Ben Bassett
@benbassett.bsky.social
Deputy Head of History in West London || Holocaust Education ||
Following on from our HA talk in May, @petejackson.bsky.social and I have written a blog post on writing and using well-researched stories for GCSE History. Please do check it out!
open.substack.com/pub/benbasse...
open.substack.com/pub/benbasse...
Making GCSE History Memorable
How historical stories can capture attention, deepen knowledge, and sharpen curriculum focus. (This post will also appear on Pete Jackson's substack)
open.substack.com
September 23, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Following on from our HA talk in May, @petejackson.bsky.social and I have written a blog post on writing and using well-researched stories for GCSE History. Please do check it out!
open.substack.com/pub/benbasse...
open.substack.com/pub/benbasse...
Everyone really needs to read this awesome blog post from @petejackson.bsky.social - it neatly summarises a lot of the strategies to be thinking about at the start of this new academic year. Go check it out!
September 14, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Everyone really needs to read this awesome blog post from @petejackson.bsky.social - it neatly summarises a lot of the strategies to be thinking about at the start of this new academic year. Go check it out!
I really enjoyed recording this podcast episode - I hope you all enjoy this episode and find our discussion useful! 😊 we discuss writing and using well-research and well written stories at GCSE and the importance of hinterland knowledge, world-building and key takeaways. Enjoy!
open.spotify.com/episode/2cYo... Summer Time 🏝️ special @petejackson.bsky.social @benbassett.bsky.social share their wisdom & experience of stories 📖 in the classroom - it’s a cracker! We’d love your feedback 🤗
RETEACH HISTORY S03E03 - Beyond dates: teaching history with stories that stick
RETEACH · Episode
open.spotify.com
August 7, 2025 at 8:40 AM
I really enjoyed recording this podcast episode - I hope you all enjoy this episode and find our discussion useful! 😊 we discuss writing and using well-research and well written stories at GCSE and the importance of hinterland knowledge, world-building and key takeaways. Enjoy!
I LOVED recording this episode for the Reteach podcast this morning! we talked all about our collaboration on writing stories for GCSE history and there's even some storytelling! Be sure to listen when it's released 🎉🎉
Fascinating 🧐 convo this AM with @petejackson.bsky.social & Ben Bassett 👏🏻 👏🏻 recording S3Ep3 of Reteach History Podcast Using stories with clear curricular purpose at KS4 🎧 make it personal at GCSE & captivate your students, will be released asap! 🙌🏻 📖 📚 @alcs.co.uk
July 22, 2025 at 12:40 PM
I LOVED recording this episode for the Reteach podcast this morning! we talked all about our collaboration on writing stories for GCSE history and there's even some storytelling! Be sure to listen when it's released 🎉🎉
On the way back from the HA Conference feeling incredibly energised & inspired.
Real privilege to deliver a session with Pete on the power of stories at GCSE. It was so great to meet new and familiar faces & engage in fantastic curricular conversations. I LOVE our history community! #haconf25
Real privilege to deliver a session with Pete on the power of stories at GCSE. It was so great to meet new and familiar faces & engage in fantastic curricular conversations. I LOVE our history community! #haconf25
May 10, 2025 at 6:44 PM
On the way back from the HA Conference feeling incredibly energised & inspired.
Real privilege to deliver a session with Pete on the power of stories at GCSE. It was so great to meet new and familiar faces & engage in fantastic curricular conversations. I LOVE our history community! #haconf25
Real privilege to deliver a session with Pete on the power of stories at GCSE. It was so great to meet new and familiar faces & engage in fantastic curricular conversations. I LOVE our history community! #haconf25
Reposted by Ben Bassett
Putting the final touches today to our HA Conference presentation on historical stories with @benbassett.bsky.social - really looking forward to sharing our work on this not least reflecting on the journey we've had using stories and reflecting on some of the mistakes we've made. #historyteacher
April 26, 2025 at 6:51 AM
Putting the final touches today to our HA Conference presentation on historical stories with @benbassett.bsky.social - really looking forward to sharing our work on this not least reflecting on the journey we've had using stories and reflecting on some of the mistakes we've made. #historyteacher
I'm looking forward to our talk at this year's HA conference. Super proud to reflect on how far we've come and how much we've learned. Excited to share practical advice, realistic next steps for history teachers, and to see familiar faces. I love the history teaching community! #haconf2025
April 26, 2025 at 2:35 PM
I'm looking forward to our talk at this year's HA conference. Super proud to reflect on how far we've come and how much we've learned. Excited to share practical advice, realistic next steps for history teachers, and to see familiar faces. I love the history teaching community! #haconf2025
Absolutely loved writing this with @petejackson.bsky.social - my students really enjoyed this one!
