1. Teaching the unteachable? Planning for the new Key Stage 3 Barbara Hibbert and Andrew Wrenn SSAT 17 th May 2013

2. Where are we now? – Draft curriculum published in February – Discussions led by HA and other learned bodies as well as other campaigns – Consultation closed 16 th April – No response yet – Hope to have a final version by late summer

3. Where are we going? June 2013: consultation on reform of GCSEs Sept 2013: first teaching of ‘strengthened’ GCSE history; national curriculum ‘disapplied’ Aug 2014: first results for linear GCSEs Sept 2014: first teaching of new NC KS1-3; specifications for new GCSEs, A levels and AS with schools? Sept 2015: first teaching of new GCSEs, new standalone AS, new linear A levels.

5. What have NC proposals got to do with you? What happens with new GCSE specifications will be key driver of what needs to be taught at KS3 Transition between phases and sectors of education happens Pupils do need a ‘useable map of the past’. Do they get that from current programmes of study? Both opportunities and problems

6. A quick focus on the aims know and understand the story of these islands: how the British people shaped this nation and how Britain influenced the world know and understand British history as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the story of the first settlers in these islands to the development of the institutions which govern our lives today know and understand the broad outlines of European and world history: the growth and decline of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; the achievements and follies of mankind

7. Aims continued gain and deploy a historically-grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’ understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses understand how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.

8. How can you fit it all in? KS3 has 20 topics and 62 sub bullet points. How much time will you have to deliver this? How long is KS3 in your school? Are your KS3 teachers history specialists? Will the content help to fulfil the stated aims?

9. Why focus on enquiries? The wording of an enquiry frames the learning for a number of lessons – moving away from the ‘tyranny of the lesson’ The strongest are those with a clear conceptual framework This is NOT about ‘skills’ but about knitting together learning Allows for constant revisiting of knowledge and addition of new knowledge – this means more demanding content can be absorbed

10. How would you formulate an enquiry question for each of these concepts using the content proposed? Cause and Consequence Similarity and Diversity Change and Continuity Historical Significance Evidence Interpretations

11. Should we be proud of the British Empire? Why do opinions of Victoria’s Empire keep changing?

12. Similarity and Difference Who fought on the Western Front? How different were the attitudes of the rulers and the ruled in the British Empire?

13. Causes and Consequences Why was universal suffrage introduced? Why did Britain’s role in the world change after the Second World War?

14. Change and Continuity Which reform has done the most to change life in Britain in the 20 th century? How close was Britain to revolution between 1789 and 1832?

15. Significance Why do we still remember the Peace talks of 1919? How should Winston Churchill be remembered?

16. Evidence Why is it hard to decide whether Edwardian Britain was a Golden Age? What can the Great Exhibition of 1851 tell us about Victorian Britain?

17. So – is the new NC unteachable?

18. Can we give pupils a ‘useable framework of the past’?