OCR History B for GCSE 2018, is anyone else's child taking this? If so are they behind with the curriculum?

[Sunnymeg]

DS's history teacher has told them that they areven already half a term behind where they should be on the syllabus. Is this unusual or is everyone struggling with the sheer amount that has to be taught for each topic? As I understand it, they have to answer questions from all the topics in the syllabus for the exam. Before I see his history teacher I'd be grateful to get other people's views .

I'm a head of history. I'm not behind on the new spec (Edexcel but I dont think there's much difference in content) but I'm in a few networking groups and I'd say at least two-thirds of the history teachers there are behind by half a term or more. Some have only covered about 20% of the course. I'll have done 40% at Easter and am only just on target by my calculations. A lot of people I'm speaking to are saying that they just can't get through it any quicker. I'm not sure how they will get it all done and I can tell they are pretty stressed. We've had to really gallop through content to keep on schedule and I'm not sure how well the kids will retain it all.
I get the impression that I'm very much in the minority by being on-schedule and I do worry that it means I've rushed everything too much. I'd speak to the teacher but I don't think their experience is at all unusual.

Thank you so much for your reply. It really helps. Now I know how to talk to her about it when I see her. I was worried that it was a reflection on her abilities, but that doesn't sound like that is the case. Who knows what the exam boards will do, if this is a national issue though.

We are behind in our department as well. There is far more content to get through than before since the new regulations.

My DD is in Y9 and planning on studying GCSE History , her school are going through EDEXCEL.
DS did his GCSE HIstory with EDEXCEL in 2015 and can see from information school have given us that some topics have changed i.e. Still doing Medicine through Time and Nazi Germany but now doing American Mid west Gold rush etc and The Norman Conquest whereas DS did Vietnam and Tudors .
She is predicted level 8 at end of KS4 . What new regulations have come in since 2015 ? My sons Year were first to do linear GCSE where exam was at end of Y11