Keystage History Blog – updates from Neil
What does good leadership of history look like at KS 1 and 2?
A recent report from a history HMI to a primary school reveals what they are looking for : One of the key features underpinning the high quality of history learning …
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Keeping up-to-date with your teaching of the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings at KS2- dealing with fake news
Subject knowledge is vital for any KS2 teacher. You can rely on this website to provide not only the background knowledge you need but also the key learning activities that…
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GCSE Medicine and World War One. How did a weapon of war ( mustard gas) lead to a blood cancer treatment?
Fascinating short article looking at war as a factor in medical advances. Those who suffered most from mustard gas attacks at Ypres in 1917 were found to have low white…
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In many schools primary history curriculum found wanting by OFSTED
Seven of the 33 primaries schools visited by the inspectorate under phase 3 of its curriculum study, published today, had a “complete absence” of curriculum design in humanities. History came…
Read MoreOFSTED rails against gimmicks rather than getting basics right
The chief inspector of schools at OFSTED has warned against resting hopes on the latest educational gimmicks and urged us instead to focus on getting the basics right. Amanda Spielman…
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Top 10 Command words when planning your primary history activities
As well as listing and describing, what other forms of command words can we use to make sure that pupils’ thinking is likely to be historical? It may be helpful…
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New find reveals Roman relationship with the Celts
Yesterday the BBC ran this interesting article on an important find at Vindolanda Roman fort on Hadrian’s Wall which challenges some misconceptions about Roman attitudes to Celtic culture. You can…
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How can I raise standards in learning in history in my primary school? Doing the right things.
One of the hardest jobs for a history subject leader in primary schools is to build up a clear idea of what it is that makes the biggest impact on…
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7 ways to ensure that your history curriculm is 2019-ready
There has been a lot of coverage recently of OFSTED’s intention to focus more on the quality , range and impact of the curriculum, rather than simply looking at data….
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So, are we getting the emphasis right in our teaching of the Peterloo massacre at KS3?
The Peterloo massacre is one of the best-documented events in British history and now the subject of Mike Leigh’s recent film, which has brought it to more people’s attention. The…
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Moon Landing story book to use with Year 2
Those of you teaching Man’s First Moonlanding at KS1 but like to know that there is a cute fiction title you might want to use called They Raced to the…
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Getting the level of difficulty of your history work just right.
We all know that pupils’ minds wander. Some brave researchers claim that this happens, on average, as much as 50% of the time for the majority of pupils. What can…
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Great class story to use with Ancient Egypt at KS2
A few years ago when I was working closely with the staff at Belleville school in South London, we discussed the sort of texts you might like to use when…
Read More9 ways to ensure that your local history topic is successful at KS1 and 2
9 ways to ensure that your local history topic is successful Don’t even begin your chosen local topic unless you are sure that there are enough suitable resources. Local…
Read More10 things you must know about King Alfred before you teach about Saxons and Vikings at KS2
1. Was Alfred born to be king? An unlikely ruler for a start. Although he was the son of the king of Wessex, Æthelwulf, who had himself inflicted a famous…
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Assessment in history at KS3 revisited-yet again!
KS3 assessment revisited. Recently Sally Burnham and Geraint Brown revisited their earlier seminal paper on assessment now 10 years old and published their findings in Teaching History. In their article…
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Using stories in history at KS3 and 4 as well as primary classes
Daniel Willingham and other have long made the case for the use of story in history teaching at all keystages not just in primary history classes . And its easy…
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Teaching Early Islam at KS2
A recent article in the Historical Association’s magazine Primary History suggested that subject leaders need to ensure that the following aspects are covered: as with other important civilisations, the water…
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Making sure your KS2 pupils know the real reasons for the Mayan collpase: latest research
The Maya’s apparently sudden decline in the 9th century AD has long been a subject for historical debate. Now scientists have found evidence which appears to confirm the theory that the large-scale…
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Top 10 Command words for primary history activities
A simple way of ensuring that your pupils are thinking historically is to focus their activities using key command words. Too many tasks at KS1 and 2 involve narrating and…
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OFSTED looking for clear progression models in history
Central to much of the discussion in OFSTED about focussing more on subjects and the curriculum is the issue of progression. In a recent discussion paper OFSTED wrote that: The…
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Powerful personal memories of Remembrance Day
As we all remembered the fallen yesterday, I had particular reason to think of family loss. In the Great War no less than 8 sons from my great-grandfather’s family of…
Read MoreHow did the Viking fleets keep afloat on their voyages?
The unsurprising answer is TAR. The Vikings knew how to produce it on an industrial scale, making batches of 200-300 litres, ten times the amount normally made at that time….
Read MoreGreat blog on narrative v analytical writing at A level
If any of you are feeling that the A level history markschemes don’t make much sense you will draw consideable comfort from John Carroll’s article. For many years I have…
Read MoreHas Mary Beard got it right about TV history?
