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A creative Egyptian project
Primary History article
Ideally when teaching history, teachers will look to deliver projects that will engage and motivate, hopefully making the hard work of being creative stimulating and rewarding, based upon questioning, enquiry, investigation of sources and reaching conclusions grounded in the evidence.Ancient Egypt is one of those history topics which, because it...
A creative Egyptian project
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Using cemeteries as a local history resource
Primary History article
Why visit a cemetery as part of the history curriculum? Local studies now feature prominently in the primary history curriculum for both key stages. This development challenges teachers to find easilyaccessible, inexpensive and relevant resources on their doorstep. A rich resource which has traditionally been overlooked is the local churchyard...
Using cemeteries as a local history resource
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The strange power of hats: using artefacts and role play in cross-phase, cross-curricular and community partnership work
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum.
It is a strange phenomenon of history education that the power of hats is little reported and little researched- so here is an article that says hats off to hats in history lessons, as well as hats off to artefacts, sound recordings...
The strange power of hats: using artefacts and role play in cross-phase, cross-curricular and community partnership work
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History teaching and learning when you can’t have the children in the classroom
Primary History article
The past year has been difficult, with children across the country sent home in March 2020. Teachers were in the unenviable position of attempting to provide an education for classes we were unable to have adequate contact with. There were children who had very little or no access to a...
History teaching and learning when you can’t have the children in the classroom
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Planning for history - the coordinator's perspective
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
Editorial note: Cathie's paper can be used as a checklist of action points for the planning of Programmes of Study incorporating history.
Starting points
If you are responsible for leading teaching and learning in history, there...
Planning for history - the coordinator's perspective
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What are the reasons for linking art and history?
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content and links may be outdated.
Visual images, paintings, sculpture, photographs, cartoons from past times are important historical sources. Accordingly, Simon Schama embeds visual images and imagery in his historical oeuvre, not primarily as illustration but as a crucial...
What are the reasons for linking art and history?
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Art and History: Justifying the Links
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content and links may be outdated.
History and Art have been taught as traditional subjects for many years and as cross curricular subjects they compliment each other beautifully. I do not see how we can realistically completely separate them...
Art and History: Justifying the Links
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Embedding climate change and sustainability education into primary history
HA Primary Subject Leader Area
How can we make climate change and sustainability a natural part of primary history rather than an add-on? This new subject leader guide offers manageable, age appropriate strategies with a clear rationale, practical examples and planning support to help children link past, present and future and understand their role in...
Embedding climate change and sustainability education into primary history
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Delivering school-based CPD as a history subject leader
HA Primary Subject Leader Area
This guide provides primary history subject leaders with clear, practical support for planning and delivering effective school‑based CPD, offering strategies for securing time, engaging all staff, and building consistency across the curriculum. It includes ideas for training activities, guidance on strengthening progression and assessment, and advice for leading confident, purposeful...
Delivering school-based CPD as a history subject leader
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Recorded webinar: Exploring representations and attitudes to disability across history
Webinar
This webinar was presented by Richard Rieser, who is a campaigner and champion for disability rights and the coordinator of UK Disability History Month.
His presentation is part of our ongoing work to explore disability history and the arguments and representations of it and ensure that people from disability groups...
Recorded webinar: Exploring representations and attitudes to disability across history
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Your first year as a history subject leader
HA Primary Subject Leader Area
Although the emphasis on good practice changes over time, research over many years has identified some key characteristics of effective subject leadership that enjoy universal consensus. This practical piece from Rob Nixon and Tim Lomas reflects much of this recognised good practice. They offer some general principles you will find...
Your first year as a history subject leader
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The Bigger Picture: The Wider World
HA Primary Subject Leader Area
Perhaps the most important part of the History National Curriculum is the very first paragraph – the Purpose of Study Statement. A crucial part of this section is the very first sentence: ‘A high-quality history education will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that...
The Bigger Picture: The Wider World
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Ofsted and primary history
Primary History article
Firstly, I would like to introduce myself as Ofsted’s new Subject Lead for history.
