Studying A level History equips you with the tools to make sophisticated judgements, develop an enquiring mindset and not simply to accept facts at face value.

“Why is it necessary for me to die?” The last words of Nikolai Bukharin in a 1938 letter to Stalin shortly before he was shot.  “No-one intends to build a Wall.” The words of East German leader Walter Ulbricht shortly before he gave the order to begin construction of the Berlin Wall, trapping East Berliners in a gigantic prison from which even to attempt escape (known as “Flight from the Republic”) was considered a serious crime.

The great purges and the Berlin Wall: these are 2 of the highest profile examples of the impact of Communist states on the lives and freedoms of their citizens that dominate the Year 12 A level History curriculum.  Studying A level History equips you with the tools to make sophisticated judgements, develop an enquiring mindset and not simply to accept facts at face value. Skills like this will enable you to thrive at university (many of our students have gone on to study history and related subjects like politics and law, for which this course is excellent preparation) and are highly prized by employers.

Students studying history benefit from a range of trips, such as the Holocaust residential trip.

History goes well with other arts and social science subjects like english, geography or philosophy. Students can go on to university and then specialise in a range of subject areas, from the history of art to transport history. With a qualification in History, you can go on to work in a great variety of jobs in law, business and administration, the police service, the armed forces, journalism and the media, leisure and tourism, as well as more ‘obvious’ History-related careers like teaching or working in museums or libraries.

For admission to A level History, our usual minimum requirements are:

• Students will need to have achieved a grade 6 or above in History.