History Explorers Summer Courses at Harrow
Discover fascinating people and events from the past, investigate how historians uncover what happened and develop the confidence to form ideas using evidence with Atlas Summer Courses. Our History Explorers summer courses at Harrow, designed for students aged 9–10 and 11–12, introduce young learners to historical thinking through engaging, age-appropriate lessons that encourage curiosity, investigation and discussion.
Through small-group teaching, interactive activities and historical challenges, students will explore different periods and perspectives, examine sources and become more confident asking questions and developing explanations of their own while enjoying the wider experience of spending their summer at Harrow with Atlas Summer Courses.
What's Included?
Your residential History Explorers summer course at Harrow combines academic teaching with the wider Atlas Summer Courses residential experience.
Students spend their week learning alongside other young people, with academic sessions complemented by activities and opportunities to socialise as part of the programme.
Explore History at Harrow
Our History Explorers summer courses at Harrow give students aged 9–10 and 11–12 the opportunity to spend a week investigating the past, examining historical evidence and discovering how historians build explanations as part of an Atlas Summer Courses summer experience.
History is about much more than remembering names and dates. Historians ask questions about why events happened, how people experienced the world differently and why societies changed over time. They also investigate evidence to work out what we can — and sometimes cannot — know about the past.
History Explorers encourages students to approach the past with curiosity. They'll consider different perspectives, investigate sources and begin to understand why two people might interpret the same event differently.
Across the course, students will be encouraged to ask questions, look carefully at evidence and explain the reasoning behind their ideas rather than simply learning a fixed version of what happened.
Outside their academic sessions, students will experience the wider programme alongside other young learners, combining their History course with the social and activity elements of their Atlas Summer Courses summer at Harrow.
What Will Students Study on a History Explorers Summer Course at Harrow?
There is no prescribed syllabus that every student follows. Atlas Summer Courses tutors shape their lessons around their expertise while ensuring activities, sources and historical questions are appropriate for the age and learning needs of the students in their group.
Depending on the tutor and age group, students could explore different historical periods, people, societies and events while developing their ability to investigate the past.
They might consider questions such as:
- How do we know what happened hundreds or thousands of years ago?
- What can objects, documents and other historical sources tell us?
- Why might different people describe the same event differently?
- What causes societies and civilisations to change?
- How can the decisions of individuals influence historical events?
- What was everyday life like for people living in different periods?
- Why can our understanding of the past change when new evidence is discovered?
The depth and approach will reflect whether students are aged 9–10 or 11–12, as well as the tutor's expertise and the interests of the group.
Any syllabus shown on our website is an example from a previous course rather than a guarantee of the exact periods, people, places or historical events students will explore.
How Students Will Learn on History Explorers
History Explorers is designed to make exploring the past active, enjoyable and accessible for younger students.
Ages 9–10 and 11–12
12 hours of small-group lessons
Across the week, students will take part in 12 hours of lessons designed to get them thinking, questioning and discussing historical ideas in a fun and interactive way.
Lessons follow a routine of review, learning and application, helping students build their understanding before applying new ideas to historical questions and challenges. Tutors will seek to involve everyone and encourage students to explain how evidence has influenced their conclusions.
Activities and stimuli will be age-appropriate and could include discussions, historical sources, images, maps, debates, investigations, role-based activities and collaborative challenges.
Students might, for example, investigate different sources to reconstruct a historical event, compare contrasting accounts or consider how people living in another period might have viewed a particular question.
Throughout the week, students will have opportunities to work independently and collaboratively, becoming more confident examining evidence, considering different perspectives and communicating their ideas.
Actual course content will vary depending on the expertise of the individual tutor.
Your Summer Experience at Harrow
A student's time with Atlas Summer Courses extends beyond their History Explorers lessons.
Students will spend their programme living and learning alongside other young people, combining academic sessions with the wider social and activity elements of their summer experience.
Outside lessons, there will be opportunities to spend time with other students, participate in organised activities and enjoy the wider residential programme.
The focus remains on the Atlas Summer Courses experience at Harrow: combining engaging academic learning with opportunities to develop confidence, independence and new friendships in a supportive summer environment.
Explore the summer experience at Harrow.
Who Are Our History Explorers Summer Courses at Harrow For?
Our History Explorers summer courses at Harrow are designed for curious students aged 9–10 and 11–12 who enjoy discovering stories from the past and asking questions about why people and societies behaved as they did.
Students don't need detailed historical knowledge before joining. The course may particularly appeal to young learners who enjoy History, reading about people and civilisations from the past, investigating mysteries, debating different explanations or discovering how life has changed over time.
Students also don't need to have one favourite historical period. History Explorers gives them the opportunity to encounter different questions and ways of investigating the past, helping them discover which aspects of History most capture their imagination.
Students can develop transferable skills including critical thinking, evaluating evidence, recognising different perspectives, reasoning, discussion, collaboration and communicating ideas clearly.
Learn from Expert Tutors
Atlas Summer Courses tutors are experienced educators and subject specialists who bring their own knowledge, interests and enthusiasm into their teaching.
For our younger students, tutors aim to create an environment where everyone feels encouraged to participate, ask questions and investigate ideas. History lessons are designed to be interactive and age-appropriate, helping students build confidence while learning how historians use evidence to understand the past.
Because tutors shape course content around their expertise and the students in their group, different History Explorers courses at Harrow may explore different periods, societies, historical questions and approaches to investigating the past.
Tutors are confirmed closer to the summer, so profiles on our website are examples of tutors who have previously taught with us rather than confirmation of who will teach a particular course.
What Can Students Gain from History Explorers?
History Explorers can help young students become more confident investigating questions, evaluating information and understanding that events can be viewed from different perspectives.
Students can begin developing the habits associated with historical thinking: asking useful questions, examining sources carefully, distinguishing between evidence and interpretation, considering cause and consequence and recognising that our understanding of the past can evolve.
These skills can support future learning across History, English, Politics, Law and other humanities and social sciences. More broadly, learning to evaluate evidence, understand different perspectives and communicate a reasoned conclusion can be valuable across many different areas of study.
A History Explorers summer course at Harrow gives students the opportunity to discover more about the past while developing curiosity, confidence and analytical skills that can support their learning well beyond the summer.
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FAQs about Our Junior Summer Courses
Atlas Summer Courses offers a range of summer courses at Harrow across subjects including Science, Maths, Medicine, Law, History, Technology, Creative Writing and Enterprise. The subjects available vary according to age group, with courses designed specifically for younger learners.
Our summer courses at Harrow include Explorers courses for students aged 9–10 and 11–12 and Scholars courses for students aged 12–14. Teaching and activities are designed around each age group, providing an appropriate level of academic challenge, support and independence.
Our residential summer courses at Harrow combine academic learning with accommodation and a wider programme of organised activities and opportunities to socialise with other students. The experience is designed to give younger learners a supportive environment in which they can explore their interests, build confidence and enjoy their summer with Atlas Programmes.
No. Atlas Summer Courses is an independent summer course provider and is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by Harrow School. Our summer courses at Harrow are organised and delivered by Atlas Programmes, with the focus on our courses and the wider Atlas Programmes summer experience.
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