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
More thoughts on primary history OFSTED deep dives
Recently Matthew Purves , the Deputy Director for Schools, set out OFSTED latest thinking on deep dives in primary schools. He makes reference a number of times to what that means in history. Here are some of the highlights for...more
KS1 Medium term planner: Toys through time (Term 1 or 2 of Y1)
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A HIGH QUALITY PLANNER FROM WHICH WE HAVE TRIED TO CREATE ALL THE RELEVANT LESSONS BUT NOT ALL ARE LIVE ON THE WEBSITE AS AT FEBRUARY 2020. THE OTHERS ARE IN VARIOUS STAGES OF COMPLETION...more
KQ4 What sorts of toys did our grandparents play with and how do we know?
Optional question: What toys did our grandparents get as Christmas presents when they were your age? Objectivesmore- Children are able to describe at least two differences between toys from 60 years ago and today
- Children learn that the past is differentiated...
Did you know there were over 1000 Roman sites in England ans Wales?
The numerous discoveries of Roman finds, often by private metal detectors, have revealed more than 1,000 Roman sites in England and Wales, often in places where archaeologists were not looking. While the objects include artworks, inscribed bronze tablets and military...moreTeaching about Roman villas at KS2- some new finds in Gloucestershire. Should the housing development now go ahead – arguments for and against?
Those of you teaching about Roman villas at KS2, maybe even using the outstanding lesson on this website, Is this another Roman Villa ( KQ4 part2), will be interested to learn of new archaeological excavations in Cam, Gloucestershire, which have...moreOFSTED using frighteningly slender evidence to judge history at KS1 and 2
According to today's Guradian report an eight-year-old boy was meeting the Ofsted inspector for the first time. “What do you remember learning in history?” she asked, tapping on her iPad. It was months since his year did...moreNew Grace Darling planner and lessons coming this month
Those of you teaching Grace Darling as a famous person at KS1, perhaps as part of a broader sea-based topic, will be delighted to discover that we have now completely revised and updated the Grace Darling planner which is available...more
How to get KS1 pupils into history-13 ideas
If you haven't already come across this School Run website offers 13 different ideas for making history come alive with your pupils, including games, story books, visits, history re-enactments etc. What i like about the list is that they...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
KS1 Medium term planner: Toys through time (Term 1 or 2 of Y1)
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A HIGH QUALITY PLANNER FROM WHICH WE HAVE TRIED TO CREATE ALL THE RELEVANT LESSONS BUT NOT ALL ARE LIVE ON THE WEBSITE AS AT FEBRUARY 2020. THE OTHERS ARE IN VARIOUS STAGES OF COMPLETION...moreKQ4 What sorts of toys did our grandparents play with and how do we know?
Optional question: What toys did our grandparents get as Christmas presents when they were your age? Objectivesmore- Children are able to describe at least two differences between toys from 60 years ago and today
- Children learn that the past is differentiated...
KQ3 How can we tell these toys are old?
This smart task complements the existing lesson on the site using ICT . Rather than re-write the whole lesson this is added as an extra task. Using slides 2-5 show pupils the pairs of objects - old and new versions of...more
KS1 Medium term planner: Toys through time (Term 1 or 2 of Y1)
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A HIGH QUALITY PLANNER FROM WHICH WE HAVE TRIED TO CREATE ALL THE RELEVANT LESSONS BUT NOT ALL ARE LIVE ON THE WEBSITE AS AT FEBRUARY 2020. THE OTHERS ARE IN VARIOUS STAGES OF COMPLETION...moreKQ4 What sorts of toys did our grandparents play with and how do we know?
Optional question: What toys did our grandparents get as Christmas presents when they were your age? Objectivesmore- Children are able to describe at least two differences between toys from 60 years ago and today
- Children learn that the past is differentiated...
KQ3 How can we tell these toys are old?
This smart task complements the existing lesson on the site using ICT . Rather than re-write the whole lesson this is added as an extra task. Using slides 2-5 show pupils the pairs of objects - old and new versions of...more
The top 10 things you need to know about chronology at KS2, but were afraid to ask.
The top 10 things you need to know about chronology at KS2, but were afraid to ask. 1.There is more to chronology than sequencing. While sequencing is fundamentally important, you also need to think about a range of other issues too....more
Planner for teaching early Islamic civilization at KS2
For many schools this is new topic and one to be taught with particular sensitivity in the 21st century. Try wherever possible to think of the reasons it is on the curriculum i.e. for about half of what is deemed...moreTeaching the Iron Age at KS2: are you teaching the right things?
In a recent article in Primary History by Karen Doull of the Historical Association adumbrated a list of the ‘Ten things your pupils need to know about the Iron Age’. The following were offered, to which I’ve added my comments.more-
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How should Germany be treated at the Paris peace conference? KS3 or KS4 task
This short but engaging task precedes any detailed analysis of the terms of the treaty itself. It has four distinct elements: prediction; analysis of a rarely seen German poster; attaching significance; and refining ideas based on most recent scholarship. Step 1 Firstly,...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
What can we tell about the Ancient Greeks from a study of their Olympics? KQ5 part 1
moreWe thought we would offer you a range of different cameos showing how the history of the Olympics could be imaginatively integrated into your current teaching.
The teaching activities below have all be tried and tested in schools and...
How should Germany be treated at the Paris peace conference? KS3 or KS4 task
This short but engaging task precedes any detailed analysis of the terms of the treaty itself. It has four distinct elements: prediction; analysis of a rarely seen German poster; attaching significance; and refining ideas based on most recent scholarship. Step 1 Firstly,...more
Which cartoon best explains the paradox of the Nazi Soviet pact?
moreThe Unholy Alliance: why on earth did Hitler and Stalin sign the Nazi-Soviet Pact when they clearly hated each other?
Starting with the historical puzzle of why Stalin and Hitler signed the Non-Aggression pact on August 1939 which so shocked the...GCSE History: Guide to planning and teaching Edexcel 9-1 GCSE
E Lots of thinking has taken place to decide the best way to structure the new Edexcel 9-1 GCSE history course. The rationale behind this plan comes straight from successful classroom practice.. One of my former Advanced Skills Teachers has written this about...more
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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.
