History & Politics

The History & Politics Department at Badminton teaches girls to think in a critical and sceptical 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:

• England in the wake of the Norman Conquest
• Tudors
• English Civil War
• Slavery
• The First World War

The Battlefields trip offers the privilege and opportunity to visit France and Flanders and to see the Somme and Wellington Tunnels at Arras. 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.

GCSE

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 Health and Medicine across a thousand-year period. Our lessons are lively and discussion-led, allowing students to analyse the politics and culture of the world around them as well as to succeed in the final examination.

A Level

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 an 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 in Lower Sixth and American 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. Those studying Politics are actively involved in the Model United Nations and are often joined in this by girls from other subject groups. Debating is also a very popular and valuable activity. There is a regular club for all years every Tuesday, debating as part of House competitions, and opportunities for girls to take part in external competitions with Oxford University Schools Debating and the English Speaking Union. Girls come out of their study of Politics as analytical, aware and active citizens.

Follow the History & Politics Department on Twitter @BadmintonHist