Intent

Broadly, the intent of this scheme of work is to introduce the Classical World to students as part of their standard KS3 history curriculum. In the recent Curriculum and Assessment Review (2025), feedback was that at KS1-3, students needed to ‘enhance’ their knowledge of how the past is studied and how historians make claims, arguments, and construct accounts (p. 84). It also notes that students should have the ability to assess a wider range of information sources, including those that will support media literacy (p. 85). This scheme of work allows both points to be addressed. First, when analysing sources in lessons, discussions can be had on the construction of arguments, particularly considering the sources are older and perhaps less intact – this will lead to discussion on how historians have still been able to construct a narrative and allow students to consider ‘how we know what we know’. Furthermore, digital repositories of sources are becoming more widely available through museums and archives, and sources can be selected from these to support students to develop their technological skills. As well as addressing these suggested amendments, it will work overall to make the curriculum more inclusive, to develop cultural capital and to contribute to the decolonisation of the curriculum, all of which are explored further below.

Problems of inclusion have been recognised in the discipline (Goff and Petsalis-Diomidis Reference Goff and Petsalis-Diomidis2020; Dhindsa Reference Dhindsa2020) and the push towards widening participation in Classics is a step towards making it more inclusive. Schuelka (Reference Schuelka2018) defines inclusive practice as being ‘successful for children with many different attributes’ (p. 2), and Smith (Reference Smith2010), speaking about inclusive practice in history, defines it as ‘all pupils having the same opportunity to access and achieve in meaningful education contexts…’ (p. 65). By giving all KS3 students the opportunity to study the Classics and link it to the history curriculum, this scheme of work is actively promoting this inclusive practice. Furthermore, Classics is shown to have positive impacts on those with Special Educational Needs (Bracke and Bradshaw Reference Bracke and Bradshaw2017, p. 7).

Defined by OFSTED as ‘…the essential knowledge that children need to be educated citizens’ (2024), cultural capital is something that is linked to inclusivity, particularly for those in disadvantaged areas and from different backgrounds where access to Classics may never have been discussed in their household, as it has not been a commonly taught subject at KS3. By introducing this sooner than GCSE or A-Level, it allows students to make informed choices when it comes to choosing subjects and contributes to the desired ‘ambitious’ and opportunistic curriculum (Boyle and Charles Reference Boyle and Charles2016; OFSTED 2023). In my experience, Classics is not a subject that I would have chosen at GCSE or A-Level as I was not previously exposed to this and had no prior knowledge or understanding of the area to consider it an option. By adding Classics to the curriculum and considering the impact on Britain, not only can this introduce learners to a new subject, but it can also assist in making links with local history by including case studies of Roman sites that support the lesson content (Figure 1).

Figure 1.

The lesson outline of the Roman Britain SoW (created by author).

Furthermore, one of the Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History options for Paper 1 is the study of Medicine in Britain, c1250 to present (Pearson Edexcel 2020, p. 6). Although it starts in the Medieval period, ancient medical teachings are covered, for example Hippocrates and Galen and the continuing influence they had on medicine in England. By starting to introduce and cover topics at KS3 that may link to later GCSE specifications, learning is appropriately sequenced, and learners are supported to build strong foundations in their subject. It will also support the development of key GCSE assessment objectives. For example, by using a range of historical sources to explore the classical period and considering their impact on following time periods, they will develop skills to meet assessment objectives 3 and 4 (Pearson Edexcel 2016). Activities aligning with assessment objectives 1 and 2 will be introduced from the first lesson, and subsequent formative and summative assessment will develop students’ ability to answer these types of questions. Students will therefore be better able to understand higher-level content and apply their historical skills to such content.

My curriculum plan also supports the decolonisation of the KS3 curriculum by introducing the people of Roman Britain, which includes those of African descent. There is further evidence of people from the Middle East living in Roman Britain that can be included (such as the Regina tombstone), to show a multicultural Britain, reflecting the society we live in today. This is important because it helps students move away from only seeing history from the perspective of wealthy white males and to ensure that the history of black individuals in England is not solely synonymous with the trade of enslaved peoples. Implementing black history into the curriculum can unfortunately appear tokenistic, as I have seen in my placement. It also misinforms students that the first evidence of black Britons was during the Tudor period, something that is untrue. It will support ongoing work (Charles Reference Charles2019) to address misconceptions and support a wider range of historical narrative.

Classics is an interdisciplinary subject and therefore will link not only to the history curriculum but other curricula as well, such as:

• • Art: Sources to be studied in the lessons include archaeological and art sources. Learners will be able to consider different techniques and terminology to enhance their learning of both subjects.

• • Geography: In KS3 geography, learners are introduced to the idea of settlements and encouraged to consider why ancient settlers chose to build where they did. This will link with Roman settlements and life, religious spaces and military installments, all of which are discussed in the scheme of work. It will help embed geographical understanding of the importance of the natural world.

• • Modern Foreign Languages: Through looking at Latin sources, students can develop an awareness of linguistics and how Latin has influenced not only the English language but also Spanish and French, both subjects that are typically taught at KS3.