Looking forward to going deep into the story of the Earl of Essex and his ill-fated rebellion tomorrow. Not least this will be an exciting and interesting story to tell but it will also reveal so much about Elizabeth's power too. @benbassett.bsky.social
#historyteacher
#historyteacher
March 7, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Absolutely loved writing this with @petejackson.bsky.social - my students really enjoyed this one!
Reposted by Ben Bassett
Enjoyed using story of Audrey Hepburn today to teach the story of the Netherlands in WW2. The task of getting students to focus on their key takeaways from the story worked so well to really get students to think how they could the story as evidence for the Dutch experience in WW2
#historyteacher
#historyteacher
February 27, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Enjoyed using story of Audrey Hepburn today to teach the story of the Netherlands in WW2. The task of getting students to focus on their key takeaways from the story worked so well to really get students to think how they could the story as evidence for the Dutch experience in WW2
#historyteacher
#historyteacher
Had an absolutely fantastic time speaking about our use of stories at history GCSE! Thanks to @ttrhistory.bsky.social for inviting me and to all the lovely attendees!
@benbassett.bsky.social talking about the magic of stories in the #TTRConnect History strand.
March 1, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Had an absolutely fantastic time speaking about our use of stories at history GCSE! Thanks to @ttrhistory.bsky.social for inviting me and to all the lovely attendees!
Reposted by Ben Bassett
@benbassett.bsky.social talking about the magic of stories in the #TTRConnect History strand.
March 1, 2025 at 2:46 PM
@benbassett.bsky.social talking about the magic of stories in the #TTRConnect History strand.
Fantastic story from @petejackson.bsky.social yet again! Absolutely loved seeing how this story evolved and I LOVE the ending!
Story of Thomas Tresham to teach OCRB Catholics - v. excited to teach this. Thanks to @benbassett.bsky.social for the fab collaboration and shout out to amazing historian @jessiechilds.bsky.social whose briliant book God's Traitors and amazing History Extra podcast inspired this.
#historyteacher
#historyteacher
February 18, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Fantastic story from @petejackson.bsky.social yet again! Absolutely loved seeing how this story evolved and I LOVE the ending!
Reposted by Ben Bassett
Story of Thomas Tresham to teach OCRB Catholics - v. excited to teach this. Thanks to @benbassett.bsky.social for the fab collaboration and shout out to amazing historian @jessiechilds.bsky.social whose briliant book God's Traitors and amazing History Extra podcast inspired this.
#historyteacher
#historyteacher
February 18, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Story of Thomas Tresham to teach OCRB Catholics - v. excited to teach this. Thanks to @benbassett.bsky.social for the fab collaboration and shout out to amazing historian @jessiechilds.bsky.social whose briliant book God's Traitors and amazing History Extra podcast inspired this.
#historyteacher
#historyteacher
Thrilled to share that I’ve been accepted onto the MSc in Learning and Teaching at the University of Oxford, starting this September! As the first in my family to attend university, this feels even more special. Excited for the journey ahead!
February 18, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Thrilled to share that I’ve been accepted onto the MSc in Learning and Teaching at the University of Oxford, starting this September! As the first in my family to attend university, this feels even more special. Excited for the journey ahead!
Super pleased to have finished another story (in collab w/ the fantastic @petejackson.bsky.social) for our GCSE Nazi enquiry. I can't wait to teach this after half term! We are always open to feedback! @hughrichards.bsky.social @counsellc.bsky.social
February 16, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Super pleased to have finished another story (in collab w/ the fantastic @petejackson.bsky.social) for our GCSE Nazi enquiry. I can't wait to teach this after half term! We are always open to feedback! @hughrichards.bsky.social @counsellc.bsky.social
Another story from my collaboration with @petejackson.bsky.social - have already taught this one and it went down really well with my students. Also thanks to @helenpins.bsky.social for the fantastic book recommendation. All feedback is welcome and I hope others find this useful too!
January 25, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Another story from my collaboration with @petejackson.bsky.social - have already taught this one and it went down really well with my students. Also thanks to @helenpins.bsky.social for the fantastic book recommendation. All feedback is welcome and I hope others find this useful too!
Really pleased to share this story on Sophie Scholl for our OCR GCSE Nazi unit. Loved researching and writing for this one and collaborating with the wonderful @petejackson.bsky.social. I hope you all like it!
January 25, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Really pleased to share this story on Sophie Scholl for our OCR GCSE Nazi unit. Loved researching and writing for this one and collaborating with the wonderful @petejackson.bsky.social. I hope you all like it!
