In history, the substantive knowledge (the stuff of history) goes hand in hand with disciplinary knowledge – the lens through which that knowledge is applied.

In the Francis Curriculum and Assessment Review, recommendations state:

The Review has heard calls for the curriculum to provide more space for exploring and embedding these disciplinary skills which are essential for further study. The ability to assess varying sources of information critically also plays a role in supporting wider life skills, such as media literacy. We therefore recommend the Key Stage 1 to 3 Programmes of Study should update and enhance the requirement for disciplinary understanding, without adding excessive content. (Building a World Class Curriculum for All 2025) p. 84

The November 2025 government response indicated:

We will ensure that every subject in the revised national curriculum programmes of study continues to set out key content, including a rich spine of knowledge with aligned disciplinary skills that guides teachers to deliver high-quality, well-sequenced lessons. (Government Response November 2025, p.8)

We agree with the Review on the importance of applying disciplinary knowledge, skills and approaches, including how the past is studied and how historical claims are constructed. This is core to teaching history to the highest standard and should be clear in our curriculum requirements which all pupils will benefit from… we will improve the programme of study to support pupils to critically appraise historical sources and develop strong substantive and disciplinary knowledge. (Government Response November 2025 p.32)

Disciplinary knowledge in history

Disciplinary knowledge in history consists of the following:

Sources and evidence: This includes different types of source from the periods studied, the interrogation and selection of sources in order to establish evidence to support or discredit a historical question or statement and construct their own accounts about the past, the different ways source collections are curated and used and the impact of digitisation on the interrogation of sources.

Interpretations: When studying historical interpretations, pupils usually consider the author/producer’s audience and purpose, the sources the interpretation is based upon, the time and place in which the interpretation was produced and how this may have affected the author/producer’s perspective. Pupils may compare different interpretations of the same person/event/issue and consider how and why they are different.

Significance: Including how and why people have given historical significance to past events, people and issues, how and why some voices and stories do not get heard, how new discoveries and sources change perceptions about significance. How the passing of time or different places can affect the interpretation of significance.

Cause and consequence: Pupils will often consider a wide range of reasons, both longer and shorter term for an event or issue arising in history. They may consider the relative importance or interplay of different causes. Pupils will also consider the consequences, or what happened as a result of the issue/event, again possibly in the short and longer term. Pupils may also encounter a consequence of one event or issue as the cause of another.

Change and continuity: Pupils may study what changed and what continued across a specified time period as well as the reasons for change or lack of change. Pupils may also explore the nature, extent and the speed of change.

Similarity and difference: Similarity and difference is based upon an understanding of the complexity of people’s lives, differing perspectives and relationships between different groups and societies. This concept allows pupils to draw comparisons across people, their perspectives, motivations and actions both within and across time and space, helping pupils to develop a greater understanding of modern global society.

The Historical Association has a long history of supporting and developing thinking on the disciplinary concepts across our journals, CPD and web resources. We have grouped some of these together below to support your thinking about how you can develop and strengthen disciplinary knowledge in your history curriculum. These examples are by no means exhaustive, so do take a further look on our website if you’d like to delve deeper.

Resources to support disciplinary knowledge

Interpretations

What is so important about interpretations?

Significance and Interpretation in Primary History  

What’s the wisdom on...historical interpretations This film discusses the last 30 years of thought on historical interpretations.

Webinar (£): Avoiding confusion with historical interpretations This on demand webinar unpacks the messiness of history and historical interpretations and how to avoid confusion and misconception among pupils.

What confuses primary pupils in history? 

Sources and evidence

What’s important about sources and evidence?

Primary summer resource: using historical sources. This summer resource from 2023 provides guidance about different types of historical source and how to use them in teaching primary history.

What’s the wisdom on… sources and evidence? This film discusses the last 30 years of thought on sources and evidence.

Using inventories in Key Stage 2 history Tim Lomas unpacks how to use historical lists and inventories as a historical source

What can you do with an old postcard? Alf Wilkinson explores what old postcards as a historical source can tell us.

Significance

Significance and Interpretation in Primary History  - Glenn Carter explores how significance and interpretations fit together.

Significance – Polly Gillow explores what makes a person or event significant.

What’s the wisdom on…historical significance?  This film discusses the last 30 years of thought on historical significance.

Avoiding confusion with significance in primary history. This on demand webinar unpacks the messiness of history and historical interpretations and how to avoid confusion and misconception among pupils.
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Cause and consequence

Recorded webinar: Cause and consequence Andrew Wrenn explores assessing cause and consequence in this free for members webinar.

Practical Approaches to Cause and Consequence Emmy Quinn unpacks this element of disciplinary knowledge in this free for members webinar.

Helping children to think about cause and consequence In this On Demand webinar (£) Steve Mastin looks at building and securing thinking about cause and consequence.  

What’s the Wisdom On…Cause and Consequence  This film discusses the last 30 years of thought on cause and consequence

The Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings: push, pull, cause and consequence In this 2019 article,  Matthew Sossick looks at cause and consequence through a study of the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings

Britain on Pause: Remembering the 1926 General Strike In this recent article, Kate Rigby explores how the General Strike can be used to examine cause and consequence

Change and continuity

What’s the Wisdom On…Change and Continuity  This film discusses the last 30 years of thought on change and continuity

Helping children think about change and continuity In this on demand webinar (£), Steve Mastin explores building and securing thinking about change and continuity.

Teaching changes within living memory In this 2023 article, Helen Crawford and Sandra Kirkland explore the concept of change with Key Stage 1

Scheme of work: Education Chronological schemes of work, such as this one on education over time can provide a good basis for exploring change over time.
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Similarity and difference

What’s the Wisdom on…Similarity and Difference  This film discusses the history of thought on similarity and difference

Pandemics in history: similarity and difference  In this 2020 article, Matthew Sossick explores similarity and difference through pandemics

Ancient Greece and Rome: Similarities and Differences In this podcast, Dr Ursula Rothe and Dr Colin Andrews discuss the similarities and differences between the two civilisations.

Helping children think about similarity and difference In this on demand (£)webinar, Steve Mastin explores helping children to think about similarity and difference

Benin: Exploring an African empire at Key Stage 2 The study of another civilisation in the past can provide an interesting counterpoint across space, perhaps drawing contrasts and connections with the late Tudor period in England.