• How is the series structured and delivered?

  The series consists of 5 webinar recordings, each lasting approximately 1 hour. The webinar series was originally recorded in spring 2025.

  Devising and using rigorous historical enquiry questions to lead learning in primary history (FREE for HA members)

  This webinar will guide teachers on how to devise rigorous historical enquiry questions, how to spot and weed out weak ones, and how to sequence them in an effective way across medium-term plans. It will show how disciplinary concepts can be revisited and pupils supported in the careful accumulation of substantive knowledge, adding to their schema progressively over time.

  Using stories and storytelling in the primary history classroom

  This webinar will explore the different ways stories and storytelling can be used in primary history: as an evocative way of conveying substantive knowledge for retrieval, and as a stimulus to hook pupils’ initial interest and curiosity. It will also show how pupils can be helped to test the reliability of stories as historical interpretations, by comparing them with the original evidence on which they are based.

  Using the work of historians in the primary history classroom

  This webinar will show how the writing and insights of real historians can be used across medium-term plans in primary history. It will give examples of how historians' ideas can be simplified for presentation in different ways, how their methods can be echoed for pupils in tasking, and how pupils can explore the original evidence historians use to support their conclusions - including how pupils can test the validity of these conclusions as historical interpretations.

  Helping pupils articulate their understanding of history through speaking and listening

  This webinar will look at the vital role speaking and listening plays in helping pupils to think, read and write in historical ways as well as developing general oracy skills. It will explore a range of strategies and tasking that can help pupils deepen their historical understanding, gain a better grasp of complex ideas, and learn how to articulate these so that they can reach (and justify) independent conclusions of their own.

  Developing formative and extended writing in primary history

  This webinar will demonstrate how giving pupils opportunities to write formatively can capture their understanding at given points in a learning episode, helping them to structure their developing thinking and supporting teachers in spotting and correcting misconceptions in good time. It will consider effective ways of challenging pupils to write at length, including various forms of writing frames linked to the development of disciplinary concepts, and supporting pupils in reaching independent conclusions of their own. It will also show how all these strategies can be important contributions to the development of general literacy.

• Who is the series for?

  The course is for history subject leaders and anyone who teaches at Key Stage 1 or 2.

• What are the learning outcomes?

  This webinar series will enable you to:

  • - Gain insight into how to plan for pupils to think, read, write, speak and listen in an historical way
  • - Gain insight into how primary history can contribute rigorously to developing general literacy without compromising subject-specific objectives

• Who is leading the series?

  The webinars will be led by Andrew Wrenn FHA, an experienced history consultant and teacher educator. A former head of history and cross-phase local authority adviser for history and humanities, he is a longstanding contributor to the HA across both primary and secondary. This includes articles for Primary History and Teaching History, presentations at conferences, and online and in-person CPD. He is an assessor for the HA Quality Mark.

• What does it cost?

  Each webinar is charged at £30 for HA members and £45 for non-members (VAT is zero-rated). You must be logged in to your membership account to access the member rate.

  Did you know? You can save money by registering at the membership rate, in addition to accessing a range of other benefits all year round. Find out more about Primary membership.

• How do I take part?

  You can purchase and access each set of webinars using the links provided. Once you have purchased each webinar, the recording will be available to view at the bottom of the relevant resource page until the stated expiry date.

  Expiry date: 6 September 2027

  Payment is available by card only. We are unable to arrange block purchases or issue invoices, but VAT receipts are available upon request.

  Please note that to register and access the content you will either need to have an active HA membership or a free basic account. You will need to be logged in to your account before you access this course. If you would like to become a member please click here. If you would like to register for a free basic account please click here.

For any enquiries, please contact events@history.org.uk. Please read the HA CPD terms and conditions before registering.