History at key stage 3

History offers opportunities for pupils to:

• learn about the past in Britain and the wider world;
• consider how the past influences the present;
• find out about what past societies were like, how these societies organised themselves, and what beliefs and cultures influenced people's actions;
• develop a chronological framework;
• see the diversity of human experience and understand more about themselves as individuals and members of society;
• reflect on their personal choices, attitudes and values;
• use evidence, weigh it up and reach their own conclusions;
• research, sift through evidence and argue a point of view.

During key stage 3 pupils learn about significant individuals and events in the history of Britain from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. They also learn about key aspects of European and world history. They show their understanding by making connections between events and changes in the different periods and areas studied, and by comparing the structure of societies and economic, cultural and political developments. They evaluate and use sources of information, using their historical knowledge to analyse the past and explain how it can be represented and interpreted in different ways.

In history, pupils acquire and apply knowledge, skills and understanding in five main areas:

• chronological understanding;
• knowledge and understanding of events, people and changes in the past;
• historical interpretation;
• historical enquiry;
• organisation and communication.

These aspects of knowledge, understanding and skills are developed in the programme of study for history through three British studies, a European study and two world studies.

Progression in history

Knowledge, skills and understanding are interrelated in history. Progression at key stage 3 is characterised by:

• the acquisition of an increasing range and depth of historical knowledge, and the ability to make links and connections within and across historical periods;
• deepening understanding of general and specific historical concepts;
• greater understanding of and proficiency in the use of historical skills;
• an increasing ability to apply skills and conceptual understanding across a variety of historical contexts;
• an increasing ability to communicate knowledge and understanding using language appropriately and accurately.

Planning for progression

Departments should consider a number of issues when planning for progression and monitoring pupils' progress.

• What is known about what pupils have already achieved at key stage 2 and how does this affect the pitch of early units?
• Which ideas and concepts in history depend on a secure understanding of other ideas and concepts?
• How can units be sequenced so that earlier work lays the foundation for later work?
• Are there opportunities to revisit and reinforce the ideas and concepts pupils need to understand and which some will find difficult?
• When ideas and concepts are revisited or reinforced is it in a different context or using different activities?
• Are there sufficient opportunities for pupils to show greater independence with various forms and amounts of history?
• Are there regular opportunities, through different historical contexts, for systematically building up pupils' historical skills?
• Is there sufficient challenge for pupils in year 7, year 8 and year 9?
• How are able pupils, with competence and expertise beyond the level expected in particular years, challenged?
• Are appropriate expectations made of pupils in their use of language, mathematics and ICT?
• Does the programme represent a coherent experience of history for those who leave the subject at the end of year 9?
• Does the programme constitute an adequate preparation for pupils who continue history through to key stage 4?

Monitoring pupils' progress

There are a number of questions that could be used to measure the progress of individual pupils against knowledge, skills and understanding in history.

Are pupils increasingly able to:

• accumulate, understand and use a body of information about people, events, situations, societies, periods, dates, ideas, beliefs, movements, and changes in the past?
• grasp outlines as well as some issues in depth, making links between these?
• make links and connections within and across historical periods?
• show an understanding of characteristic features of historical events, beliefs, attitudes, people, situations and periods?
• accumulate and understand in context general concepts, eg causation, change, and specific historical concepts, eg feudalism, democracy?
• analyse and explain the causes of events and their effects, the relationships between causes, the significance of particular causes, the motivation of and role played by individuals?
• analyse and explain changes?
• assess the significance of some factors, events or periods of history?
• pose valid historical questions and hypotheses?
• show independence when investigating questions, and use rigorous approaches to solving them?
• use and analyse a wide range of historical sources?
• analyse and explain historical interpretations?
• recall, select, classify and organise historical information?
• use historical terminology accurately?
• provide well-structured narratives, explanations and descriptions?
• communicate their knowledge and understanding of history using a wide range of techniques?