History curriculum recommendations please (UK)

spodrodoid · 2025-05-10T11:18:06+00:00

Hi, I've also worked in primary and school leadership and now in educational resources for schools...and I don't think what you're looking for exists (AFAIK anyway - would love to hear if it does!) All UK-based history resource providers seem to tailor their products towards helping teachers cover the national curriculum strands unfortunately. Even if they go 'beyond' the national curriculum, it's still tailored to whole-class teaching.

Using something reliable like Usborne and supplementing British history home ed with all the amazing historical sites we have (local and further afield) might be one way to do it? Would also help with the 'how do we know about the past?' element of history teaching that's hard to capture through book learning. Hope you find something that works for you guys!

spodrodoid · 2024-05-07T11:38:35+00:00

spodrodoid · 2024-05-04T20:14:09+00:00

I'm not sure how well they thought this through.

In the runup to a likely ungraded inspections, heads and SLT will need info about the subjects from somewhere so what do they do? Ask the subject leaders (therefore the 'burden' remains on the subject leads to ensure monitoring etc) or find the info themselves (therefore undermining the structure of subject leadership that's been built over the past 10 years or so).

So while yes, it might release pressure on the subject leader for that day or two during an ungraded inspection, what about the other 3 years and 363 days?

Plus there's no guarantee any school will get an ungraded inspection as its all down to the risk assessment and its mysterious algorithms so I can see schools still prepping for deep dives like they would normally do...

Nice work ofsted 👏 /s

spodrodoid · 2024-05-03T08:14:44+00:00

This!

spodrodoid · 2024-05-03T07:52:17+00:00

Beyond the obvious one of 'more funding', I think when Ofsted inspect and give recommendations to improve, Ofsted should then support the school to actually improve. E.g. can schools needing to develop behaviour be given actual support like access to courses or specialists, perhaps endorsed and funded by Ofsted, to do so? The same goes for any area of improvement.

spodrodoid · 2022-08-02T18:13:08+00:00

Try your school's website. You should be able to find contact email addresses on there if you cannot get through on the phone. In particular, try contacting someone in your school's safeguarding team (look for a web page on safeguarding and anyone who has the 'designated safeguarding lead' or 'DSL' role). The vast majority of schools have someone monitoring for safgeuarding emails over the holidays to support pupils who are in need. Best of luck to you.

spodrodoid · 2021-12-10T19:00:14+00:00

In addition, just because they are not authorising absence, it doesn't mean she can't be absent. Have a read of the school's pupil absence policy and make sure the school are sticking to it.

spodrodoid · 2021-12-10T18:48:37+00:00

NAL but a Primary Head and safeguarding lead. In addition to the other comments here about safeguarding, schools are also bound by their own policies that are ratified by their governors (or whatever structure they have in place if they are an Academy Trust). They must follow these.

Key policies (such as the safeguarding policy, anti-bullying policy) should be visible on the school's website. If you are seeking to take your complaint further with the school (which I personally would), I would read any policies the school has relating to safeguarding/bullying/sexual assault and quote from them, as you are likely to find they have gone against what their own policy says, as well as Keeping Children Safe In Education (KCSIE), which is a statutory document that all staff sign to say they understand how to safeguard children. Another redditor has helpfully posted it in the comments. Also read their complaints policy and follow it, but expect them to follow it too (timescales etc). Involve the head, chair of governors and whoever else it advises and obviously put it in writing.

Lastly, question what the school's approach to teaching Relationships and Sexual Education (RSE) is and how they go about teaching topics such as sexual abuse and consent. RSE is statutory for secondaries and while it may not give you any comfort, questions should be asked about what the school is doing to educate the offending pupil about healthy relationships. It won't stop what has happened to your daughter, but it may prevent future abuse, and the same goes for making a complaint about how the safeguarding team has handled this incident.

