ABSTRACT
Developing a policy for history might be thought to be the most challenging of tasks. It is, in some respects, but is also thought-provoking and exciting. If the focus is to translate existing practice into a policy statement then there is a good deal of work to be done in setting it down on paper in a brief, but understandable, way. It is even harder to begin with a blank sheet of paper and try to develop a policy document in a vacuum. The point of developing a whole school policy is that it is owned by the staff, describes what is actually happening in everybody’s classroom and gives some indication of the direction the school is going with regard to your area. School policy documentation varies from school to school. Commonly, there is a short statement of policy, one or two sides of A4, followed or accompanied by a file which contains the detail in the form of a scheme of work. The format for developing a history policy detailed below is that described by Mike Harrison (1995) and is a useful structure to use with the staff. It can then be altered in line with their views, if necessary.
