Ysgol Rhiwabon
At Ysgol Rhiwabon, the History department has extended the subject beyond the curriculum by running extra curricular activities. Pupils in KS3 were invited to enter the Historical Writing Competition run by the Historical Association. Two entries were submitted by the department. One story was based in the Roman Empire, the other in Victorian Wales. In addition, ‘History through Film’ Club has been set up, which enables students to experience the subject in a more informal format and has opened up historical debate. Examples of films watched include Sophia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, A Knight’s Tale, and Titanic. As one Year 8 pupil states:
“It was great at Film Club, because we were able to study areas of History that we weren’t covering in class.”
Field visits have also been initiated, with a Year 12 trip to Manchester University with Sovereign Education. One Sixth Former commented:
“I found the trip beneficial to my course. The information given was of a high standard and, as there were a number of historians present, the variation of arguments and debates put forward were extremely helpful for my work. "
Year 7 pupils attended a Medieval Banquet, where they enjoyed a ghost tour of the old ruins, a Traditional Medieval Banquet and lessons in Welsh Folk Dancing. Pupils thoroughly enjoyed being able to experience History outside of the classroom. As one pupil stated after visiting the castle:
“ I think it’s great going on trips like this, because you can actually experience what it was like. We were taught the art of medieval dancing, given salted bread to eat, and then escorted to a dining hall for a banquet. Deryn and Katie were elected Baron and Baroness.”
Ysgol Rhiwabon is a mixed community comprehensive school in Ruabon, Wrexham, Wales, for 11-18 year-olds. There are 577 pupils on the roll, including 90 in the sixth form.