nottingham station
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…

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newcastle victorian factory
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…

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Exchange Flags, Liverpool
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…

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the bargate
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….

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glasgow chambers
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,…

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Birmingham town hall
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…

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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…

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swindon railway works
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…

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coventry cathedral
Coventry – significant people and events

Coventry’s history reflects some of the most important changes in British life. In the Middle Ages, Coventry grew rich through…

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Children working in Victorian factorie
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…

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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….

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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…

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times
Reaction to new curriculum review – November 2025

In the Times today, 6 November, Michael Gove the architect of the existing National Curriculum, predictably weighed in with a…

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Historian’s palette – characteristics

We often talk about historical thinking on the site but what about historical writing. How do you help children to…

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Historian’s palette – significance

We often talk about historical thinking on the site but what about historical writing. How do you help children to…

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Historian’s palette – interpretations

We often talk about historical thinking on the site but what about historical writing. How do you help children to…

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Historian’s palette – change and continuity

We often talk about historical thinking on the site but what about historical writing. How do you help children to…

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History in the new curriculum review – November 2025

While you weep at the demise of the teaching of fronted adverbials! ( ha, ha) you will take comfort in…

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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…

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Historian’s palette – using sources

We often talk about historical thinking on the site but what about historical writing. How do you help children to…

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Historian’s palette – causation

We often talk about historical thinking on the site but what about historical writing. How do you help children to…

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Using mini whiteboards in history

So you have you set of mini whiteboards, your zip bag of pens and your whiteboard cleaners.  What next? Mini-whiteboards…

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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…

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maya now
Mayan civilization 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…

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Ancient greece
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…

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Castles end of unit quiz – KS1

You’ve discovered how castles were built, what life was like inside the walls, and how they were used to protect…

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Great Fire of London end of unit quiz – KS1

In this quiz, you’ll test your knowledge about one of the most famous events in British history — the Great…

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amelia earhart by plane
Amelia Earhart – assessment task

Disciplinary concept target: Significance Pupils draw on the 4 clues to underline why Amelia Earhart is seen as an important…

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rosa on bus
Rosa Parks – assessment task

This assessment task provides 3 images which should prompt pupils to show their knowledge and understanding of Rosa Parks’ significance….

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columbus
Christopher Columbus – assessment task

This assessment task provides clues to help pupils use their subject knowledge in order to explain why Columbus is still…

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empire windrush
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…

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amelia earhart cartoon
Amelia Earhart end of unit quiz – KS1

You’ve learned all about the amazing Amelia Earhart — the brave pilot who loved to explore the skies and follow…

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6
Progression in primary history: Top 6 ideas

A lot of you have been tasked with trying to specify what progression looks like in history in your school….

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ai
Using AI to improve learning in history: need convincing?

Laura has just taken over as history subject leader from September. She has an interest in history but no qualifications,…

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rosa parks police station
Rosa Parks end of unit quiz – KS1

This quiz will help you remember all the important things we have learned about Rosa Parks. She was a very…

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planner
Planner for 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…

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black death
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…

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plague doctor
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…

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cholera
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…

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pasteur
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…

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junk food
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…

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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…

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aldborough
The Roman legacy and the Saxon Dark Ages? – In the news – September 2025

Almost inevitably you will ask with your class the time-honoured question: What have the Romans ever done for us? Alongside…

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wright brothers
Wright Brothers end of unit quiz – KS1

You have learned all about the Wright brothers, who built the first successful flying machine. They were curious, inventive, and…

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scott of the antarctic
Scott of the Antarctic end of unit quiz – KS1

You have now learned all about the brave explorer Captain Scott and his incredible journey to the coldest place on…

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top 10 history teaching
10 things you need to show OFSTED that you are doing your best to give children a high quality history education

1. You will need to show OFSTED that you have a clearly thought through rationale for which topics you are…

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portrait of henry viii
Fitness for purpose versus novelty

Visiting over 300 primary schools in my career, several of them many times over, during many years as a primary…

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big picture
Seeing the BIG PICTURE of the past

“Big picture” history teaching emphasizes the connecting of specific historical events and links topics to broader themes and contexts. It…

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mary seacole
Mary Seacole end of unit quiz – KS1

Let’s see what you remember about Mary Seacole! This quiz will help you review what you’ve learned about her amazing…

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Mary Anning end of unit quiz – KS1

We’ve been learning all about Mary Anning, the amazing fossil hunter who found dinosaur bones by the seaside. Now it’s…

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