Leading History
Leading history at Key Stage 3
Getting ready for a history subject review: knowing what OFSTED inspectors are looking for and the criteria they are using. It is essential that you keep up-to-date with current OFSTED thinking against which your department will be judged. There are 3 ways of doing this.
You must know the current Framework for Inspection and the History subject-specific guidance available on the OFSTED website. Look at the examples of best practice that feature of the OFSTED website. It is never easy for busy subject leaders to know when these appear and to find time to digest them.
Also very popular is the advice on Monitoring, Forward Planning, Raising attainment and Using Data.
One recent upload was written by a Head of History who was deciding what his priorities ought to be in the year. It would be really interesting to compare his priorities with yours.
For new heads of history this site is a must. Those areas with which you might be less familiar, such as data analysis are all explained in accessible detail with telling examples.
My 10 New Year (academic) Resolutions
They will probably all be broken by the end of October!! No plan survives its first encounter with the enemy. I will sort out the Key Stage 3 curriculum so…
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How to carry out an effective work sample in Key Stage 3 history
It is assumed that you will already have a few hunches about what you will find based on your informal visits to lessons, assessment data, formal lesson observations etc. How…
Read MoreHow to interview pupils – The pupil voice: let the children speak
This article draws on the wisdom, insight and practical experience of my friend and colleague Ken Wilby who was the English inspector who sat at a desk opposite mine for…
Read MoreWhat to look for in outstanding history lessons: Your starter for 12
Lists such as these are only useful up to a point. They do highlight what is characteristically present in lessons judged as outstanding, but much depends on how these different…
Read MoreObserving history lessons at KS3
Why bother? Aside from Performance Management, you will want to see your colleagues at work and for them to see each other in order to disseminate good practice and to…
Read MoreFeeding back after a lesson observation at KS3
Teaching in front of colleagues who are sitting at the back of your own classroom is nerve-wracking enough. To know that they will be passing judgement as well can be…
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10 most important things a secondary history subject leader should always be doing…yes, always
No contrived acronym here or implied order of priority just making sure you do the right things as well as doing things right! 1. Advocate As well as being an…
Read MoreWhat historians do: handle with care
A synopsis of Margaret McMillan’s line of argument in the book The Uses and Abuses of History History, by giving context and examples, helps when it comes to thinking about…
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What makes a history department outstanding?
The department is an 11-19 comprehensive school serving Hounslow. Approximately 80% of the students are from minority ethnic groups. The proportion whose first language is not English is well above…
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Prioritising at Key Stage 3
Most of you will have already carried out some form of self-evaluation and will have a shrewd idea as to what you need to do. Getting the priorities right, however,…
Read MoreDeveloping your staff at key stage 3
The philosophy this site holds regarding teachers’ continuing professional development is summed up very neatly by the Assessment for Learning group, led by professors Black and Wiliam. Teachers will not…
Read MoreMonitoring in history at Key Stage 3
This is a very significant section of the site as it embraces so much of a subject leader’s role. As you’d expect the areas covered are: Purposes of monitoring Tracking…
Read MoreRaising attainment in history at Key Stage 3
In many ways it is harder to raise attainment at KS3 than at KS4 and not just because of non-specialist teaching or lack of curriculum time. Often it is difficult to…
Read MoreSelf evaluation in history at Key Stage 3
Ofsted does not require self-evaluation to be graded or provided in a specific format. Any assessment that is provided should be part of the school’s business processes and not generated…
Read MorePolicy and vision in history at Key Stage 3
Everything you do as subject leader sends off messages about your passion for the subject and desire to ensure that all pupils get the best education possible in history. This…
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Forward planning in history at Key Stage 3
There are probably four separate strands that you need to weave into your forward planning. To start with there will be the need to plan for any externally imposed curriculum…
Read MoreUsing data in history at Key Stage 3
NB This section of the site is under development as we wait for best practice post-levels assessment to emerge. There are a number of encouraging systems but most are home-grown…
Read MoreWritten by Neil Thompson
All content on Keystage history is written and quality assured by Neil Thompson, a former history teacher, county history adviser and Ofsted inspector with more than 30 years’ experience in history education.