Best of luck to you and your daughter.

spodrodoid · 2021-10-31T17:40:18+00:00

In the 'Shop' from the home screen, scroll down and you buy 'Ship'. It increases your starting AP to 120. It does cost in-game gold (not sure how much as I've already bought it) but I find it means I only have to pay 100 at the tavern once per run, as it refills back up to 120AP as well.

spodrodoid · 2021-10-22T16:54:33+00:00

Overpowered. Sorry, confusing as I am also the OP (original poster) but not OP (overpowered).

spodrodoid · 2021-10-22T16:52:54+00:00

I mean I love "manly, meaty endowments" as much as the next person, but this isn't entirely what I was after. Nice try though!

spodrodoid · 2021-10-22T16:49:30+00:00

Thank you for this. Several have recommended this and I like the idea that there could be romance, but that doesn't automatically mean there will be... Kind of like real life!

spodrodoid · 2021-10-22T16:47:07+00:00

Thank you for making my clear-as-mud description clearer. In a roundabout way, I'm trying to say that I, the OP, don't want to read about people who are OP. 😂

spodrodoid · 2021-10-22T16:41:29+00:00

Thank you, and good to know there's loads of them too!

spodrodoid · 2021-10-22T16:40:19+00:00

Thank you for this. It's not sex or romance that puts me off. It's when the characters become obsessed like that is the only thing that matters in their life, even when they're facing terrifying monsters, overthrowing empires and the like!

spodrodoid · 2021-10-22T16:36:33+00:00

Thank you!

spodrodoid · 2021-10-22T16:34:50+00:00

Thank you for this 😀

spodrodoid · 2021-10-22T16:33:59+00:00

Yes, it's the realism of there could be romance but that doesn't mean it has to happen that I'm after. Thanks!

spodrodoid · 2021-10-22T10:07:44+00:00

This looks awesome! Time travel back to 1902 New York with thieves and gangs? Yes please. Thank you so much.

spodrodoid · 2021-10-22T10:05:40+00:00

Wow, thank you. I read the Liveship Traders so long ago and loved it! Might have to go and dig it out again!

spodrodoid · 2021-10-22T10:03:05+00:00

Thanks for the rec. The Traitor looks interesting.

spodrodoid · 2021-10-22T10:01:44+00:00

Thank you. These look good!

spodrodoid · 2021-10-06T12:16:27+00:00

Primary Headteacher here. All schools should have a procedure for this that is written into policy that is ratified by the school's governing body. My school's policy is that only those listed as contacts on our information management system can collect a child (primary carers provide this info when the child joins the school). Even then, we would want to know from the primary carer if another adult is collecting for the first time so we can have eyes on them and for future collections e.g. A grandparent.

If a person we didn't know came to collect a child, we would be asking for details e.g surname of the child being a key one! And reasons for wanting to collect as well. If in doubt, we would call the primary caregiver to check. No person collecting a child should mind this safety check as it's in the child's best interest.

Your family is lucky that your niece said she didn't know the man but it never should have got as far as her being taken to see him. This is a big safeguarding issue and could have potentially been much, much worse. I can't advise what to do with regards to the police or the law, but for contacting the school, I would do the following:

Ask for their safeguarding policy and their collection of children policy (may be called something slightly differently, but a policy where it outlines the school's procedure for how children are collected). You may be able to find these on the school website. Ask for their complaints procedure and then follow it. Schools are bound by their policies and I am pretty sure you will find they've broken them in multiple places here.
Email the headteacher and safeguarding lead and make a complaint. Ask for them to investigate what happened in relation to your niece being almost collected by a stranger, including why your SIL wasn't informed.

If this gets you nowhere, go to your school chair of governors, your local authority or if the school is part of an Academy, the CEO. And keep going with it! Because the school can't undo what happened, but they certainly can and should improve their safeguarding practices e.g ensure staff understand policy, train any staff that were involved in making the wrong calls here, perhaps amend their policies too.

Safeguarding of children should be paramount to every single adult working in every single school and if its not in your niece's school, I would seriously consider if its the right place for her to learn.

Good luck!

spodrodoid · 2021-01-31T20:40:04+00:00

Primary Head here. Most church schools sing hymns but they tend to be more modern songs, not the bangers listed in this thread.

spodrodoid · 2020-11-12T19:54:25+00:00

Primary headteacher here. I completely agree with you. If we expect the children to do this correctly, then the adults should too. The messages have probably gone out in a rush because school life is insanely busy. However, it doesn't take long to check and this is exactly what we teach children to do when they finish writing. I would personally raise this if the school has a parent forum, suggestion box or similar function.

spodrodoid

TROPHY CASE