May 2023 History subject update

Summer 2023 support

With the Summer 2023 exam series fast approaching you can visit our Summer 2023 support page to find the latest news and support on this summer’s exams.

15 May coursework deadline

The deadline for submitting coursework marks and samples is fast approaching and this recent update contains a summary of how to submit A level History coursework marks and samples in Summer 2023. It includes guidance on how to submit your marks and samples online, a reminder of the deadlines, the materials you need to submit, and lots of other useful advice and links.

New podcast on history of apartheid in South Africa

We are delighted to share with you a new seven-part podcast series on the history of apartheid in South Africa which will be useful for teachers and students who do this topic in our A level History specification. The podcast was produced for the Anti-Apartheid Legacy: Centre of Memory and Learning by Dr Natasha Robinson and Professor William Beinart, and is hosted by history teacher Ciara McCombe.

2023 Historical Association Conference

This year’s HA conference will take place in Harrogate on 12-13 May. Pearson staff will be available to support teachers on our conference stand and we’re also hosting events to support our GCSE and A level History specifications.

Schools History Project Conference

Tickets for the 35th annual SHP conference are now available to book. This year’s conference will take place online between 7-8 July 2023.

A new focus on...KS3 History from Hodder

If you’re looking to diversify your KS3 History curriculum then Hodder have a new range of books called ‘A new focus on…’ which are designed to be used flexibly with enquiries that complement and enhance existing schemes of work. There are three books in the series:

• Black Lives in Britain, c.1500-present
• The British Empire, c.1500-present
• British Social History, c.1920-2000

Hodder also have some fantastic free KS3 enquiries on Black Tudors available on their website.

Over 5,000 entries for our new GCSE History Migration thematic study

Summer 2022 was the first assessment of our new Migrants in Britain thematic study, however we expected most early adopters to be teaching the topic in Year 10 and entering for the first time in Summer 2023. Now this summer’s entries are in we are pleased to announce we’ve had over 5,000 entries on Migrants in Britain!

Interestingly, around two-thirds of this summer's entries are from centres in and around London; we are hearing from more and more schools around the country who have already started or intend to start teaching this topic from September and we’re confident that these numbers will have at least doubled by the 2025 series. Publishers have seen strong sales in textbooks for this topic which suggests it’s well on the way to becoming an established and popular thematic study.

If you’re considering teaching this topic then look out for our updated pre-recorded Getting Ready to Teach Migration video which will be made available over the summer to advise teachers on the latest support and resources, including exemplar responses from Summer 2022.

Coming soon…. specification language amends

We have recently reviewed our History specifications for sensitivity of language and identified a number of terms which are now considered outdated and problematic (eg 'Plains Indians', 'gypsies', 'slaves').

We are therefore planning to update some of the language in our specifications for first teaching September 2023, first assessment Summer 2025. Textbooks will also be updated at re-print to reflect these changes.

We’ve decided to wait until after this Summer’s exams have taken place before announcing the changes to avoid causing confusion to students sitting exams this summer. News on these changes will therefore be sent to centres over the summer.