IPSWICH THINGS TO DO

Suffolk Secondary School History Network meeting

The Hold – Suffolk Archives Ipswich, Ipswich

Information - Suffolk Secondary School History Network meeting

Suffolk Archives is excited to announce the launch of the Suffolk Secondary History Network for schools. This event will take place on Friday 24th October at the Hold in Ipswich. It is aimed at teachers who have responsibility for curriculum development and teachers who lead History in schools (or recently qualified teachers who are hoping to step into this role).

This conference will be led by Dale Banham (former Humanities Adviser for Suffolk and an honorary fellow of the Historical Association). Dale currently advises Primary and Secondary schools and trusts across the country on developing rigorous, challenging and engaging schemes of work for History.

This conference will provide:

• An update on the national picture. What are the key findings from recent Ofsted reports on secondary history teaching? What areas could be improved and how? What does good history teaching look like?
• Key tips on how to design a coherent history curriculum. What has to be covered in the National Curriculum? How do you ensure that you are delivering substantive knowledge and disciplinary knowledge? What are the golden threads that need to run through a history curriculum? How do you ensure a balance of first and second order concepts?
• Advice on how to map progression from Key Stage 3 to the end of Key Stage 4. What does progression in historical understanding look like? How can we make sure that all students are challenged and that high expectations are maintained?
• Practical examples of how to use history to boost literacy outcomes. How can effective history lessons develop oracy and improve extended writing? How can history be used as a stimulus for creative writing?
• Guidance on how to boost memory and make learning stick. How can a well-planned history curriculum develop schema and embed the core knowledge in pupils’ long-term memory? What can we learn from cognitive science about how to help pupils remember all the right things? What pedagogical approaches are the most effective for building lasting knowledge and understanding of the subject?
• New resources for teaching local history in an engaging way. How can history coordinators access free, classroom-trialled resources that save teacher workload and interest pupils in local history? How can local history inspire students, stimulate interest in the subject and develop a sense of pride in our local area? How have schools embedded local history into their curriculum plans?

We will also be welcoming Dt Hannah-Rose Murray, History Lecturer at the University of Suffolk who will be sharing the impact of black abolitionists who visited Suffolk and explore the use of terminology when teaching the history of the abolition movement in Britain and the USA.

We hope that your school can support the network. Our aims are to:

• Cut down on teacher workload by providing fully-resourced schemes of work that have been tested out in the classroom.
• Build a strong network of history curriculum leads in Suffolk that can share resources and keep up to date with national developments and recent research.
• Provide practical tips and ‘quick win’ strategies for engaging pupils of all abilities, improving outcomes in history and raising levels of literacy.

Refreshments will be provided