In this unit, children can be introduced to the idea that people from other societies have been coming to Britain for a long time. They can learn about some of the tensions involved in the settlement as well as ways of life and matters that impact on us still. This...

Obscured by the fame of the Aztec empire or shrouded by a veil of mystery, the cultural history of the Maya has generally been misunderstood by the British public. Maya civilisation developed in a territory the size of Germany and Denmark together (nearly 400,000 km2). This vast territory shows three...

Following the publication of the final programmes of study and through talking to primary teachers at regional events, it has come to our attention that there is still a great deal of confusion surrounding the final programmes of study for history about what is statutory, what is not, what can...

"As part of our reforms to the national curriculum , the current system of ‘levels' used to report children's attainment and progress will be removed.  It will not be replaced." (DfE 2013) When National Curriculum levels were removed in 2014, it was all too easy to fall into the trap of...

The revised National Curriculum for history published on July 8th 2013 contains new content and possibly greater coverage that may find schools needing to map out what they cover and when more closely. The following list defines the topics that must be taught. Following this are some suggestions as to how...

Creative curricular planning With the National Curriculum under review, it seems that more schools are taking a creative approach to planning by delivering the curriculum through a focused theme or topic. This has allowed schools to take more ownership of the curriculum and has helped teachers become more innovative in their...

Personal biographies I often ask groups to collect and record their own personal chronologies. They are asked to bring in evidence to tell the stories of their own lives or of the life of a relative, which they will then weave into a ‘photo book' story. The photo books become...

Introduction A great deal has been written recently defining what is meant by creativity in primary education. And much has been written urging us to ‘teach creatively'. Yet there had been no exploration of what teaching creatively means in terms of teaching history until a group of colleagues and I...

Editorial note: The role of ICT in the Digital Age is a major, perhaps even, the major factor, in enhancing creativity in the learning and teaching of history. This paper illuminates another dimension of ICT in the Digital Age and creativity. It shows how a teacher's creativity  has produced a...

How do we engage young people with their Heritage, answer curriculum needs and make that big leap of transition from primary to secondary school that bit easier? English Heritage's Geosong treasure hunt website went some way to providing answers. What does the website do? Using handheld GPS devices, groups must...

On the 20th of October 2011, Lecturers and PGCE trainees at the University of the West of England, Bristol created a Blitz experience for the children of three local primary schools. The University's Education department was transformed into a Blitz style street, complete with a home front kitchen, a Warden's post-...

This Topic Pack gives you a brief summary on the Normans.

In the light of recent uncertainties about the new Primary Curriculum, we at the HA felt that it might be helpful to teachers in schools looking to adapt next year's planning to have a few alternative ideas at their fingertips. Those topics identified contain links to medium term plans that are...

Born: May 1820; Died: August 1910 Background and early life Florence Nightingale was born to a wealthy evangelical family in Florence, Italy in 1820. She was named after her place of birth. It was normal at the time for girls from wealthy families to be educated at home by a governess,...

London in 1666 was a large and growing city. It was of great importance both as the country's capital city, but also as the seat of government. It was by far the largest city in the country. It had far outgrown its original city walls and because of its sprawling...

Please note: this resource pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum The Topic Pack gives you a brief summary on Tudor Society.

Please note: this resource pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum. The Topic Pack gives you a brief summary on the Tudor Monarchy.

This Topic Pack gives you a brief summary on Britain since 1930.

Please note: these links are now over 10 years old and some may no longer work  We have put together a short list of websites that may be useful for teaching particular topics. Please note this is not an exhaustive list, the sites are not necessarily ones we endorse and are...

The Topic Pack gives you a brief summary on Ancient Egypt. It includes sections on Ancient Egyptian society, trade and the River Nile, and key people.