Super excited to be presenting at the @histassoc.bsky.social conference in Liverpool with @petejackson.bsky.social on our historical story-based approach to teaching the GCSE. I have really enjoyed collaborating on this, and it has really helped my students so I can't wait to share more!
January 12, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Super excited to be presenting at the @histassoc.bsky.social conference in Liverpool with @petejackson.bsky.social on our historical story-based approach to teaching the GCSE. I have really enjoyed collaborating on this, and it has really helped my students so I can't wait to share more!
Reposted by Ben Bassett
Reposted by Ben Bassett
Really looking forward to the @histassoc.bsky.social Conference in May in Liverpool.
Delighted to be presenting about using historical stories at GCSE and the collaboration with @benbassett.bsky.social
#historyteacher
Delighted to be presenting about using historical stories at GCSE and the collaboration with @benbassett.bsky.social
#historyteacher
January 10, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Really looking forward to the @histassoc.bsky.social Conference in May in Liverpool.
Delighted to be presenting about using historical stories at GCSE and the collaboration with @benbassett.bsky.social
#historyteacher
Delighted to be presenting about using historical stories at GCSE and the collaboration with @benbassett.bsky.social
#historyteacher
Reposted by Ben Bassett
Done some revisions on our British Empire assessment - I've shared some of my thinking around it too. I've really stripped back the advice on historical writing within the assessment to reduce cog. overload and allow more freedom in the writing - 'low floor-high ceiling' the mantra
#historyteacher
#historyteacher
January 5, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Done some revisions on our British Empire assessment - I've shared some of my thinking around it too. I've really stripped back the advice on historical writing within the assessment to reduce cog. overload and allow more freedom in the writing - 'low floor-high ceiling' the mantra
#historyteacher
#historyteacher
Another really enjoyable collaboration with @petejackson.bsky.social - had loads of fun suggesting edits on this one as I LOVED reading extracts from Thomas Platter's writings. Super important to us that we have the source material at the heart of our stories.
Last year I taught Elizabethan theatre via a Story, Source, Scholarship. This year I've combined it into one story using the source of Thomas Platter as a key driver. Really looking forward to teaching this. Thanks to @benbassett.bsky.social for incredible editing. #historyteacher #OCRB
January 2, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Another really enjoyable collaboration with @petejackson.bsky.social - had loads of fun suggesting edits on this one as I LOVED reading extracts from Thomas Platter's writings. Super important to us that we have the source material at the heart of our stories.
Reposted by Ben Bassett
Final revisions made to OCR B Bess of Hardwick story. Can't wait to teach this next week @benbassett.bsky.social
Fantastic how you can really shape your own content when teaching OCR B - the freedom this gives you in planning an engaging GCSE curriculum is just fantastic.
#historyteacher
Fantastic how you can really shape your own content when teaching OCR B - the freedom this gives you in planning an engaging GCSE curriculum is just fantastic.
#historyteacher
December 3, 2024 at 4:34 PM
Final revisions made to OCR B Bess of Hardwick story. Can't wait to teach this next week @benbassett.bsky.social
Fantastic how you can really shape your own content when teaching OCR B - the freedom this gives you in planning an engaging GCSE curriculum is just fantastic.
#historyteacher
Fantastic how you can really shape your own content when teaching OCR B - the freedom this gives you in planning an engaging GCSE curriculum is just fantastic.
#historyteacher
I've really enjoyed collaborating with Pete on this one and can't wait to teach it!
Taking historical stories to OCR B Elizabethans - launching Daily Lives and focusing on the Great Chain of Being through the story of Bess of Hardwick and the incredible Hardwick Hall. Looking forward to teaching this greatly. Thanks for the collaboration @benbassett.bsky.social
#historyteacher
#historyteacher
December 2, 2024 at 6:36 PM
I've really enjoyed collaborating with Pete on this one and can't wait to teach it!
100% agree with this and I'm really looking forward to writing more stories to tie together our Elizabethan course! Student feedback has been fantastic! Definitely could not have done this without @petejackson.bsky.social though!
I learnt a lot from this approach and the stories really worked well as a way to do some of the 'heavy lifting' in the curriculum. Looking forward to bringing this approach more into other GCSE topics as we move forward. Again huge thanks to @benbassett.bsky.social for the immense collaboration
November 20, 2024 at 7:03 AM
100% agree with this and I'm really looking forward to writing more stories to tie together our Elizabethan course! Student feedback has been fantastic! Definitely could not have done this without @petejackson.bsky.social though!