In the Pre-Prep and Years 3 and 4 pupils are taught topics taken from Key Stage 1 and 2 of the National Curriculum. Between Years 5 and Year 8 we follow a chronological path from 1066 to the end of the Tudor Period. This allows pupils to gain a better sense of time and events as they happened.

Experience has shown that pupils love encountering new topics for the first time and with this in mind we aim to give pupils a sound basis in historical skills without covering topics they will be taught at their next schools. Firm favourites are the Great Fire of London in Year 1, the Romans in Year 3, the Black Death in Year 6 and the Battle of Agincourt in Year 7.

Aims of the History Department:

• To develop an awareness of the nature and use of evidence
• To develop a sense of chronology and time
• To build up knowledge of events and people from the past
• To appreciate thoughts, beliefs, motives and actions of people in the past.
• To develop and use correctly historical language and a vocabulary of historical terms
• To build a framework of historical facts
• To encourage children to interpret, explain and ask historical questions

In Years 7 and 8 we encourage pupils to enter the Townsend  Warner History competition: 
the prestigious Prep schools' history competition usually entered by over 1000 pupils each year. This tests historical general knowledge on all periods of history.