HOW TO BE AH UMANITIES SOECIALIST STATUS SCHOOL

							HOW TO BE A HUMANITIES
  SPECIALIST STATUS
       SCHOOL
       Things to know
             and
    things to think about
   Why do you      want to be a
                   (your SMT)


    humanities specialist status
             school?
List the reasons for your school taking on
  Humanities Specialist status

    Taking on a specialism involves
REPONSIBILITIES and OPPORTUNITIES

   What might these be for you and your
               department?
     What type of Geography
  Department do you want to be?
• Does your department have a shared
  vision? Is this written down or discussed?
     Take time to discuss and ‘pin down’ your department’s vision.
     Consider your:
     •Rationale
     •Aims
     •Pupil needs
     •Location
     •Staff interests

     What and how do you want your department to be?
The discussion and development of a vision is as valuable
                   as the vision itself
    So, what does a Humanities
    Specialist Status School do?
• Provide pupils with rich learning opportunities
• Tailored and innovative curriculum
• Raise achievement
• Extra-curricular enrichment
• CPD for staff
• Collaborate and co-operate, within and between
  departments, other schools and organisations
• Forge community links
• Innovate, lead change and model good practice
   How far does your school and
    department do these things
             already?
Discussion
Review the previous slide and decide which
  points might match the current strengths
  and interests of your school and
  department, and which might be areas for
  development
  Where do you start when applying
       for Specialist Status?
• Much depends on your own school’s
  approach
                                          Strength      Weakness
 Could involve:

 •SWOT analysis of your department

 •Open departmental discussion and
                                          Opportunity   Threat
 consultation

 •Discussion with other departments and
 SMT

 •Writing draft objectives

  Have a go at one of the above
    EXAMPLES OF REAL OBJECTIVES
•   To raise the level of achievement across Key Stages 3, 4 and 5 in
    Geography
     – Implementation through booster classes for students with level 5 or less at KS3,
       increased EAL support, mentoring by older students, master classes for G and T,
       extra fieldwork opportunities involving problem-solving, establish university
       links…

•   To develop enrichment opportunities within Geography at all Key Stages to
    support attainment and encourage uptake at KS4 and post 16
     – Implementation through establishment of geographical society for pupils,
       research and equip a ‘geo-trolley’ (mobile fieldwork equipment) for land-use and
       microclimate studies, write new and appropriate schemes of work, establish
       foreign fieldwork experience at AS level…

•   To raise levels of achievement on Geography through the promotion of
    investigative skills and filedwork in all Key Stages and the sharing of
    expertise between professionals
     – Develop links with OS, GA and RGS, establish links with local primary schools
       and lead fieldwork for Year 6 pupils using Year 8 pupil mentors, lead master
       classes for able primary pupils, joint local sustainability project with neighbouring
       secondary school and local planning office…

Evaluate these objectives: would they work for you and
     your school? How would you change them?
          HAVING A THEME
Many schools choose to have a theme for their
  specialist status. An agreed theme can help
  organise and prioritise activities. Schools have
  focused on themes like:
• The pupils as global citizens
• The global dimension
• ‘Five Ways on Five Continents’
• Local-regional-global
• Sustainable development
• Changing the World
   What geographical theme might
       work for your school?
           What developments could your
           Geography Department lead?
         The boxes show the key areas of school life that
           Humanities Specialist Status should affect
                                                      Providing CPD
Raising pupil achievement


                             Choose one of these
                                                           Increasing enrichment
                             key areas.
                                                           Opportunities for pupils
                             What developments
                             could you lead in
                             school that would help
                             achieve these?
Collaboration and
Co-operation



                                                       Curriculum innovation
                    Forging community links
    How to be a Humanities Specialist Status school
      Some practical ideas (that have worked)
•   Expand fieldwork opportunities, go abroad
•   Run mystery fieldwork days
•   Start a school geographical society
•   Invest in an equipment library for local schools to use
•   Start an Internet café
•   Run themed Humanities weeks and days
•   Start Geography school TV and radio channels
•   Start a regular Geography newsletter or journal
•   Develop a geography website and messageboards
•   Make webcasts and podcasts
•   Invest in GIS
•   Make a GCSE in a Humanities subject compulsory, make it
    possible to take two Humanities subjects…
    How to be a Humanities Specialist Status school
       Some more practical ideas                     (that have
                               worked)
• Re-brand your area of the school through
  decoration/colourscheme/displays/signs
• Contact local primary schools, secondary schools and university
  departments
• Take your pupils into primary classes as peer teachers
• Establish a Geography Working Group of pupils and allow them to co-plan
  the curriculum
• Establish real or virtual networks
• Join the GA and RGS (personal and schools membership)
• Host a GA branch
• Enter pupils for the Worldwise quiz (GA) and Young Geographer of the
  Year (RGS) competitions
• Apply to become CGeog
• Apply for the GA’s Secondary Geography Quality Mark award
What practical ideas would work
in your department and school?

• Which of the ideas listed on the previous
  slides could work in your school?

• Could you tweak any of them to make
  them even better and tailor them for you
  pupils?
   THE CHALLENGES OF BEING A HUMANITIES
         SPECIALIST STATUS SCHOOL
Discussion
What do you think might be the challenges of being
 in the geography department in a Humanities
 Specialist Status school?

  •Workload issues, need for protected time
  •Quality of leadership (SMT)
  •Forging links with other schools and community
  •Meeting high expectations, leading school-wide
  change
  •Getting great results, and then improving them
  •Did I mention workload?
        Do your concerns match the list?
    REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL
      THE GREAT BENEFITS OF HUMANITIES
                 SPECIALIST STATUS
•   Raised pupil achievement
•   Increased pupil enjoyment
•   Heightened department profile
•   Geography is valued
•   Increase in geography uptake
•   Personal and departmental CPD
•   Investment in department and subject
•   Your CV looks good
•   Personal and professional links
•   Enjoyable!
Some last advice from someone who has been there..
• Focus on a few aspects of the bid or projects at
  any one time
• Get protected time built into your timetable so
  that you can devote it to hums work
• Delegate and share
• Publicise your success
• Don’t be afraid to drop/amend objectives and
  projects if they don’t work or new ideas arise
• Be realistic and keep it simple
                 FOLLOW-UP
• Do a websearch to find other humanities
  specialist schools, find out what they do

• Choose one and arrange to visit, specialist
  schools are expected to host visits and
  share their experience (you are most welcome at Five Ways!)

• Join GA and RGS
          VISIT THESE WEBSITES

http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/specialistchools/what_are/humanities/



http://www.geographyteachingtoday.org.uk/hartered-geographer/cgeog
teacher-linkswith-humanities-specialist-status/



www.geography.org.uk/secondary/secondayqualitymark/
                 Contact Details
Paula Cooper FRGS CGeog

King Edward VI Five Ways School
Humanities Specialist Status School with Geography as the
lead subject

Scotland Lane
Bartley Green
Birmingham
B32 4BT

0121 4753535