Mary Beard has sparked controversy yet again , this time about the way history is portrayed on TV. Too many actors swanning around in sheets. Too much focus on the…
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Teaching Mary Anning as a significant person at KS1
Many of you will know that I have been trying to wean schools off teaching JUST Florence Nightingale, and have encouraged teachers to look at female pioneers. AS we all…
Read MoreNew explanation as to why Mayan civilization collapsed- my KS2 kids can do better
Below is a recent short explanation as to why the Mayan civilization collapsed. I think that KS2 pupils can do better, with the right stimulus. This comes in the form…
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Commemorating centenary of ending of World War One: Using fiction to teach about remembrance at KS1 and 2
Fiction provides opportunities for children to explore what life might have been like for people living during the war and, as Megan Brownrigg from Strauss House Productions suggests, may help…
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Why Learn History (When It’s Already on Your Phone)
Why Learn History (When It’s Already on Your Phone). Sam Wineburg’s just-published book in which he makes it clear that the current hand-wringing over U.S. students’ ignorance of history is nothing…
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How good is your teaching and learning policy?
So primary schools and secondary history departments are happy to vaunt their teaching and learning policies. I applaud the fact that they have investaed time and deep thought into creating one….
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Great short video on how Elizabeth I manipulated her image
Great video lasting just 6 mins during which an expert curator decodes the messages behind medals and miniatures. Really interesting. #Link is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KAsUADqACU
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GCSE History: Guide to planning and teaching Edexcel 9-1 GCSE
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…
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Gender issues when selecting your significant person to teach in history at KS1
There has always been a tendency towards gender stereotyping when selecting which ‘famous’ men and women to teach at KS1. The men are the explorers and engineers, the women the…
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Great new read for your incoming Y7 pupils studying Battle of Hastings
You know how keen your Y7 pupils are when they arrive, so why not strike while the iron’s hot and encourage them to read a novel about the Battle of…
Read MoreUsing living graphs in history at KS4 and 5: don’t let the activity replace the thinking and long-term recall
I have long been a fan of using living graphs, especially to help students appreciate extent and speed of change as well as identifying turning points. Having said that I…
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Teaching Anglo-Saxons: Alfred and the Danes at KS2
Many of you have kindly written to say how much your pupils have enjoyed the lesson where they have to complete a living graph showing the changing power struggle between…
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New resource for teaching evacuation at KS2 using sources critically
If you are teaching about evacuation World War Two, possibly as part of our innovative Thematic unit ‘Beyond Face vale’ you might want to add this resource alongside the incredibly…
Read MoreUseful resource on Peterloo massacre KS3
Really useful short video on Peterloo , ‘Manchester’s Tiananmen square’. Presented as a graphic novel, the visuals are really clear and compelling . The commentary is non-condescending for a KS3…
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Too many Cooks? Too pale, stale and male to be worth studying?
Australians are currently deep in debate about the enormous cost involved in yet another celebration of Cook’s voyages to Australia. When I first arrived in Hampshire as a cub history…
Read More£2.2. million to be spent on time-saving curriculum materials in hist, geog and science
Sounds great doesn’t it. Even better when you realise that the money is to fund school-based initiatives rather than top-down material generated by DfE. (Remember the QCA schemes of work-God…
Read MoreUsing History Hits as a starter at KS3 and GCSE
Nearly all of us have asked pupils to jot down 10 things about a topic as a useful starter to get students focused. It works pretty well, but I have…
Read MoreThe best way to plan your history topic at KS1 and 2 for September
It may seem odd that I’m still peddling advice on how to plan a primary history topic when schools have been doing this for the national Curriculum for nearly 30…
Read MoreWhat history skills should we be developing?
It is often helpful have a short list of key historical skills which is neither too daunting nor too convoluted. Here is one such list. But where do you think…
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Spanish Armada: 430th anniversary- great lessons to enjoy for KS2 and 3
Those of you teaching the Spanish Armada at KS2 or 3, will know that today is the 430th anniversary of the decisive battle of Gravelines. You may not know that…
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Teaching Stone Age to Iron Age at KS2 : Building your confidence
This excellent website offers you a very short, reliable summary of all the key points you need to teach to your KS2 pupils. Towards the end of the topic you…
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Trump’s woeful ignorance of own country’s Cold War history
I know we shouldn’t be surprised when Trump commits another faux pas, but I can’t help admitting that my hackles rose particularly high this afternoon when I heard him claim…
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Ignorant minister Nick Gibb says history teachers don’t use textbooks
Nick Gibb climbed on his hobby horse again this week and criticised teachers for not using textbooks more. The replacement of textbooks with work sheets and hundreds of thousands of…
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Great new GCSE Crime and Punishment resource
Some of the world’s first police mugshots have been revealed showing criminals caught more than 150 years ago, including the earliest joyrider jailed for stealing a horse and cart. The…
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Only 1 in 50 children can spot fake news-teach them history
According to a survey published today only 1 in 50 primary pupils have sharp enough critical skills to detect fake news. It concluded : If we don’t take urgent action…
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Excellent short video on Hardwick house for your enquiry on Tudor homes
Although designed for GCSE students i have watched the 3 minute video a number of times and its perfect for Y4/5 pupils, especially those using the numeracy enquiry on the…
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.