• • Religious Education: A lesson in the scheme of work will look at Roman religion. This links with the KS3 Religious Education curriculum that introduces different religions and looks at their origins.

• • Language, Literature, and Drama: Learners will be introduced to Latin and able to make links between ancient and modern language. Drama students are also introduced to classical Greek plays; an understanding of the ancient world will be beneficial here. It will also allow for further links to be made between different places in the ancient world.

Not only will the cross-curricula links be between subjects, but also different key stages. It will provide a bridge between the early key stages (1–2), where learning of ancient history is included in a more creative and fun way to the necessary critical thinking skills of KS4. Learners will be able to bring forward their knowledge from earlier stages to apply and develop this into higher-level learning. It was reported that the progress gap between KS2 and KS4 for socio-economically disadvantaged young people has widened from the 2022/2023 academic year (Curriculum and Assessment Review 2025, p. 26). By including Roman Britain in the KS3 History curriculum, it will seek to shorten that gap by supporting the current of knowledge through a learner’s school journey.

In curriculum design, it has been recommended that educators consider the UN Sustainability Goals and how they can include these in activities in the classroom. The UN Sustainability Goals were introduced as part of the UN’s Agenda for Sustainable Development (2023). Including these in the curriculum supports the UN objectives and helps prepare students for life after school by supporting the development of critical thinking, digital literacy, global citizenship, and environmental stewardship (Pearson 2024). In my SoW, the following goals are addressed:

• • Goal 4: Quality Education: Teaching the SoW links to inclusivity and building cultural capital for students with different needs and from different socio-economic backgrounds.

• • Goal 5: Gender Equality: Lives of women who were not always subservient (Foxhall Reference Foxhall2019) (III).

• • Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: How Roman innovation impacts today’s society (I–V).

• • Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities: Engaging all students in Classics and looking at all walks of society and religious beliefs (III, IV).

There are, however, some limitations. These are:

• • Classics is not in the national curriculum for history, and there is no centralised plan for this subject.

• • Teachers may not feel confident in teaching or be new to the Classics and/or Latin. There is training that can be undertaken as CPD; however, this can impact on teacher workload.

• • The nature of the SoW involves more source analysis and exploration than writing, which does not fit with the essentialist nature of the curriculum.

Overall, the intent in my scheme of work is to address the lack of access that students have to the subject whilst improving their knowledge of British history, ready to contribute to the rest of the curriculum, and support their future studies.

Implementation

The SoW will be a series of six lessons, starting with an introduction to the topic, four specific areas of Roman Britain, and ending with a summative assessment to determine students’ learning. These lessons will be taught using a variety of constructivist approaches, such as collaborative group work, inquiry-based projects, and role-playing, so students are fully engaged with the learning as opposed to being passive recipients of knowledge. The lessons will also use different sources to support students’ understanding of the time, such as literary (oracy, historiography, letters), archaeological, and arts coupled with secondary source material. This will help students understand the nuances associated with the studies of the classical world and contribute to building cultural capital. Each lesson will include an exercise at the end that looks at the links between the Romans in Britain and today so students can understand the influence they might have had. Figure 1 shows the topics to be covered and the various sources that students will look at to help their understanding of the period.

The first lesson will use Bruner’s discovery learning approach (Reference Bruner1960, Reference Bruner1961) and start with a recognition of students’ prior learning at KS1 and KS2 by asking them to list what they recall about the Roman period. This will be followed by an overview of the topic and introductory information about the Roman period, including dates, timelines, and maps. This will support students to place it chronologically and geographically to gain a basic understanding of the topic on which further understanding can be built and scaffolded (Vygotsky Reference Vygotsky1978), therefore reducing cognitive load (Sweller Reference Sweller1988).

The final lesson will be a summary and involve an assessment to determine learning. These lessons will each lend an opportunity to educate students about the lives, including the lives of black people, who lived in Roman Britain and the roles they held. This moves away from the education of black individuals that starts with slavery in the 17^th century.

Impact

Impact will be measured by two models: process and progress.

Process is when the focus is on learning and development. Jefferson and Anderson support a move towards this method of curriculum assessment (Reference Jefferson and Anderson2021). In the immediate, impact can be measured through assessment for learning techniques in the classroom and by engaging with the students about the topic. Learning can then be assessed moving through KS3 by how students relate to material, links drawn between classical and more modern history, and analysis skills. Liaising with other departments will indicate how students are using their knowledge in a cross-curricula fashion.

The product assessment of impact is one where assessment scores are the prime focus. This will take place in the final lesson of the topic, which will involve a summative assessment. This will consist of multiple-choice questions and source analysis, building up to a longer written question where students will be asked to apply their knowledge of the period and the impact on modern-day Britain in a certain area. This will therefore assess general knowledge, historical skills, the ability to construct an argument, and the application of learning to the current day.

Summary

Through this addition to the curriculum, there would be a multitude of benefits including (but not limited to): decolonisation of the curriculum, widening participation in Classics, inclusivity in ancient history, and increased learner understanding of the world. Although purely theoretical in nature at present, this curriculum design could be embedded to support students’ development of historical knowledge.