The life of a famous person from the past and why she acted as she did Florence Nightingale: her life, why she went to the Crimea, and what happened as a result of her work. Cross-curricular work: this lesson stretches and challenges all children, regardless of their ability, whilst teaching...

Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated. First let me say that I did not research the materials used or plan this lesson. For this I must acknowledge, with thanks, that this is the work of my colleague, Mike Huggins, and the senior...

Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated. ‘Some primary schools are like the High Street in many of our towns. I can predict what I will see before I go through the door. What I want to see is something that gives me...

Please note: This article pre-dates the current National Curriculum and some content and references may be outdated. If you are considering studying someone other than Florence Nightingale you have two basic options. You can either choose a local character who would be more relevant to the children, or you could study someone who...

Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated. Let me start with a personal experience and then move on to a classroom example. I went to Paris for a few days recently and sat in the bar where Hemingway used to drink with...

Produced by the Northamptonshire Black History Association and originally published in 2008, this is one of a set of resources for schools offering a more inclusive map of the past that includes an appreciation of Black History within the local, national and global context. The resources provide a range of opportunities to promote diversity within the curriculum....

Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated. Our school has no uniform. You can’t predict what most children or teachers will wear from one day to the next. So the children were rather surprised one day in July 1996 when most of...

Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated Studying famous people at Key Stage One has obviously been an issue for many years and no matter how long you have been teaching the name Florence Nightingale seems to appear as the only famous...

Rosa Parks died in October 2005, aged 92. It's a life story which resonates with any age group. In a recent visit to a nursery, I saw 4 year olds who had lined up the chairs to make a bus, playing out Rosa's refusal to move from her seat. She...

Please note: this article pre-dates the current National Curriculum and some content and references are outdated. For children history is a story, and a story mainly about people.(Schools Council, 1969, p12) It is interesting that Grant Bage (1999) used this quote to begin his chapter on Making Meaning of Story and History in,...

Please note: this article pre-dates the current National Curriculum and some content, references and links may be outdated. For more recent content see our Brunel scheme of work and George Stephenson scheme of work. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) have recently published new Schemes of Work for all subjects. Included within these...

If you were asked to select just one story which you thought all children should know about British history, what would it be? Would it be Guy Fawkes or Florence Nightingale? The battle of Hastings or Caesar’s invasions? Would you focus on people, events or ways of life? Local or...