Site Reviews

Secondary

What do secondary colleagues say about keystage history?

Ben Walsh the highly accomplished textbook writer and inspirational INSET provider writes about the website:
Keystage history has three great strengths. Firstly, the coherent structure built around issues which every teacher recognises as being important. Secondly, the quality of the outstanding lessons which students and teachers will understand, follow, and God forbid, even enjoy! Thirdly, you get a real feel that someone who has 'been there' is just sitting down and talking to you, offering examples from his experience that will work in different circumstances. This is exactly what many departments need. (September 2008)

Anne Richardson, History Subject Leader, Toynbee School, Chandler’s Ford
Keystage History is our first port of call for inspirational and high quality lesson plans/ ideas and resources and rarely a week goes by without us using something in our lessons from the website – we have particularly appreciated the Liberal Reforms resources which have certainly livened up our lessons! I also find the sections on Curriculum Design, Planning and Progression for example, invaluable in helping me to assess where we are as a department and helping us to plan our development. Hot Topics and In the News are really useful and visited regularly…. in fact it all is … a first class resource and amazing value! (February 2012)

Richard McFahn, Humanities adviser in West Sussex writes in October 2011
My first port of call when asked to work with teachers across the age range is always keystagehistory.co.uk. This website is simply immense. It has clear, sensible advice, training activities and outstanding lessons to download and use off the peg. I cannot recommend keystagehistory highly enough. It really is a treasure chest of brilliant ideas and offers practical solutions for all teachers across the age range. It covers every area you need to know about as a teacher, subject leader and a history adviser. It is like having your own on-line expert always available at your finger tips! The subscription is money very well spent.

Kate Mason, Head of Humanities , Ivanhoe College, Leicestershire.
The kids love the lesson about the cruelty of the Lash and it really gets them to consider evidence in detail and the context of the evidence. It helps them to understand that significance and interpretations change over time. I have found the site very interesting, myself. (September 2011)

Kathryn Langford-Holt, Bearwood College, Wokingham
I have been a subscriber to Key Stage History for three years and I have found it to be an invaluable source of information on effective pedagogy. The excellent resources and advice have been a continual support throughout my development as both a new teacher and as a Head of History. I quickly realised how indispensable this website was when I moved schools and I have swiftly re-subscribed and extolled its virtues to my new department! (March 2011)

Jenny Laycock, City of Norwich School
The site has helped me with new and innovative ways of teaching concepts and ideas with the range of teaching resources and also allowed me to develop professionally looking at ideas like AFL in the classroom. With most of us not able to go on expensive INSET now, the site provides a way of looking into other classrooms and seeing what other people do. I also like the way the resources are produced to a really high quality, but they can be easily adapted to suit the needs of our classes/pupils. (October 2010)

Claire Horobin, Director of Social Studies at Sidney Stringer School Coventry
writes in July 2010: “I find the site very user friendly and inspirational. The lessons that I've used all went down really well, and were easy to adapt to my individual class needs. I liked the way that the lessons all had clear progression in them, and the resources were of a really high quality. There is no doubt the lessons have enhanced the quality of our students’ learning. I really rate the resources and think the site is very good value for money”.

Alan Chan from Canon Palmer School , Ilford,
writes in June 2010: "The outstanding lessons section is brilliant"

Barbara Hibbert, Harrogate Grammar School
writes: “I am very happy with the website . Unusually, I find that I can use many of your lessons almost ‘off the peg’!” (1st June 2010)

Rachel O'Neill, St Philomena's RC High School for Girls, Carshalton
I have used a lot of the lesson plans and the pupils have really enjoyed the activities. The plans are easy to use and allow for differentiation. (August 2010)

Claire Conley-Harper, Court Moor School
Just wanted to say a thank you for the lovely cartoon and interpretations lesson on Manchuria and Abyssinia. I was absolutely delighted to find it and used it exactly as it stands with my year 10 class on Wednesday. It generated some great discussion and really got the students thinking! (November 2009)

Tim Johnson
I teach at a school in North Birmingham and it is my first Subject Leader's post. I have to say I have found the resources and advice on your website extremely useful in helping me put things in place for moving the department even further forward next year’. (August 2009)

Sarah Herrity, Wyvern Technology College
What a fantastic website, definitely worth the money because of the quality resources you can download. The Outstanding Lessons is a goldmine. The step by step guide is invaluable.

