Subject Presentations

The Residential programme was run with a view to presenting the conclusions of all the delegates’ discussions to a panel of educationalists on the final morning. These were:

English

1. Pupils clearly support the view that the best teachers are those who are knowledgeable, passionate about their subject, and ready to go beyond the specifications of formal exams. To sustain this level of passion and knowledge, teachers need the constant academic enrichment of subject-based CPD courses.

2. There is encouraging evidence that the language of the National Curriculum in English is beginning to sound more like that of the teachers, with talk of enjoyment, challenge, and heritage, rather than competencies and pedagogical abstractions. So it is up to teachers to find the best ways of challenging and inspiring their pupils, whatever their level of ability.

3. Most teachers are attracted into the profession by love of their subject, and that is what they want to communicate to their pupils; but there are so many other demands in the classroom, such as pastoral issues and thematic approaches, that academic stimulus, which should be at the heart of the school, often has to be sought in extra-curricular activity.

4. The PTI Schools Programme was created in response to teachers’ expressed wish for a way of celebrating their love of subject and for help in ensuring challenge, rigour and coherence in what they teach. Pedagogy and enthusiasm are important, but teachers are prepared to do the extra work that the Schools Programme entails because they acknowledge the primacy of subject knowledge.

History

1. To keep their knowledge fresh and up to date, teachers welcome the opportunity to build connections with academic historians. They would like to see more opportunities, besides those offered by PTI, for creating a dynamic relationship between university research and classroom pedagogy, and a stop to the proliferation of ‘badged’ textbooks produced by Chief Examiners.

2. History teaching is most successful when it stimulates pupils to engage emotionally with individuals and events from the past. This can only be achieved when the curriculum offers diversity and flexibility, as at the new KS3 but yet to be extended to GCSE and A Level where choice is still limited.

3. When History has so much to offer its pupils, it is alarming that schools are squeezing it out at KS3 by adopting alternative curriculum models where the emphasis is on themes or skills. Many pupils now get less than one hour of History a week at KS3, and the subject is given a low priority in curriculum planning. A co-ordinated reappraisal of curriculum content is needed.