History in Secondary Schools: Challenges and Opportunities

SHP 21st Annual Conference

Michael Maddison HMI

Ofsted’s Specialist Adviser for History

Leeds Trinity 5 July 2009

Subjects matter – history matters

Today’s text

Unfortunately, photographs have been deleted for reasons of copyright and to reduce the file size.

History in secondary schools: strengths

Secondary successes

Good teaching

Good teachers’ subject knowledge

Effective leadership and management

History is enjoyable and popular

Students acquire knowledge and understanding in depth

Good development of enquiry skills and source evaluation - investigation, extraction, evaluation and communication

High standards and good achievement

‘It makes you think’ (student Year 9)

GCSE Entries

Figures from 2005 onwards are for end of KS4. Figures prior to this are for pupils aged 15

0

40,000

80,000

120,000

160,000

200,000

240,000

280,000

320,000

360,000

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Nu

mb

er o

f en

trie

s

Art and Design Business Studies Drama French

Geography German History IT

Media/Film/TV Music

GCSE History

Figures from 2005 onwards are for end of KS4. Figures prior to this are for pupils aged 15

4% 5% 6% 7% 8% 8% 8% 9% 10% 10% 10% 11%13% 14% 15% 16% 16% 16% 17% 17% 18% 18% 19% 19%

20% 20% 20%20% 20% 20% 20% 20%

20% 20% 21% 20%

20% 19% 19% 18% 18% 18% 18% 18%18% 18% 17% 18%

14% 14% 14% 13% 14% 13% 13% 13%13% 13% 13% 13%

11% 11% 11% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10%9% 9% 9% 9%

8% 8% 8% 7% 7% 7% 7% 6% 6% 6% 5%5% 5% 4% 4% 4% 4% 4% 4% 3% 3% 3% 3%4% 3% 3% 3% 3% 3% 3% 3% 3%

8%

2%2% 2%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

A* A B C D E F G U, X

A level History Entries

42,107

36,078

36,373

44,623

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

45,000

50,000

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Nu

mb

er

of

en

trie

s

A Level AS Level

A level History

14.9 15.7 17.1 17.5 18.6 20.5 23.3 23.6 23.3 24.4 25.1 24.8

19 19.4 19.9 20.2 20.925.4

25.6 26 26.1 26.2 26.7 28.120.8 21.0 21.8 22.3 22.1

24.523.8 24.4 24.8 24.2 23.9 25.118.6 18.8

18.1 17.8 17.5

17.617.5 16.6 16.5 16.3 16.2 15.1

13.3 12.7 11.5 11.4 10.2

9.2 7.7 7.6 7.4 7.1 6.6 5.713.4 12.4 11.6 10.8 10.7

2.8 2.1 1.8 1.9 1.8 1.5 1.1

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

A B C D E Other

History in secondary schools: challenges

Insufficiently focussed assessment on subject-specific objectives, e.g. progression in skills

Marking insufficiently precise to help students improve

Insufficient challenge for the most able

Limited British Isles history and too little local history

Absence of an overarching rationale leading to an unbalanced curriculum at KS3

Departmental challenges

Insufficient curriculum liaison between Years 6 and 7

Student recruitment to exam courses at GCSE and the falling proportion of students taking GCSE history

Growth of vocational learning & new subjects 14-19

Reduced time allocation at KS3 leading to fleeting coverage and restricted number of topics in depth

Whole school curriculum pressures - greater emphasis on thematic teaching and the skills-based curriculum

Whole school challenges

History at GCSEYear Total number

of students at the end of KS4

Total number of students taking history (full & short)

% of students taking history (full & short)

1996/7

All schools

586,766 207,608 35.38%

2006/7

All schools

655,146 206,834 31.5%

2007/8

All schools

653,045 206,311 31.59%

2007/8

Maintained Schools only

585,967 180,828 30.85%

Figures from 2005 onwards are for end of KS4. Figures prior to this are for pupils aged 15

Curriculum developments at KS3

The curriculum continuum

Separate subjects Cross-curricular links Integrated themes

History in secondary schools: opportunities

How will the primary curriculum changes help my Year 7

students to be better prepared to achieve at KS3? What can we do to help our feeder primary teachers?

Do we have a clear rationale for our KS3 history curriculum?

What contribution have we made, are we making and can we make to the school’s work on ‘Britishness’, identity, diversity, citizenship, community cohesion and political literacy?

How effective is our work in teaching emotive and controversial issues such as the Holocaust and the slave trade?

Do we ensure relevance in what and how we teach history to young people in our school in 21st century Britain?

So what can we do? Ten questions for you to answer

Which cross-curricular links will be the most effective in

enhancing the students’ experience in history?

What can we offer through increased cross-curricular links to students and other departments in and beyond the school?

How could thematic teaching and a skills-based curriculum improve the achievement and progress of students in their historical knowledge, understanding and skills?

What could thematic teaching and a skills-based curriculum achieve that history (and other foundation subjects) on their own and through increased cross-curricular links could not achieve?

What circumstances do we need to engender to ensure that curriculum innovation, which enhances learning in history, flourishes?

So what can we do?

Final thoughts

History fires pupils’ curiosity and imagination, moving and inspiring them with the dilemmas, choices and beliefs of people in the past.

(QCA, KS3)

‘History stops people believing rubbish’

(student age 12)

‘History has taught me to read between the lines’

(student age 16)

Subjects matter – history matters

The importance of history

History in Secondary Schools: Challenges and Opportunities

SHP 21st Annual Conference

Email: michael.maddison@ofsted.gov.uk