Year 9 Portsmouth trip

In December the History department will take the whole of year 9 to Portsmouth Docks. So far this term we have been looking at the Industrial Revolution and in the weeks before Christmas we will doing something new. Mr Mead is a bit of a navy expert and has designed a unit of work that looks at the changes of the Industrial Revolution through the eyes of the Royal Navy. On our trip we will see the Mary Rose, HMS Victory and HMS Warrior. See your teacher for more information.

New York and Washington

Following the great success of our visit to Beijing, the History department is once again planning its next foreign adventure. During the Easter holidays in 2009 we will be visiting New York and Washington as well as stopping off en route at the civil war battle site of Gettysburg. We will leave the UK on Friday 3rd April and arrive back on the morning of 9th April. The cost of the trip is £799. Please ask your History teacher for more information. 

Staff Changes

This year at the RGS will have a different feel to it. With the departure of Dr Martin Smith and James Smart at the end of the summer term, two new teachers will be found occupying rooms 20 and 21. We are delighted to welcome Simon Taylor and Ben Ellis to the department and have no doubt that the RGS boys will help them settle in quickly!

Year 7 Medieval Day

On Friday 11th July the whole of year 7 spent the day "off-timetable" learning about medieval life. The History Department invited a group of historical re-enactors into school and over the course of the day they ran a series of workshops and activities ranging from seige warfare, medieval weapons and archery to pottery and medieval food. The day was a great success and enjoyed by all and as a result it may well become an annual event.

French-History Trip

On Thursday 12th June 166 year 9 boys travelled to Northern France on the annual French-History trip. Over the weekend students explored many sites connected to WWI with a particluar focus on the Battle of the Somme. As usual, for the duration of the visit our boys stayed in pairs with French families which, as expected has had a big impact on their language skills. For a full report of our visit with photos visit the Modern Languages area on this website.

History Lecture

On Thursday 8th May the RGS History Department held its annual lecture. This year we were delighted to be joined by Professor Robert Service from Oxford University who spoke brilliantly on the subject of Lenin. The evening was thoroughly enjoyable and RGS students were joined by pupils from a number of other schools in what was a rare opportunity to listen to one of the country's leading historians.

The History Department Visits China

During the Easter holidays, the History Department visited Beijing. Following the great success of last year’s trip to Russia we headed further east and spent a week in China as it prepares for the upcoming Olympic Games. On our trip we visited The Great Wall, The Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and The Summer Palace although the opportunities for cheap DVDs, clothes and trainers never ceased to put a smile on students’ faces.

History Competitions

This year the History Department initiated two competitions to highlight and develop the ability of its students. The year 12 essay competition presented students with a choice of eight questions on areas of history that they had not studied before. Topics ranged from the nature of death during the Reformation to the American publics’ response to the Vietnam War. The Competition was won by Christopher Finn who wrote a superb essay on the impact of the Arab invasions in Europe from the seventh to the tenth century. The year 7 book review competition was won by Zachary Sturgess who wrote a thought provoking account of "Goodnight, Mr Tom".