The History Department looks for more than simply success in exams, and in a much broader sense aims to teach Tonbridgians to be enquiring and well-informed young men, able to question and understand the world around them.
An excellent library and collective teaching expertise that covers most periods of history, from Ancient Rome to the Cold War, ensures that during their time at the School, boys study a wide range of topics as well as learning skills of writing and analysis that will be useful whatever they go on to study at university.
In the Novi, boys study a number of different periods and geographical areas, looking at questions such as ‘What was the role of troops from the British Empire in WW1?’, ‘How did de facto segregation continue after the legal victories of the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s?’ and ‘How did Chinese civilians experience the Cultural Revolution?’. In the Lent Term, boys examine various factors that have formed the Britain we live in today, such as the growth of LGBT+ rights in the 20th century and the impact that migration has had on modern society. At IGCSE, boys build on the skills they have acquired in the Novi, studying topics such as the League of Nations, appeasement, the Cold War and Germany 1918–45.
In the Sixth Form, we also offer an OCR A Level course with considerable chronological and geographical range. Students study the British Empire from 1857–1965, examining topics like why the Empire grew so rapidly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, how the Empire affected life in Britain and who the key opponents of colonial rule were. Alongside this, students examine the Crusades 1095–1192, exploring the motivations, the struggle to survive and the impact of the Crusades, and Britain 1930–1997, which explores the key currents that have shaped British history and politics in the last 100 years. Students complete coursework in the Upper Sixth on a historical topic of their choosing.
However, the examined curriculum is only ever a starting point for the boys, and across the age range boys attend history talks put on by boys, teachers and external speakers. Where appropriate, pupils are taken to one-day conferences relevant to their courses to hear the perspectives of leading academics. We also undertake a number of trips – recent examples have included visits to archives and museums, as well as visits to Berlin for IGCSE pupils and a reconstructed WW1 trench for boys in the Novi.
There are also opportunities for extended writing and independent research at all levels. All history students are invited to submit articles for the History Department magazine, The Boar, while in the Sixth Form many of the boys write extended projects, some of which are entered for Oxbridge essay competitions. In the last few years, several boys have been commended for entries to the prestigious John Locke Institute, Vellacott and Julia Wood History prizes with topics as diverse as the Court of Henry VIII, population growth in early modern Europe, the Korean War and the British Empire in India.
Head of Department
