The secondary curriculum review
To make good progress pupils need continuity and opportunities for development across the key stages. To achieve this, curriculum planning at key stage 3 needs to:
During key stage 2 pupils learn about significant people, events and places from both the recent and more distant past. They learn about change and continuity in their own area, in Britain and in other parts of the world. They look at history in a variety of ways, for example from political, economic, technological and scientific, social, religious, cultural or aesthetic perspectives. They use different sources of information to help them investigate the past both in depth and in overview, using dates and historical vocabulary to describe events, people and developments. They also learn that the past can be represented and interpreted in different ways.
By the end of key stage 2, most pupils are able to:
The history programme of study for key stage 3 builds on the knowledge, skills and understanding pupils acquire during key stage 2. Progression in history is achieved by integrating the key concepts, key processes and content in order to develop pupils' understanding of history.
Progression during key stage 3 is characterised by:
By the end of key stage 3, most pupils are able to use and apply their knowledge and understanding of the past to describe some of the links between the characteristic features within and across the periods and societies studied, and to begin to analyse and explain diversity, change, causes and significance relating to different people, events and developments. They are able to do this through increasing independent and critical enquiry, posing and investigating relevant questions, identifying, analysing and evaluating a range of sources of information, and describing and beginning to analyse how and why interpretations have been created, to reach sustained and well-reasoned conclusions.
The knowledge, skills and understanding that pupils acquire at key stage 3 form the basis for future learning in history through GCSE and A Level specifications. Although these specifications offer a wide choice of content to schools, all have to conform to specific requirements set out by the GCSE and A Level history subject criteria which include common assessment objectives. These are designed to build on the key concepts and key processes set out in the key stage 3 programme of study.
For example, the assessment objectives for GCSE history are:
AOI: recall, select, organise and deploy knowledge of the specification content to communicate it through description, analysis and explanation of:
AO2: use historical sources critically in their context, by comprehending, analysing, evaluating and interpreting them;
AO3: comprehend, analyse, and evaluate, in relation to the historical context, how and why historical events, people, situations and changes have been interpreted and represented in different ways.
Pupils apply these to an increasing range and variety of historical contexts as they progress through 14-19.
