“The past is never dead. It is not even past.” William Faulkner
History is the study of human activity in the past. At its broadest it covers all aspects of human existence and is, therefore, a very wide-ranging subject.
The History department has two main aims. Firstly, it seeks to promote an enthusiasm for the subject; lessons provide a stimulating environment to engage pupils of all abilities. Secondly, it aims to introduce our girls to various types of history, social, economic, political and cultural, to enable them to develop a much wider perspective of the subject.
The department is determined that our girls should look forward to their lessons and thereby develop a heartfelt and long
lasting enthusiasm for the subject. In addition, we use a range of innovative and challenging teaching methods designed to make pupils enjoy lessons and to provoke them to think hard about historical concepts. We are committed to making our subject fun and accessible, as well as academically rigorous. It is one of the most highly regarded courses by universities. Girls at Harrogate Ladies’ College perform well in History exams because they have been well prepared for them (the Head of History is an experienced examiner), but also because of the genuine commitment to the subject that they develop during their time with us.
The History department supports work in school through a variety of enrichment opportunities. We believe strongly in the value of educational trips. For example, the First World War battlefields trip is the culmination of Upper 4 (Year 9) History. Girls have the opportunity to travel to France and Belgium and visit some of the sites they 
have learned about during the year. In particular, the experience of visiting the cemeteries and laying wreaths on the graves of relatives is memorable, moving and of huge lasting value.
The course in the first three years of the secondary section, Upper 3 to Upper 4, (Years 7-9) provides pupils with a broad introduction to British and European History from the Norman Conquest to the twentieth century.
At GCSE, pupils follow an AQA course focusing on major events in on the twentieth century. Topics focused on include:Peacemaking and the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler’s foreign policy, the Cold War, 1945-55, Weimar Germany, Stalinist Russia and the USA and Vietnam.
The A level course focuses principally on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. At AS level the course investigates Tsarist Russia from 1855 to 1917 and Life in Nazi Germany, 1933-45. Whilst at A2, the History course comprises of a study into the Making of Modern Britain, 1951-2007 and an independent Historical Enquiry.
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