Ofsted has today published a subject report looking at how
history is being taught in England’s schools.
The report draws on evidence from subject visits to a sample of
primary and secondary schools.
Inspectors found that the position of history in schools is much
more secure than it was 12 years ago when we last published
a report on history
education. The trend towards erosion of history as a distinct
subject appears to have been reversed. Most schools have worked
to develop a broad and ambitious curriculum in history, and the
gaps in the quality of provision between primary and secondary
schools have closed. In the schools providing a high-quality
history education, leaders understand how curriculum, teaching
and assessment could help pupils develop depth and breadth of
historical knowledge.
Read the ‘Rich encounters with the
past: history subject report’.
However, the report notes that there are significant differences
in the quality of history education between schools. In the best
schools, pupils’ knowledge of the past is wide-ranging and
connected as teachers go beyond the most well-known aspects of
historical periods to explore how people lived in the past in
more detail. In other schools, pupils’ knowledge is less secure
because they are not taught to make these connections between
different historical periods or events. The report also
highlights areas for improvement, including the need for more
ambitious curriculum plans when teaching pupils about how
historians study the past.
His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, said:
A good history education is fundamental to children’s
understanding of the world. The study of history immerses pupils
in unfamiliar worlds and, at the same time, helps them to make
sense of their own experiences.
It is great to see that history remains a core part of the school
curriculum as the quality of history education continues to
improve. I hope our report helps schools provide an excellent
history education for all pupils.
The report makes a number of recommendations for how schools can
ensure that all pupils receive a high-quality history education,
including:
- Ensuring teachers understand how pupils’ knowledge of past
societies and recurring themes can help them to learn about other
topics more easily.
- Making sure that teaching builds on the historical knowledge
that pupils already have, helping pupils to connect information
about past societies.
- Using assessment to identify any gaps or misconceptions in
pupils’ historical knowledge, and make sure these are addressed.
- Focusing support for pupils with SEND on pupils’ ability to
access the full breadth and depth of the intended history
curriculum, rather than their ability to complete the immediate
task.
- Providing a curriculum that gives pupils a broad and complex
understanding of the past, enabling pupils to develop knowledge
about how historians study the past.
- Carefully assessing the quality of what pupils learn and
remember over time. This should include the connectedness and
complexity of pupils’ knowledge of the past, and their knowledge
of how historians study the past.
All subject visits were carried out between July 2022 and April
2023.
