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Investigating the Indus Valley (2600-1900 B.C.)
Primary History article
In 1924 The Illustrated London News broke the story of a sensational discovery in the Indian subcontinent. Ruined mounds at Mohenjodaro and Harappa, 600 km apart, were forgotten cities of a lost civilisation. Nearly all we know about the Indus Civilisation comes from archaeology. What survives leaves many unanswered questions,...
Investigating the Indus Valley (2600-1900 B.C.)
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British National Curricula For History 1989-2011
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
The national history curricula for Northern Ireland, England and Wales have passed through various stages since working groups were set up in England and Wales in 1989. Developments have been distinct, with Northern Ireland having quite...
British National Curricula For History 1989-2011
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Film: The new Ofsted education inspection framework (EIF) 2019
HA Conference Keynote Speech
The film below was taken at the HA Annual Conference in Chester May 2019 and features Heather Fearn, Inspector Curriculum and Professional Development Lead, Ofsted.
This session aimed to explain Ofsted’s approach to inspecting the curriculum under the new education inspection framework (EIF) that will come into effect in September 2019, with...
Film: The new Ofsted education inspection framework (EIF) 2019
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The 2024 Primary History survey: what are the implications for what it revealed?
Primary History article
This article is free to everyone. For access to hundreds of other high-quality resources by primary history experts along with free or discounted CPD and membership of a thriving community of teachers and subject leaders, join the Historical Association today
The 2024 Primary Survey follows a series of earlier biennial surveys...
The 2024 Primary History survey: what are the implications for what it revealed?
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Ideas for Assemblies: Refugee stories
Primary History feature
Please note: this piece was written before Sir Mo Farah’s 2022 disclosure that he was trafficked to the UK as a child, so some of its content is no longer accurate.
An assembly could focus on the achievements of their lives, experiences as child refugees and migrants, and how they overcame...
Ideas for Assemblies: Refugee stories
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History, artefacts and storytelling in the 2011 primary curriculum
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
This article will argue that although history can seem a ‘hard' discipline for young children, it can be made accessible and exciting through telling stories about objects. The article does not contain advice about obtaining objects:...
History, artefacts and storytelling in the 2011 primary curriculum
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The 2014 History National Curriculum: how to get the best from heritage
Primary History article
We all know that site visits are good for children - not least because they give a break from the normal school routine - and there are a plethora of heritage sites both local and national that are able to offer facilities for school visits. But we also know that...
The 2014 History National Curriculum: how to get the best from heritage
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The co-ordinator's role and the 2014 national curriculum for history
Primary History article
Co-ordinator's dilemma:
I have seen the new requirements and know that I have a bit of time before things start, but I don't want to leave everything to the last minute. Without feeling that I have to get everything done now, are there some things I can be getting on...
The co-ordinator's role and the 2014 national curriculum for history
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The Historical Association's response to the curriculum 2000 proposals
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum.
The Historical Association has taken the opportunity to respond formally to the consultation on the recent curriculum proposals. The response was based on the feedback provided by members either orally or in writing. This was supplemented by meetings of the Primary Committee...
The Historical Association's response to the curriculum 2000 proposals
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Children's thinking in archaeology
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
Young children enjoy prehistory Tactile, Physical and Enactive engagement with archaeological remains stimulates, excites and promotes children's logical, imaginative, creative and deductive thinking. Through archaeology there are infinite opportunities for ‘reasonable guesses' about sources and...
Children's thinking in archaeology
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Planning for historical understanding a conceptual framework
Article
Planning for historical understanding a conceptual framework:
Responding To The Rose Report Through The Lens Of The Cambridge Review.
Introduction
At last we have Children, Their World, Their Education: Final Report and Recommendations of the Cambridge Primary Review, (Alexander 2009). This is an independent study funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Trust,...
Planning for historical understanding a conceptual framework
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Case Study: Working with gifted and talented children at an Iron Age hill fort in north Somerset
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
The phone call was over - manna from heaven. The opportunity to work with a ‘real' archaeologist on a ‘real' Iron Age site seemed far too good to be true. The cluster of eight South...
Case Study: Working with gifted and talented children at an Iron Age hill fort in north Somerset
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Case Study: Historical information and the local community
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum.
The ICT revolution
A paper register, a pink-lined A4 mark book and a written school log book are surely historical artefacts? The transition from paper to digital technology continues, changing the world of the classroom teacher whose working life like mine,...
Case Study: Historical information and the local community
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History co-ordinators' dilemmas
Article
Jayne Woodhouse offers advice on creating a classroom museum.
History co-ordinators' dilemmas
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In the Footsteps of our Ancestors: Beamish - a unique educational experience
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the current National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
What kind of experience will be remembered by the children in your class in 20 or 30 years’ time? A trip to Beamish, The North of England Open Air Museum, would be a likely candidate....
In the Footsteps of our Ancestors: Beamish - a unique educational experience
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Drama and story telling
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
Everyone loves a story - especially a story well told. To encourage learning all primary teachers should consider the creative art of telling a story, as well as developing a variety of ways of interacting through...
Drama and story telling
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Place, time and society
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
Editor's note The Place, Time and Society 8-13 Project was established in 1971 ‘to explore the problems of the part of the curriculum for children aged 8-13 which is related to the subject-areas of history, geography and...
Place, time and society
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Pupil voice: Democratising history lessons in Key Stage 1
Primary History article
Why is pupil voice important? Children are at the centre of everything we do and safeguarding their well-being and ensuring their progress across the curriculum is a key emphasis for schools. Recognising the importance of pupil voice in this is key.
Robin Alexander’s Towards Dialogic Teaching: Rethinking Classroom Talk (2017)...
Pupil voice: Democratising history lessons in Key Stage 1
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Researching History - Time travellers and Role Players
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
‘Ok children, time for history.'
Distant moans from the back of the class. Would I be surprised by this reaction? No, not if the teacher was diligently following the QCA guidelines for teaching history. Yes, if...
Researching History - Time travellers and Role Players
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Using history to launch the creative curriculum
Primary History case study
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
At its core, the creative curriculum is a carefully planned, thematic approach to teaching and learning, designed to support and stimulate children's natural curiosity and creativity. Children can work in depth, giving them time to reflect,...
Using history to launch the creative curriculum
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Using museums and artefacts
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the current National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
Over several years of reporting on primary history, the use of museums and artefacts has been identified in Ofsted reports as an issue for schools to address. Although there is now far greater expertise in...
Using museums and artefacts
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Shropshire's Secret Olympic History
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
What has a small Shropshire town got to do with the modern Olympic Games? Why is a country doctor a key figure in the development of the modern games? Why is one of the 2012 mascots...
Shropshire's Secret Olympic History
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History and the National Primary Strategy
Primary History article
The Historical Association poses a series of questions to the Director of the Primary National Strategy, Kevan Collins.
History and the National Primary Strategy
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History co-ordinators' dilemmas: teaching the Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings
Article
Dr Tim Lomas offers advice on topics, such as the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings.
Please note: this article pre-dates the current National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
History co-ordinators' dilemmas: teaching the Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings
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A Load of Rubbish: Using Victorian throwaways in the classroom
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the current National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
There are many effective ways of using artefacts and resources for the Victorians, but how many teachers have considered using the rubbish that the Victorians literally threw away? This material can cost nothing or be...
A Load of Rubbish: Using Victorian throwaways in the classroom
