Keystage history - Imaginative History Teaching in Primary and Secondary Schools
About Keystage History
Keystage history is the home of best practice in primary and secondary history teaching and learning. You can totally trust the authoritative, cutting edge, expert advice and you will be inspired by all the creative planning and teaching ideas. Subscribers love the wide range of fully resourced history lessons, all judged outstanding by a vastly experienced LA history adviser who has observed over 2,000 primary and secondary lessons and has carried out 60 national inspections for OFSTED. Every aspect of leading history 5-19 is covered in detail, from assessment and progression through to curriculum planning, raising standards and inspiring colleagues. This site is a must for any forward-looking subject leader.
Recently Added
New GCSE Crime and Punishment resources
To support the teaching of the GCSE thematic study, Crime and Punishment, the Digital Panopticon team has developed Criminal Lives, 1780-1925 an exhibition and education pack for schools. This is an eight panel pop-up banner exhibition that uses historical images...more
So you think your pupils know about Witchcraft in early modern Britain.
1. Were witches burned in English-speaking countries? A. No, they were hanged not burned, because witchcraft was a felony. This was also true in North America. 2. Were millions of witches put to death? A. No, the real number was nearer 50,000 across...more2 fun facts for pupils studying Florence Nightingale at KS1 and 2 key learning points
Just thought these two fun facts might interest your pupils, building on infants' interest in animals rather than death rates from dysentery! So the two facts are: 1. As a child, Florence already showed an interest in nursing by mending broken dolls...moreHow well do your pupils understand witchcraft in the early modern period?
Just being uploaded is short diagnostic set of questions (and answers!) to get a feel for how well pupils have grasped the key ideas and modern scholarship on this topic....moreRemembering the sinking of the Titanic- a famous event for KS1
To mark the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic on this day in 1912, we are getting ready to launch three brand new fully resourced outstanding lessons. To add to the existing ones explaining why the unthinkable happened and...more
Starting the enquiry into Ancient Greece KQ1 part 1
How can we possibly know so much about the Ancient Greeks who lived over 2,500 years ago? Any study of ancient Greek society must begin with an appreciation of the physical features of Greece. Landform and climate do not explain the...moreLooking for a new famous person for KS1 to study?
Why not think about Captain Cook. 250 years ago this August the HM Endeavour set sail, taking Captain Cook on the first of three epic voyages of discovery around the world. If you're seeking inspiration the British explorer and cartographer is...more
Common assessment tasks in history at KS1
It is often difficult knowing how to assess pupils’ historical thinking at KS1. Are we simply testing literacy and /or recall? But what about historical understanding? Faced with this problem, I have been working with two large London primary schools....more
Medium-term planning for history at Key Stage 1
This part of the site contains a dozen detailed fully-developed enquiry-led, key question-driven medium term plans for all the major KS1 history -led topics. They have all been judged to be outstanding by an experienced OFSTED history inspector. All the...more
Curriculum models for KS1 history
It seems a logical extension of the advice on long-term planning of the 2014 curriculum to offer you some models of what it might look like. As you know, the devil is in the detail. With the current emphasis firmly...more
2 fun facts for pupils studying Florence Nightingale at KS1 and 2 key learning points
Just thought these two fun facts might interest your pupils, building on infants' interest in animals rather than death rates from dysentery! So the two facts are: 1. As a child, Florence already showed an interest in nursing by mending broken dolls...moreRemembering the sinking of the Titanic- a famous event for KS1
To mark the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic on this day in 1912, we are getting ready to launch three brand new fully resourced outstanding lessons. To add to the existing ones explaining why the unthinkable happened and...moreKS1 |Great Fire interactive resource
more2 fun facts for pupils studying Florence Nightingale at KS1 and 2 key learning points
Just thought these two fun facts might interest your pupils, building on infants' interest in animals rather than death rates from dysentery! So the two facts are: 1. As a child, Florence already showed an interest in nursing by mending broken dolls...moreRemembering the sinking of the Titanic- a famous event for KS1
To mark the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic on this day in 1912, we are getting ready to launch three brand new fully resourced outstanding lessons. To add to the existing ones explaining why the unthinkable happened and...moreKS1 |Great Fire interactive resource
Starting the enquiry into Ancient Greece KQ1 part 1
How can we possibly know so much about the Ancient Greeks who lived over 2,500 years ago? Any study of ancient Greek society must begin with an appreciation of the physical features of Greece. Landform and climate do not explain the...moreKeeping up-to-date with your teaching of Victorian Britain at KS2
We often talk to children about the benefits that brought so many people into industrial towns in the first half of the nineteenth century. But we probably need to stress more, as a recent study has shown, that the rural...more
Outstanding medium term planner for Ancient Civilizations: Egypt Y3
At one point, in 2013, there were real fears that Ancient Egypt would be axed from the KS2 curriculum. Mercifully it was reprieved so we now need to make sure that we do full justice to it. Full planning is...more
So you think your pupils know about Witchcraft in early modern Britain.
1. Were witches burned in English-speaking countries? A. No, they were hanged not burned, because witchcraft was a felony. This was also true in North America. 2. Were millions of witches put to death? A. No, the real number was nearer 50,000 across...more
Hitler’s propaganda: the cult of leader. Reading internal clues. KS3 & 4 Smart Task
The aim of this short task is to encourage students to look really closely at images for what is there, not what they think should be there. Students are asked to consider how they might expect Hitler to be portrayed on...more
Why did Germany lose the Battle of Britain?
moreIf Britain was only a few days away from defeat in August 1940 how on earth did she win the Battle of Britain a month later?
PLEASE NOTE - This lesson was aimed at Key Stage 3 but should be capable...
New GCSE Crime and Punishment resources
To support the teaching of the GCSE thematic study, Crime and Punishment, the Digital Panopticon team has developed Criminal Lives, 1780-1925 an exhibition and education pack for schools. This is an eight panel pop-up banner exhibition that uses historical images...moreHitler’s propaganda: the cult of leader. Reading internal clues. KS3 & 4 Smart Task
The aim of this short task is to encourage students to look really closely at images for what is there, not what they think should be there. Students are asked to consider how they might expect Hitler to be portrayed on...moreWhy did Germany lose the Battle of Britain?
moreIf Britain was only a few days away from defeat in August 1940 how on earth did she win the Battle of Britain a month later?
PLEASE NOTE - This lesson was aimed at Key Stage 3 but should be capable...
Follow Us
About Me
Neil acts as an educational consultant for history for schools throughout the country. After teaching for 12 years, during which time he ran two departments and was a member of the Senior Leadership, Neil moved into advisory work,
For 18 years, he supported 70 secondary and 450 primary and special schools in Hampshire during which time he carried out over 60 national OFSTED inspections. More recently he has been heavily involved in running about 40 highly acclaimed national training courses a year for primary and secondary history teachers, as well as bespoke whole staff INSET days in primary schools.
