1. History in schools: learning from the past, planning for the future
Michael Maddison HMI
National Lead for History, England
SHP Conference: Changing School History
British Library, 30 November 2013

2. History for all: accessible, meaningful & achievable
Outline
History in schools: learning from the past, planning for the future
What do we know about the effectiveness of history in schools?
What does inspection tell us are the components and characteristics of highly effective history?
What do we need to think about as we plan for the future?
History for all: accessible, meaningful & achievable

3. What can I do to improve history where I teach?
Challenge: what actions will you take to secure better history in your school?

4. National scene: Ofsted’s evidence
Overview: a mixed picture – a successful subject in school but under pressure and some significant aspects in need of improvement

5. Primary headlines Action for you: Primary strengths:
pupils have better knowledge and make better progress where history is discrete
teaching is generally good but increasingly variable
Primary weaknesses:
pupils’ knowledge is episodic
pupils’ chronological understanding is increasingly variable and their ability to make links across the knowledge they have gained is weak
Action for you:
know more about history in primary schools, especially Years 5 and 6.
develop closer links with your feeder schools

6. Secondary headlines – successes
History is successful in most of the secondary schools visited because it is
well taught by very well-qualified and highly competent teachers
well led.
The National Curriculum at Key Stage 3 (11-14) has led to much high-quality teaching and learning in history.
Attainment is high in the secondary schools visited and has continued to rise, particularly at GCSE and A level
Entries at GCSE and A level are also rising

7. GCSE Entries
Figures from 2005 onwards are for end of KS4. Figures prior to this are for pupils aged 15

8. GCSE History Entries
Figures from 2005 onwards are for end of KS4. Figures prior to this are for pupils aged 15
*2011 rev includes accredited iGCSE history courses

9. A level and AS level History Entries 1997-2012
59,670 students were entered for AS-level in 2012

10. Secondary concerns – Key Stage 3
increasing non-specialist teaching – 28% no relevant degree
whole-school curriculum changes in KS3 – e.g. two year KS3; cross curricular teaching; competencies rather than subjects
reductions in teaching time for history – average: 60-90mins a week
insufficient emphasis upon developing students’ analytical and discursive writing
poor planning for progression in the developments of students’ knowledge, understanding and subject-specific thinking
misuse of levels of attainment
the failure of some subject leaders to provide a rationale for the curriculum they had put in place
Result
history has become marginalised in some schools
standards are too variable and progress is not fast enough

11. The rise and rise of ‘all, most and some’
Example Year 8:
All pupils will be able to explain some of the reasons why their inventor was the best of the Victorian era
Most pupils will be able to explain all of the reasons why their inventor was the best inventor of the Victorian era
Some pupils will be able to explain and prioritise the reasons why their inventor was the best inventor of the Victorian era
Example Year 7:
Good learning: you can identify the reasons why the Roman Army was successful (L4)
Great learning: you can explain why the Roman Army was successful (L5)
Even better learning: you can evaluate the most important reason why the Roman Army was so successful (L6)

12. Secondary Concerns – Key Stage 4 & post 16
Some students continue to be restricted in their subject options at GCSE
Lower ability students are not served well at KS4
Assessment at GCSE: formulaic teaching leading to formulaic responses.
The growth of the one-year GCSE
Most students who take history beyond KS3 study modern world topics at GCSE and at A level
Over-dependence on set text books does not prepare students well in some sixth forms for the challenges of higher education.
Key question: Does the current reform of GCSE and A level offer an opportunity to deal with these concerns?

13. What are the characteristics of highly effective teaching and learning in history?

14. Overview: the constituents of highly effective teaching
Subject expertise
knowledge
dynamic subject
why history matters
why topics are worth studying
Learning
rigorous historical enquiry
Historical thinking & understanding
Historical thinking = ability to investigate, consider, reflect and review the events of the past
Assessment
enabling teachers to refine their practice and pupils to build securely on prior learning

15. Case Study: Developing historical thinking
Context: a group of pupils in Years 2 and 3 were studying the diary of Samuel Pepys.
Discussion: when asked how they would deal with another diary which told them something different, their response was unequivocal. ‘That’s ok’, said a Year 3 pupil, ‘because we would be able to check what Samuel Pepys had written’. Another pupil added, ‘We would have another point of view. You know someone who perhaps lived in another part of London and so lived life differently’.
Fox Primary School, London

