This film series was produced to accompany materials in the Beginning Teacher units. It contains a Key Stage 3 history lesson and lesson debrief. The materials are not designed specifically to be examples of good practice; rather they are to promote discussion about good practice in teacher training.

The films show a lesson taught by Richard, a trainee teacher early in his placement on the history PGCE course at the University of Warwick (2004/05). He is 37 and prior to starting on the course he worked as a university lecturer. For his teaching placement, which occurs during the autumn term, he has gone to Stratford-upon-Avon High School.

The school is an 11-18 comprehensive. Despite a local grammar school attracting some of the more able children in the area, Stratford High School is a successful school academically, achieving examination results above the national average. During the placement so far, Richard has taught a range of age groups and has found it easier to work with older children due to his prior experience of teaching adults.

The class Richard is teaching is a mixed ability Year 7 group containing about 30 pupils. They are following the QCA scheme of work based around the question 'How did medieval monarchs keep control?' with recent lessons focused on the Norman conquest. Richard has taught the group for several lessons prior to this one. The class described by the mentor as amenable and manageable, though Richard has previously found them to be challenging.

The lesson in this film examines events after the Battle of Hastings. It is based around the role play 'Je suis le roi' devised by Ian Dawson (see Thinking from the inside: Je suis le roi').