Webinar series: Coherence at Key Stage 4

HA webinar series for subject leaders and teachers of history

What does this series cover?

This series of webinars will consider coherence at Key Stage 4. We will reflect on using sequencing to establish coherence, how different categories of coherence can be used to inform our planning and delivery of GCSE, and how meaningful approaches to assessment will allow pupils’ historical thinking to progress over time.

  • How is the series structured and delivered?

    The series consists of four webinars. The live session dates are detailed below.

    Session 1: Thinking about sequencing at Key Stage 4

    Thursday 30 January 2025, 4pm–5pm

    This session will open with an overview of coherence and provide a rationale for this series of webinars. It will explore why sequencing is so important at Key Stage 4, and how Key Stage 3 can be used to develop a coherent Key Stage 4, which will be vital to consider ahead of choosing a new GCSE specification. It will also consider how to plan for pupils’ encounters with knowledge across Key Stage 4.

    Session 2:  Fostering big pictures of the past

    Tuesday 4 February 2025, 4pm–5pm

    This session focuses on one way of achieving curricular coherence: fostering big pictures of the past. The work of multiple practitioners will be drawn upon to exemplify different ways in which this can be done, including how to use of narrative to foster coherent big pictures. The content from this session will support curriculum design for new specifications.

    Session 3: Considering the interplay between substantive and disciplinary knowledge across multiple units

    Wednesday 12 February 2025, 4pm–5pm

    This session will consider how a curriculum can be conceptually coherent. It will explore the manifestations of interplay between substantive and disciplinary knowledge across multiple units, providing useful guidance ahead of planning for delivery of new specifications.

    Session 4: Assessing pupils’ historical thinking over time

    Wednesday 5 March 2025, 4pm–5pm

    The final session in the series will consider assessment, building on the previous webinar. It will consider the role of outcome tasks in allowing pupils to communicate their historical thinking. It will explore what meaningful assessment looks like in the Key Stage 4 classroom and make a case for not teaching to the test.

  • Who is the series for?

    The course is for history subject leaders, seconds in department/TLR postholders, aspiring subject leaders, and anyone who teaches history at Key Stage 4.

  • Why should I attend this webinar series?

    A curriculum is more than the sum of its parts: topics must be connected, these connections must show through the curriculum, and they must amount to something. The flexibility we are afforded at Key Stage 3 forces us to consider how to make a curriculum cohere, while at Key Stage 4, we can be prone to letting a range of factors influence the extent to which we develop and deliver a coherent curriculum.   

  • What are the learning outcomes?

    This webinar series will enable you to: 

    • - Reflect on the coherence of your Key Stage 4 curriculum
    • - Take away concrete, practical approaches that will enhance your department’s delivery of GCSE History
    • - Be ahead of the game and ready to consider how you will reform your Key Stage 4 ahead of future changes to specifications
  • Who is leading the series?

    The webinars will be led by education consultant Catherine Priggs. Catherine has been involved in history education for 15 years, during which time she has led and supported history departments within and outside her school setting as a specialist leader of education. She is a member of the Historical Association’s Secondary Committee and a specialist assessor for two exam boards.

  • What does it cost?

    Number of webinars booked

     

    HA Member ticket

     

    Non-member ticket

    1 webinar £38 £67
    4 webinars £140 £256
     

    All prices are listed inclusive of VAT. Any webinar booked individually on Cademy will incur an additional fee.

    To access the member price please provide your membership number when prompted. You must have a valid membership at the time of booking and attending. All webinars in this series are eligible for the corporate member free recording offer.

    Did you know? If booking more than one webinar, it is cheaper to become an HA member and access your tickets at the membership rate, plus a range of other benefits all year round.
    Find out more about Secondary membership. 

  • How do I take part?

    The webinars will take place online over Zoom. While we strongly recommend participating live, if you are unable to attend for any reason a recording link will be made available. This will be emailed to all registered participants to access for a limited period.

    To book for multiple webinars or request an invoice, please complete the form below.

    If you have missed a session, a recording can be accessed using the form. You will be emailed an invoice for the cost of the recording(s) and a time-limited link to access the webinar recording on Zoom.

For any enquiries, please contact events@history.org.uk. Please read the HA CPD terms and conditions before registering.

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