History teaching at Ashton Gate is thoughtful and precise and it makes ambitious demands of pupils’ thinking. This was seen very clearly in a Year 4 lesson, where pupils were asked to use sophisticated discussion routines to challenge and explain their thinking.

Because of this very good teaching, pupils at Ashton Gate make excellent progress in History. Evidence of this progress may be seen in the KS1 class floor-books; in KS2 pupils’ individual books; in history lessons and in the reflections of pupils themselves.

Very good use is made of resources for teaching and learning. Children in Year 6 were seen carefully using nineteenth century school-registers to ask and answer questions about the Victorian era, whilst children in Year 2 and 4 were seen making exceptionally good use of well-chosen picture resources. Children in Year 4 were also seen using an extract from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which they tackled with enthusiasm and with insight.

There is a real strength at Ashton Gate in its work with other local organisations. A theatre company, bus-tour company and the local records office have each been engaged by the school in providing meaningful additional resources for pupils.

Discussions with pupils showed very strong evidence of their independent thinking and enquiring minds. Pupils gave strikingly reflective and sophisticated responses to questions about what more they would like to learn about in History. Pupils talked about wanting to know more about modern history and one pupil commented that she would like to spend, “even more time thinking about questions to which no-one yet knows the answer.”

• Evidence for Criteria 1 (2.09 MB PDF document)

The link governor for History is very well informed about the work of the school and provides active support and challenge to the subject leader. The subject leader provides intelligent, creative and highly effective leadership of History. Her preparation of the Quality Mark portfolio was particularly strong.

Systems for the management and organisation of the subject are robust and reliable and are consistent with wider school systems. These have enabled subject leader, governor and executive Headteacher to have a very good understanding of the strengths and priorities for History. There is a strong track record of actions resulting from self-evaluation that have impacted on provision and pupil outcomes. There is a clear vision and direction for future work.

The subject leader has provided excellent support for other staff and has enabled a deeply embedded shared understanding of the History curriculum and of History teaching across the staff. The school has a well thought through programme for CPD and is making a strong contribution to the wider history community, for example through its work with the Local Authority. Parent views are sought about history teaching and the subject leader has contributed to local publications and curriculum newsletters.

• Evidence for Criteria 2 (1.29 MB PDF document)

The school has deliberately pursued what it calls the ‘Bristolisation’ of the curriculum, making best use of the wide-range of resources for learning that are available locally. This development has been rigorously pursued and is based on very careful research. Resources have been created which are a model for how the local context can inform a school’s curriculum. There has been an equal emphasis on developing an enquiry-based curriculum. Teachers and pupils throughout the school have a very good understanding of the processes of enquiry and each History unit is based on a thought-provoking and engaging question. The curriculum has been carefully designed to provide breadth and balance as well.

The resulting curriculum is both innovative and highly engaging. The unit focussed on Chocolate manufacture in Bristol, looking at the history of the Fry’s company is an excellent example of local history unit that is engaging to pupils; that involves global as well as local theme; that involves pupils in working with primary-sources and that aids pupil’s understanding of their current community. Similarly the new comparative unit on Crime and Punishment has led to some exceptionally sophisticated responses from Year 6 pupils.

History is well-represented in the curriculum as a whole. Pupils throughout the school tackle an extensive piece of learning about history every term.

The school has developed a clear progression of Historical concepts and processes and this is used to plan an appropriately demanding curriculum. These concepts and processes were very clearly apparent in lessons visited; in the pupils’ books and in the comments of pupils in discussions. One pupil commented wryly: ‘My teacher’s favourite word is chronology!’

• Evidence for Criteria 3 (2.51 MB PDF document)

This achievement was apparent throughout the school. In a Reception classroom pupils had been engaged in thoughtful and informed discussion about chronology and timelines. In Year 2 pupils were drawing confidently on their knowledge of Grace Darling to make inferences about a picture source. In Year 4 pupils hypothesised about the motivation for the Viking raids on Northumbria. (Pupils independently suggested the pursuit of glory; societal stability; material greed and religious dogma as possible motives.) In Year 6 pupils had written clearly and rigorously about changing attitudes to Crime and Punishment.

Pupils are able to remember their learning in History. A Year 4 pupil gave a very clear explanation about his learning the previous term about Anglo-Saxon Bretwaldas. Year 2 pupils were able to talk very clearly and in great detail about their learning about Charles Darwin, also from the previous term.

There is a strong emphasis on developing pupils’ chronological understanding. Timelines are well-used through the school and pupils have a good and developing understanding of chronology.

The school carefully tracks pupil achievement in History using an assessment system that it has developed itself. The subject leader was able to speak in an informed way about the achievement of different cohorts of pupils in the school.

The school is proud of its pupils achievements and this ethos is apparent in the pupils themselves who were keen to show and talk about their learning, their thinking and their progress.

• Evidence for Criteria 4 (4.02 MB PDF document)

The school’s History curriculum is enriching the wider community as well. There is some very well founded curriculum development work on-going with the Local Authority, with the aim of producing resources that can be shared with other local schools.

The school takes initiative and seizes other opportunities for wider enrichment. It is currently involved in an innovative project with Historic England focussed on the stately home Ashton Court.

History displays are prominent throughout the school. They not only emphasise the high status given to History but also reinforce and extend learning through the use of well-chosen images, objects and questions.

The school is developing plans to run an after-school Archaeology Club and is ensuring that this project is carefully designed and well-resourced.

Many of the enrichment files were unable to be reproduced due to permissions issues.

• Lesson Plan: English History - Celts and Romans (19.7 KB Word document)

We saw the QM process as a chance to refine our teaching and the systems for monitoring history within the school. It enabled the whole school to focus on our history practice. We were able to further strengthen our links with outside history organisations and to introduce new schemes of work. In this way it allowed us to put in place lasting changes that will ensure that history teaching remains of a high quality.

We took care to put together our online portfolio gradually, with all staff saving photos to a file for the history subject lead to access. Towards the end of the process, the history subject lead was then able to select the photos and documents which evidenced aspects of the criteria. We agreed a date with our assessor for the completion of the online portfolio (although due to the size of the files we did need to use dropbox). The submission deadline was a couple of weeks before our assessment date, which worked well and allowed us time to then prepare for the assessment visit.

Before the assessment visit, the history subject lead spoke to our assessor by phone and together we organised an itinerary for the day. Staff wanted to show a full range of the history that was happening at the school; so we ensured that our assessor could observe not only the history subject lead but also 3 other classes. Our assessor also had discussions with children from a range of year groups, met with the headteacher and spoke to the governor with responsibility for history. Our assessor was very friendly and put everyone (staff and children!) at ease. He was very interested in the history at the school and keen to find out more. The assessment process felt rigorous, but was a positive experience.

The process provided Ashton Gate with a chance to develop and celebrate the high quality of history teaching at the school. It allowed us to raise the status of history at Ashton Gate further. It undoubtedly involved a lot of hard work from all staff at the school, but achieving the Gold award meant that we could celebrate our success with children and parents. Taking part in the Quality Mark has left a legacy of high quality history at the school which we will continue to develop.

Jonathan Gower (QM Assessor) Assessment Report:

There is every indication that the teaching and learning of History are in very good health at Ashton Gate. This is due to energetic, informed and committed effort from staff. There is such strong clarity of thinking at this school that pupils at Ashton Gate are not only enthused and engaged by History but are also able to be members of a truly intellectual community.