Outstanding History Lessons At KS2

keystage 2 history

This section comprises two parts: the main one is the series of outstanding, fully-resourced and described, lessons graded 1 by an OFSTED history inspector when they were grading individual lessons. You are given the learning objectives and every activity in sequence all with accompanying PowerPoint presentations and PDF files. The other lesson activities, from parts of lessons, are called smart tasks, exemplifying features of outstanding lessons and, again, all fully resourced.

Leicester – significant people and events (Case study)

Above all, studying Leicester provides brilliant opportunities to look at diversity. Ethnic groups make up the majority of the population…

York – significant people and events

York is one of the oldest and most historically important cities in the United Kingdom. Its history stretches back nearly…

Any changes for your history teaching in 2026? I’ve got one

As you will know from the headlines of the government’s recent curriculum review among the changes being recommended concerns local…

Top 10 activities for local history

Whilst the activities you choose to use in your local history study will very much depend on the nature of…

Teaching Local History at Key Stage 2

So, where do we start if we haven’t a clue about Local History? Unlike all other areas of study Local…

Exeter – significant people and events

Exeter is one of the oldest cities in England, with a history shaped by Roman rule, religion, trade, and regional…

Sunderland – significant people and events

Sunderland is a city on the north-east coast of England whose history has been shaped by the sea, industry, and…

Portsmouth – significant people and events

Portsmouth is a historic port city on the south coast of England whose identity has long been shaped by the…

Bournemouth – significant people and events

Bournemouth is an influential coastal town known for its strategic location, natural environment, and contribution to learning and innovation. Established…

Edinburgh – significant people and events

Edinburgh is an influential city because it has long been a place where ideas grow and important decisions are made….

Brighton – significant people and events

Brighton is an influential seaside city known for its creativity, diversity and bold ideas. It grew as a popular resort…

London – significant people and events

London is an influential city because it has been a centre of power, ideas and culture for hundreds of years….

Cardiff – significant people and events

Cardiff is an influential capital city where ideas, leadership and culture meet. It grew from a small town into a…

Belfast – significant people and events

Belfast is an influential city because it is a place of building, learning and big change. It grew quickly as…

Sheffield – significant people and events

Sheffield is a city of makers, famous for “steel and skill.” For a long time, hot furnaces and busy workshops…

Bristol – significant people and events

Bristol is an influential city in the South West of England because it has been an important place for travel,…

Nottingham – significant people and events

Nottingham is an influential city in England because it has inspired important ideas, stories and people for centuries. It is…

Newcastle – significant people and events

Newcastle is an influential city in the North East of England because it helped power Britain’s growth and inspired many…

Liverpool – significant people and events

Liverpool is one of Britain’s most influential cities because its port is connected the country to the wider world and…

Southampton – significant people and events

Southampton is an influential city on England’s south coast because it has connected people, places and important events for centuries….

Glasgow – significant people and events

Glasgow is one of Scotland’s most influential cities because it has helped shape important ideas and people. In the past,…

Birmingham – significant people and events

Birmingham is one of Britain’s most influential cities because it has helped shape big ideas and important people. In the…

Manchester – significant people and events

Historically significant people associated with the city of Manchester and surrounding area. Manchester is one of Britain’s most historically influential…

Swindon – significant people and events

Swindon is a town in Wiltshire with a history shaped by industry, transport, and change. For much of the Middle…

Victorians – end of unit quiz

Throughout this unit, we’ve explored what life was like in Britain during Queen Victoria’s long reign, from bustling factories and…

Using the Maya topic to look at changing interpretations

One of the hardest ideas to teach young children is that history is a construct and liable to changing interpretations….

Looking for a new stimulus to teach arrival of Christianity in Saxon Britain?

Earlier this summer (2025) this very rare coin was found, one of the earliest Anglo-Saxon coins in existence. What makes…

Mystery picture – hidden meanings in a Tudor painting

One of the exciting things about teaching history is watching the penny drop with pupils who discover that history is…

Henry and Katherine of Aragon: a love story less well told?

A recent find in a field in Warwickshire is to be sold and the hope is that the British Museum…

Mayan civilisation KS2 – end of unit quiz

You’ve explored the incredible world of the ancient Maya — a people who built great cities, invented their own writing…

Ancient Greece – end of unit quiz

You’ve learned about the amazing people, places, and ideas from thousands of years ago — now it’s time to see…

Black and British – assessment task

This assessment task is different from the others in the KS2 suite of tasks in that it comprises multiple questions…

Planner for new KS2 thematic study Black Death to today: Keeping healthy over time

This intrinsically interesting topic has been chosen as a long-term development study as it not only builds on the fact…

Keeping healthy – KQ1 – What does the Black Death of 1348 tell us about people’s knowledge of health 700 years ago?

Pupils are hooked in with a story of the impact of the Black Death on one family. This is followed…

Keeping healthy – KQ2 – How much more did they know about keeping healthy by the time of the Great Plague of 1665?

Pupils’ attention is focused on the Great Plague of 1665. They consider the likely efficacy of methods used to combat…

Keeping healthy – KQ3 – Did such huge changes in people’s health suddenly take place about 200 years ago?

Pupils’ attention is grabbed with a powerful story, supported by detailed analysis of two contemporary sources. Having had the changes…

Keeping healthy – KQ4 -Which were the biggest breakthroughs in people’s health in the 19th century?

In this session the focus moves to pupils’ working more independently, carrying out their own research in groups and then…

Keeping healthy – KQ5 – Has everyone become healthier in the last 100 years?

Starting with a contemporary cartoon analysis, which hints at highly relevant current life-style related health problems that still have not…

Keeping healthy – KQ6 – When was the best time to live in terms of keeping heathy? What would the dates of your preferred lifespan of 80 years be?

In this brief concluding session, pupils look back over 300 years of history and make a judgement about the best…

Outstanding History Lessons and smart tasks at KS2

Login

Search

Recent added

Recent searches