Why science matters

School’s back – now how do you close the reading gap?

Well, it’s finally happened – you’re back in school - with full classes (with or without masks) - and now it’s the moment of truth: what have your pupils been doing since March? Of course, you hope that they avidly followed your online lessons and dutifully completed all tasks set with the devoted attention of a furloughed parent… but the reality might be quite different. There will be many pupils who were not in need of additional support prior to school closure but who will now need a boost to get back on track. You might be tempted to think that the Number 1 priority is to test pupils to find out the extent of the damage of missing school, but it would be more beneficial to your pupils to give them enough time to tune back in to learning mode first.

Are your children striving to make the world a better place? We want to celebrate them!

Never has it been more important to be aware of the world around us, to understand what is happening in communities, both near and far, and to recognise the power that every one of our actions can have.

GCSE (9-1) History – new Migration topic

We are pleased to announce that we will be adding a brand new Migration topic to our GCSE (9-1) History specification from this September*. Migration will sit alongside Crime, Medicine and Warfare as a fourth thematic study and accompanying historic environment (Paper 1).The Migration thematic study will be available for first teaching September 2021 and first assessment June 2022. This means that you can include Migration in your History curriculum for students starting their GCSEs this September (by delivering Migration to students in Year 11 from September 2021), rather than waiting until next year.

As with any new content we are working hard to ensure you will also get lots of free support materials, including free online training on the new topic. Pearson will also be developing a textbook, teacher support and revision materials to support you in delivering this topic.

The content of our qualifications constantly evolves and we always encourage feedback and take action on it where possible. We are aware of the importance of offering History curricula that appeal to and represent all the students they serve, and of the value to all students of curricula that reflect more fully the ways that Britain has been shaped by its interactions with the wider world. Recent feedback we’ve received from students and teachers is that a topic specifically on migration in Britain would appeal to students in this country and help make the specification more diverse and inclusive. While it was already our intention to include a migration thematic study in GCSE History at the next specification reform, in light of recent events we’re conscious of the need to move more quickly and have accelerated this work to introduce the topic into the current specification.

The development of a new topic takes time and care, and we want to consult widely to ensure it is fit for purpose and works within the existing specification structure. We will also be working with key stakeholders to think about how future specifications can be designed to be more inclusive. We would therefore welcome input from teachers and students who would be interested in contributing to our research. If this is something you would be interested in doing, please contact our subject advisor Mark Battye.

*subject to Ofqual approval