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Keeping the kids on message...one school's attempt at helping sixth form students to engage in historical debating using ICT
Teaching History article
At post-16 level, keeping the ‘kids’ on message is critical. Teaching and learning must be focused on the relatively narrow goals of the examination syllabus, but set within broader historical and historiographical contexts. Students need to how know, and where, to fit their ideas into those of existing historians. Ideally...
Keeping the kids on message...one school's attempt at helping sixth form students to engage in historical debating using ICT
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A Guide to the Key Stage 3 programme (pre-2014)
Key Stage 3 Guide
Please note: this unit was produced for a previous national curriculum (pre-2014). However, much of the advice remains useful and it provides a context to topics that continue to be very important for history teachers. Subject leaders, ITE providers and others may find it useful to consider how currently relevant topics were...
A Guide to the Key Stage 3 programme (pre-2014)
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Redesigning the curriculum: a short guide for the new, novice or nervous
Article
A short guide to making a start with redesigning the curriculum
We realise that the task of curriculum redesign is huge and these steps are to help you make a start.
It's also important to note that Heather Fearn, Ofsted Curriculum and Development lead, has said:
that Ofsted is NOT expecting...
Redesigning the curriculum: a short guide for the new, novice or nervous
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Background information: citizenship and history
HITT Resource
Citizenship was introduced as a National Curriculum subject at key stages 3 and 4 in 2002. Prior to that many schools had taught aspects of citizenship as a cross-curricular theme, often in the context of Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE). Much of the impetus for introducing citizenship as a...
Background information: citizenship and history
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New opportunities for history: implementing the citizenship curriculum in England's secondary schools - a QCA perspective
Teaching History article
In September 2002 Citizenship becomes a completely new subject in England’s secondary schools. Jerome Freeman, Principal Officer for History with the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) — the authority responsible for advising the British government on curriculum content and qualification standards in England - outlines QCA’s view on the connections...
New opportunities for history: implementing the citizenship curriculum in England's secondary schools - a QCA perspective
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Young Historian Awards 2025 – take part (Secondary prizes)
History competition for students
Researching, writing and presenting ideas about a historical theme or period is one of the best parts about studying history. We want young school and college aged students to get the bug for writing about history in an incisive, interesting and critical way.
That is why each year the Historical...
Young Historian Awards 2025 – take part (Secondary prizes)
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Using this map and all your knowledge, become Bismarck
Teaching History article
Understanding the past is not an abstract exercise. Historical questions revolve around decisions made by real people under real pressure. As historians, we factor psychological pressure into our analysis. How, though, are we to enable our students to do the same? To study why Bismarck began a programme of overseas...
Using this map and all your knowledge, become Bismarck
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Women in British Coal Mining
Historian article
With the final closure of Britain’s deep coal mines, Chris Wrigley examines the long-standing involvement of women in and around this challenging and dangerous form of work.
With the closure in 2015 of Thoresby and Kellingley mines, the last two working deep coal mines in Britain, leaving only open-cast coal...
Women in British Coal Mining
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Change and Continuity
Key Concepts
Please note: these links were compiled in 2009. For a more recent resource, please see: What's the Wisdom on: Change and Continuity.
This selection of useful Teaching History articles on Change and Continuity are highly recommended reading to those who would like to get to grip with these key concepts:
1. Michael Riley: Big Stories and...
Change and Continuity
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Film: Curriculum and progression in history and Ofsted’s work with schools
Article
Tim Jenner, the Ofsted Subject Lead for History, gave a clear and informative keynote session at the Historical Association 2021 virtual annual conference which not only gave a clear picture of what a deep dive in history might involve, but also dispelled myths about what Ofsted would and would not expect to see during a...
Film: Curriculum and progression in history and Ofsted’s work with schools
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Film: Interpretations at GCSE
Film: Secondary History Workshop Annual Conference 2019
This secondary workshop took place at at the Historical Association Annual Conference, Chester, May 2019.
To teach successfully at GCSE, should you focus your work on practice exam questions? Is boosting grades about re-writing mark-schemes in pupil-friendly language and showing model answers? Success at GCSE involves teaching interpretations properly, not just...
Film: Interpretations at GCSE
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Experienced Teacher Programme (ETP)
Immersive online course for experienced history teachers
Spring 2025 Cohort
Start date: Wednesday 26 February, 5.15pm–6.30pm
The Spring 2025 cohort is now fully booked. To register your interest in future cohorts, please contact Olivia at events@history.org.uk.
