Archived
This section contains older Keystage history articles and resources that have been retained because they may still offer useful teaching ideas, practical strategies or historical context.
However, some of the terminology, curriculum references, assessment approaches or guidance may no longer reflect current requirements or best practice. These materials should therefore be treated as archived content rather than up-to-date professional guidance. Where appropriate, please check current statutory documentation and adapt any useful ideas to suit your pupils, curriculum and school context.
ARCHIVED – Teaching about the past in EYFS
Preparing for the new EYFS framework Although most schools and settings prefer not to refer to history as a discrete subject on the Early Years curriculum, there is always a…
Read More
6 quick ideas to help you to develop pupils’ genuine historical understanding at KS1 and 2
How can we help pupils at KS1 and KS2 develop genuine historical understanding? These practical ideas encourage children to ask questions, investigate clues and explain their thinking. From creating a…
Read More
Time for sweeping change in history assessment at KS3, GCSE and A level is NOW.
When so much time has been spent on measuring pupils’ progress in KS3 using spurious data derived from blunt assessment tools, it is now time to place the emphasis where…
Read MoreFamous people at KS1- new resources from BBC
Over the last few weeks I have been approached by several companies bidding for the contract to produce animated films for the BBC Bitesize series aimed at a KS1 audience….
Read More
Keeping 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…
Read MoreExpert advice on local history at KS1 and KS2 by OFSTED lead inspector
Ex-subject lead for history at OFSTED has recently written this very helpful booklet for English Heritage. A great place to start if you are looking for inspiration for your local history…
Read More
Gove admits need to U-turn on history proposals
Listening doesn’t come easy to Gove. He’d rather just pontificate about what he thinks is best for us, irrespective of what we believe. So when he has to backtrack he…
Read More
Is this really the end of the Tudors, Victorians and WW2 at Key Stage 2?
Aside from Ancient Egypt, these are the three best taught history topics in KS2 so it is madness to ditch them in favour of Gove’s untested, unresourced and uneducated choices….
Read More
Rationale for teaching Benin (West Africa) c. AD 900-1300 as your non-Western society in the KS2 history National Curriculum for 2014
There are two principal reasons why I think Benin was included as one of only three optional non-Western societies. The first is the period covered. It is, very roughly, covering…
Read More
Great short 5 minute video on Vikings guaranteed fun!
If you’re looking for a clever, funny and informative overview of the Vikings that your Y5s will really enjoy go to History Bombs which you’ll find , for free, on…
Read More
New brilliantly differentiated lesson on Tudor theatre for KS2: 5 great differentiation strategies that don’t need masses of prep.
New brilliantly differentiated lesson on Tudor theatre for KS2: 5 great differentiation strategies that don’t need masses of prep. You can see the full details of the lesson on the…
Read More
Really effective strategy : Dear Producer (video critique) features in new KQ6 lesson on Ancient Greeks
Those of you familiar with the technique Dear Producer will know that it asks pupils to evaluate how well a particular video explains a given question. So instead of watching…
Read MoreFlipping the GCSE history question: stopping students answering the questions that wasn’t set! An example from Crime and Punishment using zones of significance
We all know students who have answered the question that hoped would appear on the question, regardless of the actual wording of the one set. I think I have a…
Read More
DfE criticises types of history teaching. Are you their target?
Nick Gibb, Minister for Schools has again sounded off about the virtues of formal didactic teaching of knowledge and has lampooned discovery learning. Hiding behind the views Professor Willingham, he…
Read More
KS1 Wright brothers topic KQ5 explores change using spectrum activity
Those of you teaching a topic on flight, in the sky or ‘up and away’ might be interested to know that Key question 5 on how the Wright brothers innovation…
Read MoreUsing simple ‘how plausible’ strategy for high-intensity thinking from KS2 to A level
Sometimes the simplest ideas have the most impact, probably because we don’t over-complicate. Looking for a way of getting students to think for themselves, rather than slavishly follow the ideas…
Read MoreGrades 1-9 flightpath in history; or so you thought
I’m sure you has pretty limited expectations of what exemplication of grade 1-9 flightpath might look like . So its not surprising that the publication from the DfE seems to…
Read MoreWhat OFSTED says about primary history: 3 things you need to know
OFSTED’s views on primary history are difficult to find. The last Lead Inspector for history offered these three opinions before he left OFSTED, never to be replaced. A. Too often…
Read More
Top 5 features of expert history teaching at KS1
Top five features of expert teaching at KS1 The key is challenge. Only by you setting high expectations will you be able to lift pupils’ aspirations so they don’t just…
Read More
Learning in primary and secondary history : The 4 Ps, Gingerbread men and other thoughts on active learning
I have always favoured actively learning in history, not least because it frees the teachers to talk to individuals about the history they are studying. On the other hand, when…
Read More
GCSE history : Medicine and World War One resource
This PowerPoint presentation , linked to clips from the film Battle of the Somme, is a must for those of you following Pearson/Edexcel GCSE history from September 2016. As you…
Read More
New A level resources for teaching Thatcherism
The BBC has recently archived 17 programmes, news items and documents which illustrate Thatcher’s image transformation from suburban housewife to strong leader on the global stage. The collection focuses on…
Read MoreRelevance in A level history
I’m sure many of you have felt exasperated, from time to time, with students who answer questions about the extent to which something was successful by including material which answers…
Read MoreDefenders of the new history curriculum have their say: a dozen dons can’t be wrong?
In this morning’s Times, supported by a front page and leader aticle, a dozen dons have come out of the woodwork to have their say in support of Gove’s lunatic…
Read More
Henry VIII on the money. The strange case of the one pound coin
This is not so much a full lesson as an introduction to the Break with Rome. It revolves around the use of a pound coin. Pupils do a rubbing and…
Read More
Holocaust teaching and need for training for history teachers
Holocaust teaching at KS3: what we should be doing! In addition to advising that history teachers and colleagues in other disciplines ought to be incentivised to take up Holocaust Education…
Read MoreStop using ‘can-do’ statements to assess KS3 history
It has always concerned me that context-free can-do statements have NO PLACE in HISTORY TEACHING. How can we possibly consider explanations for why the Great Fire started as being on…
Read More
Are you teaching your KS1 the truth about Guy Fawkes?
In many schools I hear teachers tell the same story about Guido Fawkes. Guy Fawkes was angry at the King and the government for the way it treated Catholics. He…
Read MoreLaunch of new website www.keystagehistory.co.uk
Hi, Just a short note to say that a new website is being launched this week for teachers of history at KS3 and 4. I have authored hundreds of pages…
Read MoreWritten by Neil Thompson
All content on Keystage history is written and quality assured by Neil Thompson, a former history teacher, county history adviser and Ofsted inspector with more than 30 years’ experience in history education.