Thank you to Simon Harrison, Headteacher of Crofton School and member of HA Secondary Committee, for this blogpost. In in Simon discusses line management by specialists and non-specialists, and points us in the direction of support for the latter to help them with their understanding of history as a school subject. As a history teaching headteacher, I find it hard to keep my nose out … Continue reading How special(ist) is your Line Manager?
Thanks to Martyn Bajkowski, Head of History at Pleckgate School and member of Secondary Committee, for sharing work on assessment at Key Stage 3. Martyn shares how his department have read, thought and discussed their way to a manageable system that is focused on secure historical learning. Pupils find it engaging and it is providing the department with useful data to use to work on … Continue reading Where do marks on KS3 assessments come from?
As we near the end of the long autumn term, subject leaders may be starting to think about preparation for INSET time at the start of January. The HA is here to help with a range of CPD guides that SLs can use to structure learning together as a department. You can find the currently available guides here. The most recent guide focuses on literacy … Continue reading Literacy and Oracy in History – a new HA CPD guide
Thanks to Ruth Lingard (@YorkClio), Head of History at Millthorpe School in York for this blogpost. Ruth is laying down a challenge to us all to refocus on oracy. Our primary colleagues do this in history. Our colleagues in independent schools do this in history. How might we be short-changing our students if oracy is not at the heart of all historical learning in schools? … Continue reading Time to bring back oracy!
Thanks to Jason Todd, Oxford University and HA Trustee, for this blogpost. Jason worked with Natasha Robinson and a team of contributers to create the podcast series ‘Confronting Controversial History’. Here, Jason explains the context to these podcasts and that they are intended to enable teachers to confidently engage with the topics and with further conversations about controversial histories. In October 2019 we organised a … Continue reading New Podcast Series: Confronting Controversial History
Thanks to Anne Hooper, member of HA Secondary Committee, for modelling how her department has trawled the back issues of Teaching History for curriculum planning support. The ‘vague recollection’ she talks abouts is not there in the minds of new members, but there are always people to ask. For example, a call out on Twitter for ‘anyone know a TH article that can help with…’ … Continue reading Planning help from back issues of Teaching History
At Secondary Committee this term we have allowed ourselves to enjoy the feeling in schools of life returning to pre-pandemic norms. We want to seize that and rekindle our love of all those things we lost when we had to ‘teach from the front behind the line’. This is the first of a series of occasional blogposts that will accompany our other efforts this year … Continue reading Accessible Battlefields’ visits
Thanks to Hugh Richards, Head of History at Huntington School and course leader of the HA’s Subject Leader Development Programme, for this blogpost. In it Hugh walks us through the process of planning a GCSE History Unit. From that he draws out GCSE planning principles. This blogpost is useful for anyone also planning GCSE units and to discuss in departmental CPD. I have recently planned … Continue reading Curricular implementation at Key Stage 4: Anatomy of a GCSE History Unit.
Thank you to William Carver of The Licoricia of Winchester Appeal (mail@licoricia.org) for this blogpost. The story of Licoricia of Winchester provides a window into the 13th century world and offers a story that can build coherent knowledge from the later to the earlier middle ages. Her story also illuminates the story of Jewish people in England in the period and is therefore an important … Continue reading A 13thC Jewish woman: Licoricia of Winchester
In this blogpost Hugh Richards shares his experience of results’ days. Hugh is Head of History at Huntington School in York and the leader of the team of SLs who work on the HA’s Subject Leader Development Programme. Firstly, I am no expert on data. I am an experienced head of department, but I am not claiming any particular authority, just sharing my approach in … Continue reading Some thoughts on responding to results: a guide for new (or nervous!) Subject Leaders of History
OBHD 