History

The thunder of Norman war horses, the clash of swords, a swinging English battle axe, the cries of the brave, the terrified and terribly wounded are here. A dying King, blinded by a stray arrow and in agony and despair awaits the final blow that will end his short and desperate reign and usher in a new dynasty – that of the Conqueror. History was changed here, forever on a grey, dank October day in 1066.

Hymns and the melodic sounds of a devout community now haunt the ruins of a once great Benedictine house. The sounds of prayer replaced the battle chants. A fine Abbey placed here in homage to the slain. The cries of grief and sorrow were heard once again in days gone by: those of the displaced and the anguished monks brushed aside by a King intent on Reformation and the destruction of a nation’s religious way of life.

Today a community has returned to this unique place - to learn and to share in a place where the echoes of the past live alongside the minds of the future.

They walk in the footsteps of History here at Battle Abbey School.

Examination: OCR – History B (Modern World)

Paper 1 deals with International Relations (45% of total marks) and looks at the Cold War period from 1945-75. The emphasis is on the breakdown of relations between East and West after World War II from 1945-49 culminating in the Berlin Blockade, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War.

The dramatic contrasts of American History during the inter-war period (1919-41) is a special ‘Depth Study’ topic on the second half of Paper 1.

Paper 2 focuses on British History (30% of total marks) and concentrates on events leading up to the Great War from the turn of the century. Issues studied include the major social welfare legislation of the Liberal Government (1906-14), the rise of the suffrage movement that campaigned for women's votes and the ‘Home Front’ in WWI.

Coursework (25% of total marks) will be in the form of a Historical Enquiry undertaken by the candidate following a taught course of study. The final piece of work will be produced under controlled assessment conditions and may be up to 2000 words in length. The focus will be Nazi Germany 1933-45.

GCSE History is taught using interactive software and there is a strong emphasis on ICT, the use of film and documentary evidence and field work with trips to the Imperial War Museum in London and the battlefields of the Western Front from the 1914-18 war.

Outline of Course
Paper 1: International Relations, 1945-75 (Depth Study ‘USA, 1919-41)
Paper 2: British History (c. 1900-18)
Coursework: Historical Enquiry (Focus: Nazi Germany, 1933-45)