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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
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
What can I do to improve history where I teach?
Challenge: what actions will you take to secure
better history in your school?
Email: [email protected]
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
Primary headlines

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
Secondary headlines – successes

History is successful in most of the secondary schools visited
because it is

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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
GCSE Entries 1997-2012
600,000
Number of entrants
500,000
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
0
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Art and Design
French
IT
Business Studies
Geography
Media/Film/TV
Drama
German
Music
Figures from 2005 onwards are for end of KS4. Figures prior to this are for pupils aged 15
English Literature
History
GCSE History Entries 1997-2012
GCSE History Entries
Number of Full GCSE History entrants
200,000
180,000
40%
207,500
202,900
35%
32%
33%
31%
35%
31%
30%
160,000
140,000
25%
120,000
20%
100,000
15%
80,000
60,000
10%
40,000
5%
20,000
0
0%
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
% of end-KS4 pupils
Full GCSE History
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
Proportion of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4
220,000
A level and AS level History Entries 1997-2012
70,000
65,000
59,670 students
were entered for
AS-level in 2012
60,000
55,000
Number of entries
50,000
45,000
45,630
40,000
35,000
30,000
36,100
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
1997
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Secondary concerns – Key Stage 3

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increasing non-specialist teaching – 28% no relevant degree

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reductions in teaching time for history – average: 60-90mins a week

poor planning for progression in the developments of students’
knowledge, understanding and subject-specific thinking


misuse of levels of attainment

Result
whole-school curriculum changes in KS3 – e.g. two year KS3; cross
curricular teaching; competencies rather than subjects
insufficient emphasis upon developing students’ analytical and
discursive writing
the failure of some subject leaders to provide a rationale for the
curriculum they had put in place


history has become marginalised in some schools
standards are too variable and progress is not fast enough
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)
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


The growth of the one-year GCSE

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?
Assessment at GCSE: formulaic teaching leading to formulaic
responses.
Most students who take history beyond KS3 study modern world
topics at GCSE and at A level
What are the characteristics of
highly effective teaching and
learning in history?
Overview:
the constituents of highly effective teaching

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Subject expertise
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
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knowledge
dynamic subject
why history matters
why topics are worth studying
Learning

rigorous historical enquiry
Historical thinking & understanding

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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
Case Study:
Developing historical thinking
Fox Primary School, London

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’.
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
The constituents of highly effective teaching and
learning
History survey visits
Generic grade descriptors and supplementary
subject-specific guidance for inspectors on making
judgements during visits to schools

Ofsted, 2010; revised January 2013
Resources
What makes a highly effective
history curriculum in a school?
Overview:
The constituents of a highly effective curriculum

Acquisition of knowledge and development of chronological
understanding
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
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
Understanding of key historical concepts

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Distinctive and reflects pupils’ needs, interests and aspirations
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
Wide range of enrichment activities
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?
What are the characteristics of highly
effective leadership?
Overview:
Characteristics of highly effective leadership
The effectiveness and high profile of history in the school is based on:
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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
Gender: achievement of boys and girls
75
69
% pupils achieving A*-C
70
5
65
69
6
60
60
55
50
63
63
2005
2006
71
70
6
6
65
64
74
74
74
7
7
6
67
67
2010
2011
72
6
66
68
7
53
45
40
1997
2007
2008
Boys
2009
Girls
2012
Deprivation: achievement by free school meals
SEN: achievement
Ethnic groups: achievement
100
86 878785
84
81
787979
757677
Percent achieving A*-C
80
6566
6464
60
60
58
797878
7677
72
68
66
64
6061
58
676868
626363
646566
575859
545455
53
5051
43
40
38
40
29
27
25
20
0
African
Bangladeshi
Caribbean
2007
Chinese
2008
2009
Gypsy /
Romany*
2010
Indian
2011
2012
Irish
Pakistani
White British
Regional variations
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GCSE history entries by region 2013
Top
East of England
40.4%
Bottom
North East
34.7%
GCSE history entries by local authority 2013
Top
Richmond upon Thames
53.9%
Bottom
Middlesbrough
21.7%
GCSE history entries for England 2013
England
38.8%
Characteristics of highly effective leadership
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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
What can the inspectorate do
for you?
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
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/insp
ection-reports/our-expertknowledge/history-0
Take a look at this:
Ofsted’s supplementary
subject specific guidance
for inspectors on making
judgements on subject
inspections
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)
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Ensuring rigorous historical thinking (Cottenham Village College,
Cambridgeshire)
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Making the most of local history (Cape Cornwall School, Cornwall)
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Outstanding history in a two year KS3 (Harris Academy Crystal Palace, London)

Developing outstanding historical thinking in primary schools (Fox Primary
School, London)
Outstanding teaching and learning in history in 100 minutes (Farlingaye
High School, Suffolk)
Making history motivating, memorable and meaningful by inspiring
teachers through an effective area partnership (Hampshire Secondary History
Network)
Ofsted’s subject professional development materials:
History
A training resource for
teachers of history in
secondary schools
2012
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:
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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
Planning for the future
… next steps for you …
The new National Curriculum for history, 2014
Key Stage 3
November 2013
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.
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’
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.
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.
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.
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 ‘nonstatutory’.

Pupils should be taught about: …
Summary: subject content KS3

British history 1066 to the present day:
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
the development of Church, state and society in Medieval Britain
1066-1509
 the development of Church, state and society in Britain 15091745
 ideas, political power, industry and empire: Britain, 1745-1901
 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
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
‘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
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?
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
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?

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
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Teach through historical enquiries – provide the means not the outcome

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


Embed the language of history – use historical terminology regularly
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
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
And never forget … make history …

Accessible

Meaningful

Achievable
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPtYmq5qFVA
National Lead:
[email protected]