Reviews about Neil's advisory work from secondary colleagues

Simon Harrison, History AST, now Deputy Headteacher at Swanmore Technology College, nr. Southampton writes:
During the 13 years I have worked with Neil his support has never been less than outstanding. The one to one support he offers is constructive, incisive and always focussed on improving the quality of learning. Neil's combination of passion for his subject and breadth of experience has always ensured that his advice carries great authority, continuously developing the practice of both myself, my department and countless other history teachers in Hampshire and beyond. Neil's courses are meticulously planned and professionally delivered to ensure relevance, engagement and inspiration. I've yet to attend a course run by Neil that hasn't left me with an array of ideas to apply in the classroom, many of them the next day! I, and perhaps more importantly the pupils I teach, have benefited enormously from working with Neil - I would recommend him to any teacher who wants both inspiration and practicality, a rare combination in my experience.

Claire Conley-Harper, Head of History, Court Moor School, Fleet writes:
Neil's support has been invaluable to us, providing inspiration, encouragement and challenge. He promotes thought provoking and intelligent debate about teaching History, alongside practical support to develop classroom activities and enhance the experience of History for students.

Steve Rollett, Head of History Noadswood School, Dibden Purlieu, nr. Southampton writes:
The quality of Neil's understanding, analysis and advice relating to History teaching is without question the best that I have found. Neil has the ability to offer cutting-edge solutions to any issues - teaching and learning, leadership, curriculum, assessment and many more. The improvements we have made at KS3 have been drawn from work done by Neil. He always seems to be one step ahead with an insight into the latest thinking, a new idea to try out or a better twist on an old lesson.

Sarah Herrity, History AST, Wyvern Technology College, nr. Eastleigh writes:
Neil has had an invaluable impact on my practice as a teacher, Head of History and as an AST. He has inspired and supported me and countless other history teachers within Hampshire to achieve the very highest standards in all of these roles. His breadth and depth of knowledge in terms of history as a subject, teaching practice and current educational issues/research ensures that his advice is both tried and tested and up to date and therefore carries great weight.

Neil Bates, Head of History, Fort Hill School, Basingstoke writes:
Above and beyond a thorough knowledge of all aspects of history teaching (from government policy down to the nitty-gritty of classroom practice), what always impressed me about Neil was his ability to innovate. Where I would see one possibility for a lesson or activity, he would see several. Neil would always see potential pitfalls and have solutions ready at hand. He has an ability to see how an idea for a lesson or an activity could be adapted for different contexts, whether these be students, schools or practitioners. I can say in all honesty that any success I have had as a history teacher has been supported, guided and encouraged by Neil.

What do primary colleagues say about keystage history?

I was initially inspired by a couple of fantastic lessons from the Outstanding lessons section. I tried them out with my Y1 / 2 class and they worked an absolute treat. The resources and photographs really got the children thinking and sparked their interest. Looking more generally at the site, the lessons are relevant, fun and interesting and it's also nice to have lots of advice about how to improve my teaching in the Teaching Approaches and other sections. Claire Bradshaw, Glendale Infant School (May 2012)

Key Stage History is a fantastic resource for both the skilled and unskilled practitioner. The important elements that every teacher recognises are pulled together into a central area that is regularly reviewed and updated. The quality of the Outstanding Lessons section is second to none - it is a very rare occurrence to be able to pick up a lesson plan from a website and teach it as it is written knowing that all pupils are likely to make progress. Finally, you know that somebody who has 'been there, done it and got the t-shirt' is at the end of an email willing to respond and develop on anything contained within the site. This resource is exactly what every subject needs! Mike Mullen, Knights Enham Junior School Andover (November 2011)

I'd like to resubscribe. It's brilliant. Eliot Watkins, King's College Junior School (June 2011)

Alexandra Wilson, St Aubyns School writes (December 2010) I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for providing such an excellent and resourceful site. I am in the process or re-writing a scheme of work for Year 6 pupils and have found your site not only informative but extremely useful in terms of resources. My pupils loved the lesson on the Victorian census! We had great fun and the class really developed enquiring minds! Thanks!

Sarah Atherton, Deputy Headteacher, Belleville School writes (November 2010) We have spent a lot of time talking about how we develop an understanding of what history is with staff and how we develop historians in our classrooms so reading the subheadings on your site really struck a chord! I also really liked the comprehensive nature - looking at curriculum design, planning etc and the sample outstanding lessons were great and I could really see how they would work in our school both for the teachers and the children.

