Head of Department: Vivienne Brian

Deputy Head of Department: Tom Smith

Members of department:

• Jack Tyler
• Teaching Assistant: Penny Daly

The History Department is very popular with pupils at Morpeth School. This is reflected in the uptake of History at GCSE level. The Department aims to enable all pupils to gain an understanding of the history of human society which will provide them with the ability to make informed and reasoned judgements about the past and present issues.

It is the aim of all teachers in the Department to provide pupils with the knowledge and understanding necessary to combat prejudice, achieve the highest standards of which they are capable and, above all, to ensure that all pupils are involved in the learning process.

Curriculum Outline

Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9)

• Year 7: The Roman Empire and Medieval Realms 1066-1500, Islamic Civilizations
• Year 8: The Making of the UK: Crowns, Parliaments and Peoples 1500-1750, Braveheart, Industrial Revolution and study on local history
• Year 9: The Slave Trade and Abolitionist Movement, The Era of the Second World War an in-depth study of the Holocaust and the dawn of the Nuclear Age.

Key Stage 3 Enrichment

Year 8: Trip to Museum of the Docklands

Year 9: Trip to the Imperial War Museum

Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11)

• Year 10: Conflict in the Modern World, Britain in the First World War and Germany 1918-1939 and Nazi Foreign Policy
• Year 11: The USA 1919-1941, a controlled assessment on an aspect of British History

Key Stage 4 Enrichment

Year 10: Trip to the 1st World War battlefields in Belgium

Historian of the Month: March 2009

Each month, the department put forward nominations for pupils in Years 7-9 for a ‘Historian of the Month‘. Names are drawn and the winner is interviewed and presented with a special prize. All pupils are eligible for the award which is given for an outstanding piece of work or exceptional progress or for showing a mature and responsible attitude.

Alvi Ahmed 7T

• Q How do you feel about being chosen as Historian of the month?
• A. I feel very happy and proud that I\'ve been chosen.
• Q. Why do you enjoy history?
• A. I like learning about the people of the past and how and what they did for us and the world.
• Q. What topics have been your favourite and why?
• A. My favourite was the Romans and Gladiators, because I am really interested in the fights.
• Q. Who are your favourite figures in history and why?
• A. My favourite is the Roman Emperor, Julius Caesar, because he was very powerful and rich.
• Q. What advice would you give to pupils studying history and why?
• A. To pay attention in lessons, because it is very facinating and you learn about how the world advanced from the days of donkeys and camels!