A prestigious independent school is to become the first in the country to make history compulsory for sixth-form pupils.

Pupils at Brighton College will spend an hour a week studying history on top of their chosen A Levels but will not have sit exams in the subject.

Headmaster Richard Cairns told a national newspaper the move was in response to the “disgrace” that the subject was not compulsory in the UK beyond the age of 14.

In their first year, pupils at the school in Eastern Road in Brighton will be taught the history of Britain from the Romans to the Victorians while in their second year lessons will cover international history and UK foreign policy.

Mr Cairns told The Times: “History is not compulsory beyond the age of 14 in Britain.

“It is a disgrace that we are the only country in the European Union where this is the case.

“This also means that most history is studied in primary schools, usually in bite-size chunks with no obvious connections between topics.”