History
The History Department is rightfully proud of its academic achievements, with our results over the past five years speaking for themselves. These statistics have consistently put us amongst the leading subjects in the College and compare very well with national standards.
Strong results
Last year our students achieved:
- 89% A*/A at GCSE
- 90% A/B at A level
- 70% Level 7 at IB
Wide ranging study
That said we are not simply in the “results business” and the Department is committed to offering an exciting and wide ranging study of History to all our pupils. Our aim is to enthuse, encourage and develop young historians from the Third Form all the way through to Upper Sixth.
Choice of study topics
There are several attractive features about the History curriculum at Fettes including the following: In Third Form we are able to construct our own scheme of work including units on The First World War and The Holocaust; the recommended reading lists aim to extend our pupils beyond textbooks; in Sixth Form A level pupils have a choice of which period of History they wish to study and the coursework at IB and A Level gives students a free choice of historical topics to write about
School trips
The History Department believes that school trips play a key role in fostering a long term enjoyment of the subject. To this end we have undertaken the following trips:
- Third Form trip to the First World War Battlefields (2009)
- Fifth Form Trip to Berlin (2009)
- Sixth Form Trip to Poland (2010)
Historical society
We also run a thriving Historical Society to which some leading historians have been invited:
- Saul David on “The Wars of Queen Victoria”
- Professor Hew Strachan on “Modern Warfare”
- Steven Gunn on “Thomas Wolsey”
Sector leading
A recent HMIE inspection (2009) described the History Department as “sector leading” and praised its ability to teach “young people in an accessible and creative way”. History is a popular and enjoyable subject at Fettes College.
Full details about History at Fettes History
