Britain has an incredibly rich and diverse history and we are fortunate that we can offer nearly two hours of curriculum time to its study each week.
History at Gresham’s Prep aims to give each pupil an understanding of how Britain was shaped and of other interesting civilizations as comparison studies. It begins its exciting journey with Ancient Egypt in Year 3 and the Norman Conquest from Year 4. By offering a chronological approach through Year 3 to Year 6, the department hopes that every pupil will have an overview of the major events of British history of these periods so that by the time they reach Year 7 they can use that knowledge to further develop their understanding of events to be studied in more detail throughout their final two years at the Prep School.
We wish to engage enjoyably and profitably all pupils at Gresham’s Prep in the study of History. By offering opportunities for field trips and educational speakers we hope that History will come alive. In addition we aim to provide a clear understanding of what a historian is and what they do. We want to encourage pupils to listen and question, to reflect, to think, to read and research, to speak and to write with precision.
There are core skills and concepts that we hope to develop and instil in our pupils:
- To sequence events and objects in order to develop a sense of time.
Range and Depth of Historical Knowledge and Understanding:
- Aspects of the past through stories from different periods and cultures, including eyewitness accounts of historical events.
- To recognise why people did things, why events happened and what happened as a result.
- To recognise differences between ways of life at different times.
- To develop technical language that describes the places and objects of the past.
Interpretations of History:
- To identify different ways in which the past is represented: visual images, artefacts, and oral accounts to name but a few.
- How to find out about the past using a variety of sources of information.
- To ask and answer questions about the past.
Organise and communicate Historical information:
- To be able to communicate awareness and understanding through oral and essay skills.
Those that study History at scholarship level are encouraged to undertake far more of their own research and are expected to develop consummate essay writing skills that show a grasp of how to write analytically and in a thought-provoking way, possibly challenging accepted views.
Throughout a pupil’s time at the Prep School they will have had opportunities to storm castles, walk in the footsteps of kings and queens, learn how an ordinary man or woman made a living in their time in history, they will marvel at the skill of medieval stonemasons and craftsman and finally will have seen the great country houses that shaped Norfolk and its local history. As they leave they should be well-equipped to tackle senior level History with skill and most of all – a real thirst for further knowledge.