OCR and the Schools History Project Conference
09 May 2024
Dan Lyndon-Cohen, Director of Schools History Project
Lately I’ve been working hard on curating the Schools History Project (SHP) summer conference which takes place at Leeds Trinity University on 29 and 30 June 2024. This has given me a chance to reflect on the amazing partnership between OCR and SHP.
Teaching migration at GCSE
The 2013 GCSE reforms introduced by the Education Secretary Michael Gove resulted in a series of changes that still reverberate around history classrooms today.
One unintended consequence that I am particularly proud of was the emergence of the migration GCSE units pioneered by OCR. The initial drive for that came from the responses to the proposed reforms to the national curriculum, including from the Black and Asian Studies Association, led by Professor Hakim Adi and Dr Marika Sherwood, alongside myself and SHP Honorary Fellow, Martin Spafford.
Mike Goddard from OCR invited us to meet him to discuss the implications for GCSE reforms. He then asked us to write what became the specification for the Migration to Britain c.1000 - c.2010 unit in GCSE History A.
This proved to be a hugely influential development – all the major exam boards now have migration units in their GCSEs.
Introduction of the GCSE B specification
At the same time as this OCR was in discussion with the Schools History Project, then under the directorship of Michael Riley, to develop an entirely new GCSE course based on SHP principles.
This enormous undertaking resulted in the creation of the OCR History B specification and the collaboration with Hodder Education to produce the accompanying textbooks. The partnership between OCR and SHP continues to this day and grows from strength to strength.
Workshops and sessions at the 2024 conference
I would love to invite you to this year’s SHP summer conference which will feature two fascinating workshops and a fringe session dedicated specifically to the OCR specifications.
Luke Mayhew is the SHP’s East of England Regional Adviser. His workshop ‘Maps, mead and material remains: Resources to enrich GCSE History’ will explore and highlight a range of websites, texts and artefacts that can really aid the delivery of different units at GCSE, including Crime and Punishment, Nazi Germany, the Viking World and more! The aim is to engage the imagination and focus of our students and go beyond the basics of the specification, helping to build more rounded and secure understanding of the topics and periods being studied at GCSE.
Dan Keates and Imogen Wiltshire (both from Framingham Earl High School) will be presenting their workshop ‘Walking the tightrope of the GCSE OCR B course: Progress, powerful stories and practicalities’. Teaching GCSE History successfully and promoting excellent progress is always a balance. They will share a blueprint of how to develop your students into good historians whilst still coping with the demands of the specification and ultimately, achieving excellent results. What is the right balance of takeaways and rich disciplinary understanding? What is the right balance of engaging stories and exam practice? What is the right balance of supporting everyone in your mixed attainment group? These are some of the questions they will address and aim to provide answers to.
Finally, on Saturday afternoon OCR’s Mike Goddard and Ewan Brady will be running their fringe session: ‘The future of OCR GCSE SHP History: a chance for you to have your say’. This will be a fantastic opportunity for you to influence the direction of the OCR exam courses in the run up to the next round of GCSE reforms.
It would be wonderful to have a huge contingent of OCR history teachers at the SHP summer conference this year. Tickets are still available online and you can view the full programme on the SHP website.
Looking forward to meeting many of you in Leeds!
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About the author
Dan Lyndon-Cohen is the Director of the Schools History Project and Lead Practitioner for Humanities at Park View School in Tottenham. Dan worked with OCR on developing the specification for the migration units on the OCR A and B GCSE courses and was the exam constructor for the former. He has also published many books and articles, and has been a consultant for the BBC, IWM, NPG and the National Trust. Outside of the education world Dan enjoys hikes in the countryside, watching The Arsenal and listening to 1990’s liquid drum and bass!
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