16. Case Study: The principles of high quality enquiry work
No 4: There is an element of the enquiry being contentious.
No 5: There is a coherence to the way the enquiry progresses.
No 9: There should be some new injection of evidence, possibly contradictory to the earlier sources, to simulate the reality of historical research and to encourage students to react to it.
No 12: Enquires should be made relevant and meaningful to students’ lives and current events.
Hampshire Secondary History Network

17. The constituents of highly effective teaching and learning
Ofsted, 2010; revised January 2013
Resources

18. What makes a highly effective history curriculum in a school?

19. Overview: The constituents of a highly effective curriculum
Acquisition of knowledge and development of chronological understanding
Understanding of key historical concepts
Development of historical thinking through enquiries
Clarity of rationale and thinking
Assessment which reveals whether aims are being achieved
An increasing level of expectation and challenge to ensure progression in historical knowledge, thinking and understanding
Distinctive and reflects pupils’ needs, interests and aspirations
Wide range of enrichment activities

20. How do we know it is highly effective?
Clarity of rationale and thinking
Why are we teaching, what we are teaching, how we are teaching it, when we are teaching it?
What do we want pupils to know, do and understand at the end that they didn’t know, couldn’t do and didn't understand at the beginning?

21. What are the characteristics of highly effective leadership?

22. Overview: Characteristics of highly effective leadership
The effectiveness and high profile of history in the school is based on:
visionary leadership and highly efficient management
commitment and enthusiasm of all history teachers
excellent understanding of current developments in the subject
a sustained record of innovation and success in inspiring pupils and improving their achievement
constant focus on inspiring confidence in and commitment to history in pupils and colleagues
critical self-evaluation - well informed by
exciting practice in history
the effective analysis of performance

23. Gender: achievement of boys and girls

24. Deprivation: achievement by free school meals

25. SEN: achievement

26. Ethnic groups: achievement

27. Regional variations GCSE history entries by region 2013
GCSE history entries by local authority 2013
GCSE history entries for England 2013
Top
East of England
40.4%
Bottom
North East
34.7%
Top
Richmond upon Thames
53.9%
Bottom
Middlesbrough
21.7%
England
38.8%

28. Characteristics of highly effective leadership
robust quality assurance leading to prompt, decisive action to tackle relative weaknesses in teaching and learning in history
excellent collaboration among teachers underpinned by joint planning and the effective sharing of good practice in history
subject-specific professional development needs of all staff are very effectively and comprehensively assessed and met
ambitious aims
based on a clear rationale for the subject and its place in the education of pupils
well communicated to staff and pupils, and matched with skilled deployment of resources, including staffing
subject makes an excellent contribution to whole-school priorities, including consistent application of literacy and numeracy policies

29. What can the inspectorate do for you?

30. Ofsted’s history subject web pages
Keep up-to-date with Ofsted's work in history
Visit the dedicated history web pages on the Ofsted website at
Take a look at this:
Ofsted’s supplementary subject specific guidance for inspectors on making judgements on subject inspections

31. Case Studies
Meaningful history for all – inclusion central to teaching and learning (Lampton School Academy, London)
Putting the local community at the heart of the KS3 history curriculum (Copleston High School, Suffolk)
Ensuring rigorous historical thinking (Cottenham Village College, Cambridgeshire)
Making the most of local history (Cape Cornwall School, Cornwall)
Outstanding teaching and learning in history in 100 minutes (Farlingaye High School, Suffolk)
Outstanding history in a two year KS3 (Harris Academy Crystal Palace, London)
Making history motivating, memorable and meaningful by inspiring teachers through an effective area partnership (Hampshire Secondary History Network)
Developing outstanding historical thinking in primary schools (Fox Primary School, London)

32. Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: History
A training resource for teachers of history in secondary schools
2012

33. Overview
This training looks at five issues considered in the report. It poses questions for discussion and provides some of the commentary from the report. The questions covered are:
How popular is history in your school?
What history don’t you teach and why don’t you teach it?
How can you ensure the most effective teaching in history?
How can you ensure the best learning in history?
How effectively do you meet the subject-specific history training needs of the teachers in your school?
You can take the issues in any order and spend as long as you like on each one. However, we suggest that at some stage you find time to look at all five.
Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

34. Planning for the future … next steps for you …

35. The new National Curriculum for history, 2014
Key Stage 3
November 2013

36. Purpose of study
A high-quality history education will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world.
It should inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past. Teaching should equip pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop perspective and judgement.
History helps pupils to understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of their time.

