Summer School for Teachers of Ancient History GCSE (OCR)

August 7-9 2012, University of Liverpool

This three-day residential summer school is intended both to support existing teachers of the OCR GCSE in Ancient History and to help to equip other teachers (including those undertaking training, in whatever subject) who are planning to teach it in the future.  Thanks to the generosity of the university’s John Percival Postgate fund, we are able to offer a substantial number of bursaries to cover the cost of attendance.

The Summer School, which requires no prior knowledge of Ancient History, comprises:

• Individual sessions on every option within the GCSE. Specialists from the University of Liverpool and from the National Museums Liverpool will introduce current approaches to the topics of study, and provide a pack of related resources.

• Workshops on teaching strategies for the GCSE. These sessions, run by the OCR Qualifications Manager, Sarah McPhee, and by examiners David Hodgkinson and Terry Edwards, will focus on: teaching primary sources, ‘improving the answer’, marking controlled assessment, and deploying primary and secondary sources in controlled assessment.

• A handling session in the University’s Garstang Museum of Archaeology; and evening guest lectures.  One confirmed speaker is Robin Lane Fox (author of Alexander the Great, Pagans and Christians, The Unauthorised Version, and Travelling Heroes), who will be speaking on ‘Why Pericles matters’.

Prices

The price of the summer school is:

Non-residential: £190 per person

This includes the Summer School, all resources provided, lunch on all three days, and tea and coffee.

Residential: £460 per person

This includes the Summer School, all resources provided, breakfast and lunch on all three days, two dinners (on Tuesday and Wednesday evening), and hotel accommodation. It does NOT include travel to and from Liverpool. 

There is no deadline for booking a place on the Summer School (see below for deadlines for the bursary scheme), though please note that we have a limited number of places, so please book early to avoid disappointment.  To book, please fill out the booking form available (from December 2011) at our public events website (http://sace.liv.ac.uk/ancientworlds/) and send it to the course director.  For updates, you can also sign up for the Liverpool Ancient Worlds twitter feed – @LivAncWorlds

Bursary scheme

Thanks to the generosity of the University’s John Percival Postgate fund, we are able to offer a substantial number of full and half- bursaries to cover the cost of attendance. (We anticipate being able to fund at least 20 full bursaries and 20 half-bursaries.)  Half-bursaries cover the non-residential price of the Summer School; full bursaries cover the residential price.

Priority for bursaries will be given to applicants:

• Who are unable to find other sources of support (e.g. from their School or College or from a GTP training allocation)
• Whose school or college is clearly committed to the introduction of Ancient History within their curriculum provision, and where the introduction of Ancient History marks an extension of current provision in the study of the ancient world

To apply for a bursary, you should write to the Director of the Summer School (contact details below), describing the circumstances within your school or college and making a case for financial support.  You should also

a) include a completed booking form (but no payment) and

b) (wherever possible) attach a letter of support from your Head or Principal or another senior member of staff (or, in the case of PGCE trainees, from your course director).

The deadline for applications for bursaries is FRIDAY 4 MAY 2012.  All applicants for bursaries will be notified of the outcome as soon as possible after that date.

For any queries about the summer school, please write by email to Professor Tom Harrison, t [dot] harrison [at] liv [dot] ac [dot] uk