A Level History Student Conference: Modern Britain 1950-1997

10.25 – 10.35am
Welcome and Introduction

10.35 – 11.10am
The Affluent Society: how Britain changed in the 1950s and 1960s: Dr Florence Sutcliffe-Braithwaite

• Conservative governments and their political dominance to 1964
• Economic developments, the post-war boom and ‘stop-go’ policies
• Evaluating the Welfare State and the period of consensus – the impact of affluence and consumerism
• The clash between traditional and liberal views, including liberal reforming legislation of the 1960s
• Continuity and change in Britain from 1950 to 1970 and the consequences

11.20 – 11.50am
Effective Evaluation of Historical Sources on 1950s and 1960s Britain: Keith Milne

• What are the skills examiners expect to see on primary sources on Britain in the 1950s that gain the highest marks?
• Review responses to questions on Liberal policies of the 1960s to see what differentiates top from mid-level responses
• Marking exercise for students, with model answers to take away demonstrating how to achieve grades A and A*
• Work with real student responses to see what examiners are looking for when they mark exams

11.50 – 12.10pm
Break – submit your questions on Post War British History to our expert panel

12.10 – 12.40pm
Debate: How and why did the Conservatives win the 1983 General Election? Dr Florence Sutcliffe-Braithwaite, Professor Graham Walker, Keith Milne

• The impact of Thatcherism on the economy to 1983
• Examining the failures of the left – internal divisions, splits and election manifestos
• The role of the ‘Falklands Factor’, the power of the media and Thatcher as an international figure
• Considering the popularity of Thatcher’s policies and the impact of Thatcherism on society
• The significance of the 1983 General Election result for the Conservative and Labour parties

12.40 – 1.10pm
Lunch

1.10 – 1.25pm
Ask the Experts

• The speakers answer the questions submitted by the students, with a prize for the best

1.25 – 2.20pm
Why was there progress towards peace in Northern Ireland from the mid-1980s? Professor Graham Walker

• Consider the changing attitudes and approach to Northern Ireland of the UK and Irish governments 1987 -1998
• The effect of the fall of Thatcher on Northern Ireland
• How changes in approaches to Northern Ireland reflect the era of social liberalism and Britain as a multi-cultural society
• The Good Friday agreement – why it succeeded where previous efforts did not

2.20 – 3.20pm
The key to excellent essays on Modern Britain: Keith Milne

• How to write high quality essays on Britain 1050-1997, using examples on Northern Ireland
• Analysing the question – examine a sample question to on Northern Ireland to establish the key aspects to consider
• How essay planning, structure and content lead to higher marks: what examiners expect to see on Modern British History at grades B to A*
• How to integrate your wider reading into revision to make exam answers stand out
• Excellent essay practice: students improve example responses to understand what the examiners want

Dr Florence Sutcliffe-Braithwaite

Historian of twentieth century Britain, who teaches at University College, London. Her PhD examined political and popular ideas about class in England between c. 1969 and 2000. Other historical subjects she has an interest in include gender, sexuality, prostitution and homelessness. She has published Class, Politics and the Decline of Deference in England, 1968-2000 (Oxford University Press, 2018) and is currently working on a study of women’s activism in the miners’ strike of 1984-5 with Dr Natalie Thomlinson (University of Reading).

Keith Milne

Keith has 25 years of teaching experience in a wide range of schools and is currently Head of History in a large and very successful department of eleven full-time teachers. In addition to lecturing part time at university, whilst studying for a PhD in European History, he has written and also advised on a number of textbooks for A Level History students. He is a highly experienced Principal Examiner and Principal Moderator for a major examination body, leading a large number of very popular online and face-to-face conferences detailing the routes to exam success for all A Level students.

Professor Graham Walker

Professor of Political History at Queen’s University Belfast. Born and educated in Glasgow, he has held posts at the Universities of Bristol and Sussex and Birkbeck College London. His areas of expertise in broad terms are those of British and Irish history and politics, more specifically the history and politics of twentieth and twenty-first century Scotland and Northern Ireland. He pursues, in relation to Scotland and Northern Ireland, comparative approaches to questions of constitutional reform and devolution, identity issues around Britishness, and ethno-religious divisions and tensions. Among his publications are ‘Intimate Strangers: Political and Cultural Interaction between Scotland and Ulster’ (1995); ‘A History of the Ulster Unionist Party: Protest, Pragmatism, and Pessimism’ (2004); and ‘The Labour Party in Scotland: Religion, the Union, and the Irish Dimension’ (2016). He has also published biographies of key Scottish and Northern Irish political figures, co-edited ‘A Biographical Dictionary of British Prime Ministers’ (1998), and written widely on football, politics and identity.

Students £25+VAT

One free teacher place for every 10 student places
Additional teachers £35+VAT
Individual teachers £80+VAT