History and Politics Department

The History and Politics Department comprises five specialist teachers and a well-resourced departmental teaching area. All of the department's four dedicated teaching rooms have digital projectors and interactive whiteboards. In addition there is a reference room for History and Politics sixth form students which is equipped with four computers and the latest copies and back issues of History and Politics magazines. There is also a wide range of appropriate reference material available in the school library.

From the Battle of Hastings to the Renaissance in Year 7, from the Reformation to the Industrial Revolution in Year 8, from slavery and the struggle for civil rights to the rise of Hitler in Year 9, students follow the varieties of human experience - the good and the bad, the political, social, economic and cultural, in Britain and around the world.

All students follow the National Curriculum in these years, and the majority opt to continue to GCSE (AQA), in which they learn about the Twentieth Century World. Current topics include: The Cold War 1945-1991, the Russian Revolution, Hitler's Germany, the Vietnam War and the changing role of women during the 20th Century.

AS and A Level History (AQA) and Government and Politics (Edexcel) are both popular choices. The former focuses on 16th century Britain, from Richard III to Henry VIII to  and the tyrannical rule of Stalin in Russia. At A2 students extend their knowledge of 16th century Britain, examining the reigns of Edward VI, Mary and Elizabeth, and complete a personal study examining American Foreign Policy from 1890-1990. AS Level Government and Politics focuses on the British experience in Year 12 and then introduces a study of the government and politics of the USA in Year 13.

The History and Politics Department have a blog (http://nonsuchhp.blogspot.com) which covers items of interest in the news, the latest academic research and links to useful resources. It has developed a range of resources that can be viewed on Frog, the school's new Virtual Learning Environment.

In addition to studying History in the classroom we aim to offer enrichment activities wherever possible. In the past few years these have included:

At Nonsuch

• Regular meetings of the History and Politics Society on Tuesday lunchtimes, discussing historical and political topics of interest, watching relevant programmes and films, playing games and singing songs such as the Horrible Histories Kings and Queens song
• Visits by political candidates and local MPs such as Paul Burstow and Tom Brake
• Visits by historians and politics lecturers on subjects such as American and Russian Foreign Policy and Voting behaviour
• Visits by past History and Politics students

• Competitions such as castle building and historical film-making

 Visits and Trips

• Year 7 visit to Rochester Castle and Cathedral in Kent to support study of Medieval life
• Year 9 visit to the National Army Museum to learn more about life in World War 1
• Year 10 trip to Ypres to explore the First World War battlefields and participate in the Act of Remembrance at the Menin Gate.

• Year 12 trip to Parliament and the National Portrait Gallery
• Year 12 / 13 History trip to Moscow and St Petersburg in 2011
• Year 12 / 13 Politics visit to Washington DC in 2014