreted.
• To use historical sources critically in their historical context.
• To draw conclusions and appreciate that these and other historical conclusions are liable to reassessment in the light of new or reinterpreted evidence.

Programmes of Study

• Key Stage 3 Programme of Study
• GCSE Programme of Study
• A Level Programme of Study