History at TBS
Wherever human beings live in the world, and whatever they do to earn money, they must interact with other people. This makes History relevant to all areas of work and life. The discipline of History is an enquiry into the motivation for human action, the consequences of those actions and an assessment of their significance.
History helps to improve our understanding of human behavior and it is this experience of humanity that goes a long way to explaining why it is welcomed within so many fields of employment. Historians prize independence of mind and capability of expression. We aim for balanced conclusions based on evidence as well as effective organisation and communication.
History actively encourages students to think for themselves and to carry out enquiries independently. It encourages oral expression and debate, both of which are valuable confidence builders and, above all, it encourages individuals to be more tolerant. History is not just about acquiring knowledge of facts, but also skills that are of great value to you as you go through life.
On top of this, History has a huge breadth of content: bizarre, dramatic, tragic, wondrous, sometime hilarious and always human. We are sure that our students will enjoy the varied curriculum on offer at TBS.
In Key Stage 3 (Years 7 to 9) our aim is to enthuse students about History and to develop key analytical skills. These include source evaluation competencies such as inference, cross referencing and critical evaluation. Students develop their writing skills; including developing explanations, evidencing ideas and writing multi-argument essays. They will explore a range of British, European, Nepali and World history topics.
At Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11), History is an optional subject and those that choose study the CIE World History IGCSE syllabus in years 10 and 11. This covers topics such as International Relations in the 20th century, the USA 1919-41, and Germany 1918-45. They will build on their skills to produce sustained analytical argument and to evaluate sources in context.
At Key Stage 5 (Years 12 and 13), we offer CIE A Level History. This offers a choice of European, American and International options. This year students are comparing the French, Industrial and Russian Revolutions, and exploring the causes of the American Civil War. A Level requires the production of complex, balanced theses that explore the links between different factors before reaching supported judgements. Students also need to identify and evaluate different historiographical approaches.