What is the Experienced Teacher Programme?
This six-week online course is designed to energise your teaching and help you engage with the history...
Experienced Teacher Programme (ETP)
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Careers in History Pack Year 9
Teachers' Notes
Careers in History Pack Year 9
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Webinar series: Making history accessible
HA webinar series for subject leaders and teachers of history
What does this series cover and why should I attend?
In recent years, the UK’s SEND system has been under the spotlight. As numbers of students with identified special educational needs increase, attention has been given to how to best embed inclusive practice, enabling teachers to support all students to...
Webinar series: Making history accessible
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Understanding Slavery
Free Online Resource
Teaching the transatlantic slave trade and its abolition in British history is now a compulsory component of the revised KS3 History curriculum.
The Understanding Slavery Initiative (USI) is a national education project set up in 2003. The initiative has been developed in partnership with the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich,...
Understanding Slavery
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Building and assessing historical knowledge on three scales
Teaching History article
The knowledge that ‘flavours' a claim: towards building and assessing historical knowledge on three scales
While marking some Year 11 essays, Kate Hammond found her interest caught by significant differences between one kind of strong analysis and another. Some scored high marks but were less convincing. The achievement in these...
Building and assessing historical knowledge on three scales
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Revealing the big picture: patterns, shapes and images at Key Stage 3.
Teaching History article
It is easy enough to incorporate overview and depth studies into a scheme-of-work. Units are carved up into those topics that last for several weeks and those that are covered in one. Isn’t that enough to satisfy the requirements of the National Curriculum? Many teachers have gone much further than...
Revealing the big picture: patterns, shapes and images at Key Stage 3.
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Historical scholarship and feedback
Teaching History article
In her introduction to this piece, Carolyn Massey describes history teachers as professionals who pride themselves on ‘a sophisticated understanding of change and continuity’. How often, though, do we bemoan change when it comes, as it so often has recently? Massey’s article provides an example of how to embrace change,...
Historical scholarship and feedback
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Liz Kellaway's Top Tips
Article
" If you are close enough to a university library and the university is willing, try to take A level students there for research on their individual assignments and general extended reading. Often sixth formers are allowed to use the university library as a reference library. This is really useful...
Liz Kellaway's Top Tips
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Progression & Assessment without Levels - Guide
Progression & Assessment
In the 2014 national curriculum for primary and secondary history one of the key differences is that, for the first time since 1991, there are no level descriptions against which you can assess pupils' progress. The new attainment target says simply that:
‘By the end of each key stage, pupils...
Progression & Assessment without Levels - Guide
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Challenging stereotypes and avoiding the superficial: a suggested approach to teaching the Holocaust
Teaching History article
Alison Kitson provides a rationale for a scheme of work for Year 9 (13-14 year-olds). She argues that teachers should analyse the kind of historical learning that is taking place when the Holocaust is studied. Critical of the assumption that learning will take place as a result of exposure, she...
Challenging stereotypes and avoiding the superficial: a suggested approach to teaching the Holocaust
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Move Me On 193: struggling with essential management issues
Teaching History feature
Move Me On is designed to build critical, informed debate about the character of teacher training, teacher education and professional development. It is also designed to offer practical help to all involved in training new history teachers. Each issue presents a situation in initial teacher education/training with an emphasis upon...
Move Me On 193: struggling with essential management issues
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Progression - more than 'could do better'?
E-CPD
Some notion of progression underpins all teaching as well as curriculum, course design, work scheme construction lesson planning, evaluation and assessment. But what do we mean by progression and how do we help our students achieve it? Does our assessment reflect progression? Do our reports to parents comment on progression? In this E-CPD...
Progression - more than 'could do better'?
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Move Me On 135: Not sure where to draw boundaries when handling sensitive issues
Teaching History feature
This Issue's Problem: Cathy Mompesson is uncertain where to draw the boundaries when teaching sensitive issues.
A recent Year 9 visit to the Imperial War Museum has left Cathy Mompesson confused about the relationship between moral and historical objectives in her teaching. Her placement school visits the museum every year,...
Move Me On 135: Not sure where to draw boundaries when handling sensitive issues
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Careers In History Pack Year 7
Teachers' Notes
Year 7 Careers in History Pack
Careers In History Pack Year 7
