Historians have put forward a new theory to solve a mystery that has long baffled experts – why Stonehenge’s Neolithic builders went to the great effort of bringing some of its huge stones from 155 miles away in south-west Wales. "In contemporary Western culture, we are always striving to make...

Archaeologists using hi-res motorised ground-penetrating radar have recently detected a well-preserved Viking ship burial, lying just 50cm below topsoil in farmland in south-east Norway. The ship’s 20-metre keel and timbers represent the fourth intact ship burial so far discovered in Norway. It is remarkable that this one has survived, because...

An awareness of diversity, multi-ethnicity, race and diverse cultural narratives should be ever-present in our historical narratives. In schools and other educational environments this should be even more important. That is why we want to use Black History Month to celebrate the breadth and depth of Black culture and history....

Today (18 August 2022) Ofqual have published the following documents: Guide to the 2022 AS and A-level results in England  Guide to the 2022 Level 3 qualification results for VTQs in England  Infographics showing A-level outcomes this year Infographics showing Level 3 qualification outcomes for VTQs this year Interactive analytics...

It is important that Ofsted responds to teachers' and schools' concerns and thoughts and updates its procedures. That is a key reason why we have been happy to draw together the thoughts of the history teaching community to the recent Ofsted public consultation. Much of what they are proposing to...

“One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind” is one of the most famous sentences of the 20th century, and it was about science and exploration not conflict – or was it? For centuries humanity has stared at the Moon and attributed to it portents of good...

It is a blockbuster summer and autumn for films as the big studios seem to be hitting back following the Covid slump. Even better, rather than it just being about comic-book superheroes and supervillains, this year some of the film studios have hit on historical topics to get the audiences...

Historians have reconstructed what Windsor Castle originally looked like when it was built by William the Conqueror in 1071 to deter Anglo-Saxon rebels. Researchers have used a series of archaeological discoveries made over recent decades to determine the original size and construction of Britain’s largest medieval fortress. The reconstruction of that first Windsor...

Join our panel, including Dr Alix Green, Professor Tony Badger and Professor Justin Champion as they discuss how recent polls and election results have confounded many pundits. Do calls to ‘give us our country back’ or ‘return our sovereignty’ suggest that many people in liberal democracies need a better understanding of...

16 August 2019 marks 200 years since the events of Peterloo – known to many as the Peterloo massacre – when peaceful protesters were mowed down by a cavalry charge at St Peter’s Field in Manchester. The 60,000–80,000 strong crowd had gathered as part of a campaign to demand greater...

The film Peterloo has been reviewed as one of the cinematic achievements of 2018, dramatising the people and events that led to the infamous ‘Peterloo’ massacre in August 1819. Respected film-maker Mike Leigh created the film using historical records and sources from the period, as he and historical adviser Jacqueline...

A fascinating collection of more than 4,000 photographs uncovered in the Historic England Archive is giving up its secrets after more than 70 years and is now accessible to the public.  Staff at Historic England’s Archive in Swindon recently discovered 4,050 black and white photographic prints taken by the Topical...

2024 is and continues to be a year of national and regional elections around the world. Some have passed under the international radar; others have sprung out leading to huge ramifications. In the UK the polls are predicting changes, France has already had its shake up, and India, the EU...

1 July is the 50th anniversary of the first Pride March in the UK. Pride was chosen to be the Saturday closest to the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots of 1969. Starting life as a small event, Pride is now an annual part of the London calendar and there are...

1 July is the 50th anniversary of the first Pride March in the UK, in 1972. Pride was chosen to be the Saturday closest to the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots of 1969. Starting life as a small event, Pride is now an annual part of the London calendar and...

Many years ago a teacher recounted to me a lesson they had taught ostensibly about the Peasant’s Revolt of 1381.* The ‘extension’ task was to make a drawing that would reflect what had been learnt. One child had a less than tenuous grasp of what had been taught and not...

Access Primary History 79 (Free to HA Primary members) As the academic year draws to a close I find myself reflecting on the trials and tribulations, successes and regrets of the past 12 months. This is now the end of my third year at this school and it has felt...

Access Primary History 80 (Free to HA Primary members) The Historical Association would never pretend that it understands what is the best primary history practice. On the contrary it recognises that such practice probably does not exist. Even outstanding ideas can turn into something disastrous if the teacher does not make...

It seems we can’t escape the word ‘curriculum’ these days. The start of the year has brought us Ofsted’s new draft inspection framework, currently out for consultation. There is a new focus on the substance of education: what gets taught and how it gets taught. At first glance, there is...

Read Primary History 84 Editorial Welcome to Primary History 84. I’ve really enjoyed editing this edition. It has been exciting to work with people who share a love of history and who engage with history teaching and learning in so many different ways. I have been impressed with the passion...