Oundle School
History Departmental Trips and Events
Trips
The department runs the following annual trips:
First Form: Warwick Castle – Summer Quarter
Second Form: Hampton Court - Summer Quarter
Third Form: Prague - February Exeat
Fifth Form: Berlin - End of Christmas Quarter
Lower Sixth: Vienna/Budapest - Michaelmas Holiday
Upper Sixth: Moscow/St Petersburg - End of Christmas Quarter
We also offer occasional trips to The Somme, Paris, Normandy, and the Middle East, often with other departments.
History Societies
History society meetings are held regularly throughout the school year. Speakers who have, in recent years, addressed the Senior History society (mainly for the Sixth Form) include Niall Ferguson and Anthony Beevor: the Junior History Society runs an equally ambitious programme with recent speakers including Martin Middlebrook and Squadron Leader Jimmy James. Frequent trips are made to see speakers in London, and the Department runs its own Sixth Form Lecture programme in the Trinity Quarter each year.
History Forum
The History Forum was founded in 2003 as a means whereby Sixth Form History pupils could present and discuss research papers on a historical theme or problem of their own choosing. Presenting papers and engaging in discussion helps to sharpen up analytical skills.
It is particularly valuable for those hoping to study History at university, especially those candidates who face a university interview. Often the topic under discussion is not part of the A-level specification, and gives all those who attend a chance to widen their historical horizons. In addition to student presentations, the Forum has also welcomed guest history teachers to give papers. Occasionally, there is a video/DVD presentation, and there is an annual Christmas quiz.
The Forum meets weekly on Tuesdays at 5:00 p.m. in C37.
The current Secretary is Robert Cranston (G). He has recently given a paper on Churchill as wartime leader. Other recent speakers have been Stephanie Peate (K) on the Decline of the Liberal Party , Henry Venmore-Rowland (Sc) on the Roman Republic and Alex Miles (G) on the Gunpowder Plot.
We have also looked at Boris Johnson on how the Romans ran Europe rather better than the European Union; Simon Schama and Peter Ackroyd on Romanticism; and Richard Dawkins (O.O.) on the History of Disbelief.
Junior History Society
The Junior History Society meets every Tuesday evening at 5pm to explore areas of the past which pupils do not normally get a chance to study in class. The Society has also gives pupils the opportunity to research and write about topics which are neglected by the curriculum. We have had visiting speakers, and used a range of films to introduce new topics, followed by a range of magazine articles to explore the themes raised in greater depth.
Each year, Andrew Robertshaw of the Royal Logistics Corps Museum delivers a superb lecture called 'Eye Deep in Hell' in which he illuminates the real conditions of the average British soldier in World War One. This year, the 100-plus pupils who packed out the Library all went away with much clearer, realistic ideas of life on the Western Front that moved beyond the typical 'war poet' view.
Recent films shown have included The Last Samurai, about the threat
of modernity following the Meji Resoration in Japan. Ned Kelly revealled
the story behind the myth of Australia's 'Robin Hood', as a man driven to
criminality by an unjust police force. We also saw the moving Korean film
Taegukgi (Brotherhood), which vividly depicted the brutal fighting
in the Korean War (1950-3).