The History & Politics Department at Badminton teaches girls to think in a critical way about grand historical narratives whilst at the same time developing a sense of the startling breadth of humanity’s experiences across many times and places.
Debate, discussion, and the development of coherent arguments are at the core of what we teach. From the beginning, girls are taught that history is not only about learning political lessons but about understanding what it means to be human.
In the Lower School we provide girls with a wide-ranging account of history from the Middle Ages to the modern day with a particular focus on:
We take regular trips to Berlin as part of our studies of 20th century conflict and Nazism, as well as exploring the history of Bristol with walking tours in Year 8 and Sixth Form. Throughout their studies, girls use creative approaches to think about the shifting balance of power between rulers and the ruled as well as considering how ordinary people have lived their lives in times other than our own.
The history and politics department runs a wide selection of clubs with a focus on oracy and awareness of current events. MUN is a popular club for students in Year 10 and above, helping students to follow international affairs and develop their skills as negotiators. The team regularly experience success at a variety of local competitions.
Debating is also a very popular and valuable activity. There is a regular club for Year 9 and above with opportunities for girls to take part in external competitions with Cambridge and Oxford University Schools Debating as well as the English-Speaking Union.
The department also has oversight for students interested in a career in law and has a mock trial club that competes with other schools as well a law discussion group for sixth formers preparing for university applications and the LNAT.
Most girls choose to take GCSE History and we follow the AQA course. This includes units on the Rise of Hitler and Interwar International Relations as well as Restoration England and Empire & Migration across a thousand-year period. Our lessons are lively and discussion-led, allowing pupils to analyse the politics and culture of the world around them as well as to succeed in the final examination.
Our History A Level curriculum focuses on the American War of Independence and the Tudor Dynasty as well as giving girls the opportunity to develop an independent piece of research into the historiography of the Holocaust. Girls analyse the actions of political leaders and also reflect on the impacts that cultural mindsets can have upon the course of History. We help girls to develop a subtlety of argument and an independence of thought that will prepare them for study at university and beyond.
The Government & Politics A Level curriculum covers British politics and political ideologies in Lower Sixth and global politics in Upper Sixth. It examines the fundamental forces at play in both political systems whilst encouraging girls to keep abreast of day-to-day developments at a time when politics itself is in a state of great flux. Girls come out of their study of politics as analytical, aware and active citizens.
Badminton School, Westbury Road, Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, BS9 3BA
T : +44 (0)117 905 5200
