History

From an early age I never understood people who weren't interested in History. How can I know who I am unless I know where I've come from? History is about us. Tony Robinson, Blackadder's Baldrick and presenter of Time Team.

Our History courses offer our students the chance to study events that have shaped the world as it is today and to learn the skills needed to develop a critical understanding of how and why these events happen.   History is also an excellent foundation for many popular careers, including journalism, law, business, civil service, broadcasting, accountancy, teaching, publishing, personnel management.

Our over-riding aims in our teaching at different levels in the school are: 

  • To stimulate interest in and enthusiasm for the study of History.
  • To promote knowledge and understanding of the past.
  • To promote understanding of historical concepts.
  • To promote the development of a variety of skills, which have wide application inside and outside the study of History.
  • To encourage students to pursue their study of the subject successfully to the highest level of which they are capable.

'History includes a phenomenal amount of transferable skills. The raw material after all is uniquely human beings. What a good History student is doing is coping with a lot of diverse human-being-centred information & interpreting it, and that's what life throws at people,and what jobs throw at people.' Christopher Andrew, Professor of History, Cambridge University.

The Department is located on the ground floor of the Lovell Block.  We have an extensive Departmental Library which supplements the excellent History section in the main School Library. We have an ever-growing Video Library which currently contains over 1,000 programmes.

  • Claire Phillips
    Dr Clare Ives - Head of Department
    MA, PhD (St Andrew's)

    An Old Canfordian, Clare achieved a First Class Honours Degree and a Doctorate in History at the University of St Andrew's, where she also did some teaching at undergraduate level. After working in the Civil Service for some years, she decided to return to teaching and took up a post at Canford in 2008 and has been Head of History since January 2012. At A-level, Clare specialises in Modern options, with a special interest in American History. Since 2009, she has been in charge of preparation of History Oxbridge candidates. Clare also is a tutor in de Lacy house and coaches Hockey, Netball and Tennis.

  • Mark Rathbone
    Mark Rathbone
    MA (Oxon), PGCE, FHA

    Head of Academic Administration from January 2012, Mark is also Assistant Housemaster of Salisbury House. An Old Canfordian, Mark has taught at Canford since 1988 and was Head of the History Department from January 1995 to December 2011. In addition to History he teaches Politics and his other interests include coaching swimming, debating and Model United Nations. He is a freelance writer of articles on History and Politics, more than 100 of which have been published since 1998. In March 2008, he was awarded a Fellowship by the Historical Association "in recognition of a significant contribution to the promotion and knowledge of History".

  • Andrew Fearnley
    Andrew Fearnley
    BA (Manchester Polytechnic), MLitt (Oxon)

    Head of Politics Department since May 1998, Andrew also coaches Cross-Country and helps with Adventure Training. He is an A-level Politics Examiner for EdExcel. Andrew has taught at Canford since 1993, after teaching for several years at Tabor Academy in the United States. In addition to History he teaches Politics and Civics.

  • Keith Hay
    BA (Durham), CertEd

    Keith is Assistant Housemaster of Lancaster House and coaches Rugby, Cricket and Hockey. A former Head of Careers, he has taught at Canford since 1974. As well as teaching History throughout the school, he is in charge of school prizes. At A-level Keith teaches both the Early Modern options on Spain and Elizabeth I, and the Modern modules on Italian Unification and Lenin and the Russian Revolution.

  • Richard Salmon
    Richard Salmon
    BA (Southampton), PGCE

    Richard has taught at Canford since 2002, after teaching at Cheltenham College, in Thailand and at Milton Abbey. He has been Housemaster of Court House since September 2005. Head of the General Studies Department, Richard also coaches Hockey at a high level and is a section leader in the CCF. At A-level, Richard specialises in the Early Modern period.

  • Mark Burley
    Mark Burley
    BSocSci (University of Birmingham), MA (University of Wales Institute)

    Mark teaches History at Shell and GCSE levels. He has been Director of Sport at Canford School since 2007. Prior to this Mark was Sport Administrator of Canford School Sports facilities (1996-2007). He has been Master in charge of Rugby since 2001 and is still the Manager of the Golf Club.

Exam Boards 1: Shells & GCSEs

History is compulsory in the Shell Year (Year 9) and an option at GCSE and AS/A2. We have designed our own course for the Shell Year and follow OCR specifications for GCSE, AS and A2.Specifications for these courses are as follows:

Shell (Year 9) History Course

  • The aims of our course:
  • To stimulate interest in and enthusiasm for the study of History.
  • To promote knowledge and understanding of human activity in the past.
  • To provide a taste of a variety of types of History, local and international, early and modern, long-term development and in-depth study.
  • To provide an introduction to the nature and use of historical evidence.
  • To provide a solid grounding in study skills such as extracting information from sources, to analyse and organise this information and to construct a logical argument.
  • To provide a sound basis for further study, especially the GCSE course, and the pursuit of personal interest.

