What? 

A bundle pack containing guidance of what an Ofsted deep dive entails and how you can utilise a similar internal process in your own subject monitoring. It contains five comprehensive templates:

 

1. History Deep Dive and Subject Evaluation Audit (Primary) - your source of over 100 deep dive questions about History that can be asked of senior leaders, subject leaders, teachers and pupils. As History subject leader, you can use these to reflect on the current picture of History in your setting and explore specific areas further when listening to staff and pupil voice. Many History subject leads also choose to practise them with other leaders to build their own confidence in preparation for a History Ofsted deep dive.

 

2. History Deep Dive and Subject Evaluation Audit (Secondary) - KS3, KS4 and KS5 History deep dive questions for secondary leaders and History or Humanities department heads to consider. While there is crossover with the primary set of deep dive questions, this resource focuses on secondary History and includes questions about secondary-focused areas, such as the routes available for pupils who wish to take their knowledge of History into further education, employment or training. 

 

3. History Subject Knowledge Question Bank - content-specific questions for History covering KS1, KS2 and KS3. They’re ideal if you’re wanting to explore staff History subject knowledge.

 

4. Deep Dive Process Overview - use this to structure your internal deep dive in History, working through the process of identifying your perceived strengths and weaknesses, observation and questioning, and creating a plan of action. 

 

5. Deep Dive Evidence Exploration - a handy place to collate all your observation notes when conducting a deep dive, including observing History lessons, asking pupils about their learning in History and looking through work.
 

Whether you have an Ofsted inspection due or not, conducting an internal deep dive can help you to identify your subject’s strengths and weaknesses. Use it as a collaborative process that can support other staff members to develop and use your findings to report back to SLT, governors or trustees as part of your curriculum quality assurance. 

 

What sorts of deep dive questions will Ofsted ask in History?

The answer to this will depend on your setting and what an observer sees in practice, but here are some examples of the questions covered in this History Deep Dive pack:

 

• How is the History curriculum tailored to your school's context and community?
• Can you share instances where you've incorporated diversity and breadth within the History curriculum and describe the resulting effects on pupil learning?
• How does the school ensure wide-ranging and expanding substantive knowledge of past events, people and societies in British and wider world history?
• What training have teachers received to enhance their ability to deliver the History curriculum effectively?
• Give an example of a topic where pupils explore how historians use sources as evidence. How is this taught?

 

There are many more in the bundle that History subject leads can work through to ensure they know their subject's strengths and weaknesses. 

 

Who? 

History subject leaders, especially those who are new History subject leads, will find this pack extremely useful when monitoring teaching and learning, or if preparing for an Ofsted deep dive in History. Curriculum leaders, senior leaders, headteachers or anyone else with responsibility for teaching and learning will also find the pack beneficial, whether they use it to conduct a deep dive themselves or support their History subject leader to prepare for an Ofsted inspection. The History deep dive questions are particularly useful in reflecting on your setting's current practice.

 

How long? 

Start as soon as you download the pack, and use it as part of your monitoring and evaluation schedule or to build confidence about a deep dive in History.

 

When? 

If you’re a new subject leader or you’ve never gone through a deep dive process (either internal or  conducted by Ofsted) before, this pack will walk you through the steps of what this looks like in practice and what questions you could be asked in a History deep dive. Even if you're a more experienced subject leader, it can be useful to revisit your History intent, implementation and impact as a form of monitoring and quality assurance, and this deep dive pack is perfect for that. Either way, you don’t have to wait to be due an Ofsted inspection to use the pack - it’s useful at any time to explore the strengths and weaknesses of your History curriculum.

Why? 

Knowing you may have to go through an Ofsted deep dive in History can cause feelings of stress, anxiety and worry, especially if you’re thinking about what questions Ofsted will ask about History and how you’ll answer. This pack supports that thinking process, especially if you work alongside other leaders to consider what makes great teaching and learning in History and how your school does or doesn’t do this. 

 

However, it’s not just about preparing for an Ofsted inspection or doing things because Ofsted might want to see them - it’s about understanding the picture of your subject and knowing its strengths and weaknesses so you can get amazing outcomes for all of your pupils. It’s also important to know that even if you conduct an internal deep dive and find there are gaps, you can use this to formulate your next steps in an action plan, which will help to ensure improvement for all.

 

Key questions answered:

• What is a deep dive?

• What is the purpose of Ofsted’s deep dives into areas of your curriculum?

• What does an Ofsted deep dive look like?

• Why might I want to conduct my own internal deep dive?

• Who should I involve in an internal deep dive?