37. Aims
The national curriculum for history aims to ensure that all pupils:
know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world
know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic
gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’

38. Aims - continued
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 the methods of historical enquiry, including 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.

39. Attainment targets
By the end of key stage 3, pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified in the programme of study.

40. Subject content KS3 - preamble
Pupils should extend and deepen their chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, so that it provides a well-informed context for wider learning.
Pupils should identify significant events, make connections, draw contrasts, and analyse trends within periods and over long arcs of time.
They should use historical terms and concepts in increasingly sophisticated ways.
They should pursue historically valid enquiries including some they have framed themselves, and create relevant, structured and evidentially supported accounts in response.
They should understand how different types of historical sources are used rigorously to make historical claims and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed.

41. Subject content KS3
In planning to ensure the progression described above through teaching the British, local and world history outlined below, teachers should combine overview and depth studies to help pupils understand both the long arc of development and the complexity of specific aspects of the content.
Schools are not required by law to teach the example content in [square brackets] or the content indicated as being ‘non-statutory’.
Pupils should be taught about: …

42. Summary: subject content KS3
British history 1066 to the present day:
the development of Church, state and society in Medieval Britain
the development of Church, state and society in Britain
ideas, political power, industry and empire: Britain,
challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world 1901 to the present day (including studying the Holocaust)
a local history study
the study of an aspect or theme in British history that consolidates and extends pupils’ chronological knowledge from before 1066
at least one study of a significant society or issue in world history and its interconnections with other world developments

43. Subject Content KS3
the study of an aspect or theme in British history that consolidates and extends pupils’ chronological knowledge from before 1066
Examples (non-statutory)
the changing nature of political power in Britain, traced through selective case studies from the Iron Age to the present
Britain’s changing landscape from the Iron Age to the present
a study of an aspect of social history, such as the impact through time of the migration of people to, from and within the British Isles
a study in depth into a significant turning point: for example, the Neolithic Revolution

44. ‘The only constant in life is change’
Year
Developments in history
2013/14
Disapplication of National Curriculum
First teaching of tweaked GCSEs (including history)
2014/15
First teaching of new National Curriculum
2015/16
First teaching of new AS and A levels (including history)
First teaching of new GCSEs in English language and literature and mathematics
End of first cycle new KS3 (Two year KS3)
First exams revised AS
2016/17
First teaching of new GCSEs in other subjects begin (including history)
New AS and A levels begin (Maths and languages)
End of first cycle new KS3 (Three year KS3)
First exams revised A level
2017/18
First exams revised GCSE
End of first full four year cycle at KS2

45. Some questions: How are you making best use of disapplication over the coming year? What do you need to do to ensure you have the requisite subject knowledge? What will your KS3 curriculum overview look like? How do we teach what we teach?

46. What can I do to improve history where I teach?
Challenge: what actions have you noted to secure better history in your school?
Task: tell me about highly effective practice – for example:
creating new schemes of work at KS3
creating new enquiries
assessing without levels
assisting primary schools

47. When teaching history remember to …
Plan only when you have answered the question: What do you want your pupils to know, do and understand historically at the end of the history topic/unit that they didn’t know, couldn’t do and didn’t understand when they started?
Teach through historical enquiries – provide the means not the outcome
Develop pupils’ historical questioning rather than providing the answers
Create time for historical debate, discussion and reflection prior to writing
Focus on analytical and discursive writing in history as well as descriptive and narrative writing
Embed the language of history – use historical terminology regularly
Use differentiation by outcome and by task when assessing in history
Include a history comment when marking a history piece of work
Emphasise historical thinking whether history is discrete or integrated
Use historical enrichment regularly to support learning

48. And never forget … make history …
Accessible
Meaningful
Achievable

49. National Lead: michael.maddison@ofsted.gov.uk