 

Canford Manor

We spend the first few weeks looking at the history of Canford Manor, using our historic buildings as a teaching resource, along with our own booklet ‘Canford Manor: A Concise History'. Our study includes the Mediaeval Manor, the Nineteenth Century Manor House, Lords and Ladies of the Manor and other notable figures in the history of Canford.

International Relations and Germany 1918-1939

We then introduce our pupils to Modern World History by looking at the 1920s and 1930s. The Versailles Conference took place in the aftermath of the First World War and we look at the decisions taken there and their fateful consequences. We go on to look at the problems of Weimar Germany, hyperinflation, the effects of the Great Depression, the rise of the Nazi Party, anti-semitism and the main features of Hitler's Germany. Germany between the wars is the tragic story of what happened when civilised people came to allow themselves to fall under the spell of a violent and racist demagogue. We also look at why the League of Nations failed to preserve peace and at the causes of the Second World War.

The Second World War

Finally, our students do a major Coursework Project based on an aspect of the Second World War of their choice.

GCSE History

We offer the OCR Modern World History GCSE course, History B (Modern World) J417. The full specification for this course can be found on the OCR website, but here is a summary:

Paper 1:

Aspects of International Relations 1919-1975:The Inter-War Years 1919-39:Treaty of VersaillesLeague of NationsCollapse of international peace in 1930sThe Cold War:Origins of the Cold War, 1945-1949The Cuban Missile CrisisThe Vietnam WarDepth Study: The USA, 1919-1941

Paper 2:

Depth Study: How was British society changed 1890-1918?

Controlled Assessment:

The Western Front in the First World War

Exam Boards 2: AS & A Level (Tab)

We offer a choice of two different periods of History, Early Modern and Modern, both from the OCR History A-level specification H106 (AS) & H506 (A). The full specification may be found on OCR's website, www.ocr.org.uk. Both courses incorporate British and European History; the Modern course also includes some American History. It is possible to do A-level History without having done the subject at GCSE.

Early Modern History A-levelAS

The Mid-Tudor Crisis: England 1536-1569

This source-based unit focuses on the Tudor dynasty from the last decade of Henry VIII’s reign to the first decade of his daughter Elizabeth’s. It looks in detail at the effects on England’s stability of the throne being occupied first by a child, then by two women, and at a period of rapid religious change.

Spain 1469-1556

This unit looks at one of the great powers of Europe in the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, created by the marriage of Isabella, Queen of Castile & Ferdinand, King of Aragon. The period saw the completion of the reconquest of Spain from the Moors and the expulsion of the Jews. And of course, nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!

A2

Development of the Nation State: France 1498-1610

The Historical Themes unit builds on work from the AS year, by looking at the history of one country over a century of rapid change in its social and political structure.

Elizabeth I, 1558-1603

The Interpretations and Investigations Coursework unit also builds on your knowledge of Tudor England from the AS course by continuing into the reign of England’s greatest queen beyond 1569. The Interpretations element is a 2000-word piece of Coursework based on historians’ interpretations of an aspect of Elizabeth’s reign, set by OCR. The Investigations element is a 2000-word personal investigation on a related topic over which students have some choice. Both parts are marked by us and moderated by OCR.

Modern History A-levelAS

Italian Unification 1815-70 & Origins of the American Civil War 1820-61

This source-based unit focuses on two key nineteenth century topics: the process by which the varied and haphazard patchwork of states which made up Italy in 1815 were united to form one country; and the causes of the Civil War in the United States.

British Foreign Policy 1856-1914

This unit examines Foreign Policy at the height of Britain’s dominance as an imperial power, when splendid isolation was the watchword, and goes on to look at the causes of the First World War.

A2

Civil Rights in the USA 1865-1992

The Historical Themes unit examines the fascinating transformation of American society between 1865 and 1980, looking at the struggle of African Americans, women and trade unions for full civil rights.

Russian Revolutions 1894-1924 or The Cold War 1941-56

We offer two options for the Interpretations and Investigations Coursework unit: one looks at events in Russia before during and after the revolution, while the other examines the origins of the Cold War in the 1940s and 1950s. The Interpretations element is a 2000-word piece of Coursework based on historians’ interpretations of an aspect of the Cold War, set by OCR. The Investigations element is a 2000-word personal investigation on a related topic over which students have some choice. Both parts are marked by us and moderated by OCR.