History
The great French historian Fernand Braudel once proclaimed that history as a discipline cannot be understood without practising it,and given the healthy number of students at Fettes taking history throughout the school, it is to be hoped that the majority leave with a broad and thorough knowledge of the past.
In the Prep School we begin by studying Romans, Saxons and Vikings asking key questions such as How did the Romans control the Empire? and Was King John an evil king? In Form 1the pupils move on to a Medieval Realms course which looks at life in the Middle Ages and the nature of medieval monarchy. In Form 2 pupils study Early Modern Britain, which entails topics such as Henry VIII, Mary Queen of Scots and Civil War. The syllabus therefore loosely follows the National Curriculum, and the idea is to make history exciting, accessible and suitably academic from an early age. The prep school pupil will hopefully not only have an interest in the subject but also a firm grounding in the skills of extended writing and research. Full use is made of resources such as the Internet and local museums whilst activities and assignments range from essays to projects to role play.
In the Senior School we begin by studying World War One with a specific emphasis on the role of Britain in the Great War. Issues such as life in the trenches and the role of Britain's generals are investigated in some depth. We also study World War Two in the context of the Holocaust and the American government's decision to use atomic energy in 1945. Finally, pupils in Form 3 will also have the chance to analyse the French Revolution and its consequences.
The GCSE course (Forms 4-5) is centred around the Twentieth Century covering key events and concepts such as Weimar and Nazi Germany, International Relations 1919-39 and Britain 1906-1918.In the Fifth Form students will be expected to complete two pieces of coursework which will count towards their final grade. Pupils find this course both stimulating and enjoyable, and again we try to make history as accessible as possible through a range of resources such as Internet, video and museums.
At AS and A2 level (Sixth Form) students have the opportunity to move away from modern history if they so wish and study British and European early modern history. The latter includes units on the Italian Renaissance and the German Reformation. Students pursuing modern history study Mussolini and Italian fascism as well as Britain in the Twentieth Century.
In Year 7 all Upper Sixth formers undertake an individual investigation which can be on any topic of history they wish. Students are given regular tutorials on their area of study and the emphasis on individual research is ideal preparation for undergraduate entrance.
Exam Results
Results are consistently strong, with sixteen candidates attaining an A grade and seven a B grade at A level in 2002, out of an entry of 23. Furthermore there were 17A* and 24 A grades at GCSE. Many students go on to study history at university.