Despite the many challenges of the past year, it is an exciting time for history education. I am very pleased that the number of primary history teachers who are now part of the HA community has...
Ofsted and primary history
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Is primary history thriving?
Article
The 2022 Historical Association survey of primary schools drew a good response. The results have been evaluated. The full report has been published on the website but this article summarises the main findings and suggested strategies to take the subject further. Its findings help direct the resources of the HA....
Is primary history thriving?
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Ofsted: primary guidance 2019
A guide to what primary schools might expect from the new Education Inspection Framework (EIF) 2019
As we approach the introduction of the new Ofsted framework, it seems timely that we offer schools, subject leaders and teachers some guidance on how to approach the coming changes. The call for a broad and balanced curriculum is given renewed emphasis in the new framework, but beyond that, curricula...
Ofsted: primary guidance 2019
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Effective implementation in primary history
Primary History article
In this useful article, Matt Flynn uses the Education Endowment Foundation implementation process (2024) to exemplify how history subject leaders can affect positive whole school change and develop their history provision in line with their school’s needs. He shares the process through a developed example, providing an excellent scaffold that history...
Effective implementation in primary history
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Primary history and British values
Article
In this article, Michael Maddison provides an overview of what schools must do in relation to promoting British values, as well as preventing extremism and radicalisation, and why it is so important that opportunities are taken in history to deal with these two pressing issues. It is an updated version...
Primary history and British values
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Coherence in primary history
Primary History article
This article looks at what coherence is, how it can be mapped and ways in which classroom activities can enhance pupils’ awareness of the past in a more coherent way.
What is it?
The term ‘coherence’ has been around a fair time now. Most reincarnations of the National Curriculum have referred to the need for...
Coherence in primary history
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Diogenes: Creativity and the Primary Curriculum
Primary History article
Diogenes: WHITHER CREATIVITY?! A consideration of the article Creativity and the Primary Curriculum
In June 2010 the journal Primary Headship included an article entitled Creativity and the Primary Curriculum which endeavoured to pull together a range of positions as to where the curriculum might be going in the immediate future. These...
Diogenes: Creativity and the Primary Curriculum
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OFSTED, primary history and creativity
Primary History article
Co-ordinators concerns: OFSTED, primary history and creativity
I'm told the emphasis in schools now is for a rigorous approach to history where the children are taught the main facts and features of history. I recall a time not so long ago when the whole curriculum was about creativity but surely...
OFSTED, primary history and creativity
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Primary Outstanding History Providers
Bare Trees Primary School
What does it mean to be an outstanding provider of primary history? What does this look like? The best way to answer these questions is to see for yourself.
N.B. This unit was produced a number of years ago and shows some examples of what Ofsted considered outstanding history teaching....
Primary Outstanding History Providers
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Primary Outstanding History Providers
Whitwell Primary School
What does it mean to be an outstanding provider of primary history? What does this look like? The best way to answer these questions is to see for yourself.
N.B. This unit was produced a number of years ago and shows some examples of what Ofsted considered outstanding history.
We...
Primary Outstanding History Providers
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Primary Outstanding History Providers
Collis Primary School
What does it mean to be an outstanding provider of primary history? What does this look like? The best way to answer these questions is to see for yourself.
N.B. This unit was produced a number of years ago and shows some examples of what Ofsted considered outstanding history.
We...
Primary Outstanding History Providers
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Guidance Pack: Building a Local Teacher Network
Information
We know that it is difficult for teachers to get to events too far from school. As a national charity, the HA recognises the importance and need to build strong regional networks for the history teaching community. Many of these are already existing or organically growing across the country at...
Guidance Pack: Building a Local Teacher Network
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Archaeology - An approach to teaching history at Key Stage 2. Curriculum history
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum.
Alongside modern University buildings, at Beckett Park, (part of Leeds Metropolitan University), there is evidence of a monastic grange, a seventeenth century farmhouse, and an eighteenth century mansion which was extended in Victorian Times. The Beckett Park Archaeology Project was established in...
Archaeology - An approach to teaching history at Key Stage 2. Curriculum history