I signed up for Keystage History looking for some guidance and support after being appointed as History Coordinator at my school. I've found it a really worthwhile investment, and have found the 'Outstanding Lessons' and '100 Teaching Ideas' sections particularly useful when trying to generate innovative lesson ideas. (October 2010)
Jon Whitely, History Coordinator, Baden-Powell and St Peter's CE Middle School

I used lots of the Ancient Greece lessons last year. The children enjoyed them especially the debate lesson on building the Parthenon and history detectives. I especially liked the pot lesson as it helped to increase their observation and deductive powers. The children loved finding out about history by looking at the pots. We had a Greek day and they debated sending the Parthenon marbles back or not. They thought it was great. (August 2010)
Linda Martin, History Subject Leader, Tiptoe Primary School, New Forest.

Key Stage History is a fantastic resource for primary school users. Apart from the 'Outstanding' rated Ofsted lessons with resources (covering most KS2 topics) there is a good range of medium and long term planning centred around the all important Key Questions coupled with Learning Objectives. For the subject leader/coordinator there is even more. A wealth of (up to date) information covering progression (an Ofsted concern at KS2) and assessment with excellent resources. A must for any primary school! (August 2010)
Sarah James, South Bersted CE Primary School

I have been truly inspired by the inspirational and creative ideas, and the resources are fabulous. Teachers are so busy that it is great to have things at our finger tips and to try and adapt for various classes and year groups. (June 2009)
Lorraine Gribbon, Portishead Primary School, Portishead

What infant teachers say about Neil Thompson's work in their schools

Neil inspired teaching and non-teaching staff to bring history ..to life finding innovative ways for them to experience it. Neil is passionate about the importance of the right kind of history teaching and expert at imparting that to teachers and children. History in our school is richer as a result of Neil's input.
Miss Helen Fletcher Davies Headteacher South Farnborough Infant School

Neil Thompson has always been able to enthuse and inspire those he works with. He has always made clear that his priority is to make children's learning of history more fun and more purposeful, and to make teaching it equally enjoyable and effective. He encourages progress, judging exactly what the next steps for a school or individual are and showing a clear path for how to get there. Neil works particularly imaginatively with children: his creation of exciting tasks shows a genuine understanding both of how children learn and of what appeals to and motivates each age group.
Sarah Duck, History subject leader and Primary leading teacher, Bursledon Infant School, nr,Southampton

What do KS2 teachers say about Neil's work?

His ideas for planning, subject management and assessment in history, which I have introduced to my school, have been copied by other subject leaders because they are so 'user friendly'. Neil has worked tirelessly to develop resource packs which address key questions for all of the history topics. They are full of excellent teaching strategies, including 'Thinking Skills' and are designed to really challenge children to become true historians in their own right.
Julie Tzivanidou, Primary leading teacher, Cove Junior School, nr.Farnborough

Neil's advice on ensuring high-quality medium-term planning for history has been impeccable…The INSET day he ran for us was jam-packed with creative ideas, which have been successfully applied throughout the school. A course he ran on thinking skills was described by history leader as 'brilliant'.
Eleanor Beale, Headteacher, Denmead Junior School, Hants

As a headteacher of a primary school, I frequently sought Neil's services in the planning of exciting, child-friendly history activities. Neil tailored the writing objectives from the Primary strategy for each year group to the history topics. This had a substantial impact on Standards of writing through my school, which were praised in our OFSTED inspection ( May2007). ..I attribute the popularity of history with pupils to the impact of Neil's enthusiasm and clear direction .
Alice Wood , Headteacher of St.Albans School, Havant

His new website is a MUST for subject leaders and history teachers no matter what. We all know how much time can be wasted searching for the perfect resource or looking for new inspiration, well look no further! Neil's website provides a whole range of support, ideas and ideas for lessons, written for teachers by teachers and using examples of real life practice.
Kathryn Price, History subject leader and Primary leading teacher , Crescent Primary School, Eastleigh, Hants

I cannot recommend Neil's work highly enough. He has vast subject knowledge and a strong understanding of how children learn at Key Stages 1 and 2, and the staff loved working with him! Most important of all, he made the learning fun.
Julie Mullane, Colden Common Primary School, nr. Winchester