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Teaching the Wars of the Roses in primary history
Primary History article
The Tudors is a relatively popular topic for those Key Stage 2 teachers looking at a theme extending beyond 1066. In this article Matthew Sossick argues that there is a large gap in understanding if pupils understand nothing of how the Tudors emerged as such a dominant dynasty. This means...
Teaching the Wars of the Roses in primary history
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Primary History regular features
Multipage Article
Primary History magazine runs a number of useful regular features for primary teachers and history coordinators, including Ideas for Assemblies, One of my Favourite History Places and pull-out posters for the primary classroom. You can access and download current and previous editions of these via the links below.
Primary History regular features
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Primary History 80: Out now
HA journal news
Access Primary History 80 (Free to HA Primary members)
The Historical Association would never pretend that it understands what is the best primary history practice. On the contrary it recognises that such practice probably does not exist. Even outstanding ideas can turn into something disastrous if the teacher does not make...
Primary History 80: Out now
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GCSE Controlled Assessment
Briefing Pack
Context:
Following a great deal of adverse publicity about coursework, the then-QCA carried out a study into cheating and plagiarism. It released this in 2005 and found that about 4000 students a year were being caught for breaching the rules. The blame was laid at the internet especially custom-made essays...
GCSE Controlled Assessment
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Insights from a year of leading the development of a ‘knowledge-rich curriculum’
Primary History article
Raynville Primary School serves a highly disadvantaged area of West Leeds and we work hard to provide our children with the best opportunities to learn and enjoy their time with us. One jewel in the crown of our school’s curriculum is children’s historical learning as part of a knowledge-rich curriculum....
Insights from a year of leading the development of a ‘knowledge-rich curriculum’
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Primary History 92: Out now
The primary education journal of the Historical Association
Read Primary History 92
It seems like such a short while ago that we were all joyfully celebrating the platinum jubilee (or platy joobs) and yet this edition contains an article focused on our new monarch, King Charles III, and some of the changes we are having to get used...
Primary History 92: Out now
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Primary History 78
The primary education journal of the Historical Association
This edition of HA's Primary History magazine is free to download via the link at the bottom of the page (individual article links within the page are not free access unless otherwise stated). You can access a more recent free edition here (PH 95, October 2023).
For a subscription to Primary...
Primary History 78
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Teaching the British Empire in primary history
Primary History article
The height of the BBC Proms season is its last night in the Royal Albert Hall. It features traditional patriotic songs such as Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory. Cheerful crowds wave union flags as the magnificent music of Elgar and others swells to a crescendo. Contrast this...
Teaching the British Empire in primary history
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Primary History 77
The primary education journal of the Historical Association
04 Editorial (Read article)
05 HA Primary News
08 Learning about the Past in the Early Years through the Theme of ‘People Who Help Us’ – Helen Crawford (Read article)
10 Is There a Place for The Holocaust in the Primary Curriculum? – Martin Winstone (Read article)
18 ‘It’s A Great...
Primary History 77
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GCSE to AS level History
Student Guides
Please note: this resource pre-dates the 2014 curriculum
For many students the transition from GCSE to AS level is one of the hardest stages of their school career. This is the stage where teachers begin to stop guiding you along every step of the way and start to expect you...
GCSE to AS level History
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Is There a Place for The Holocaust in the Primary Curriculum?
Article
The Holocaust – the murder of approximately six million Jewish men, women and children by Nazi Germany and its collaborators during the Second World War – is possibly the most difficult event that any history teacher will ever have to teach. Most obviously, it can be deeply upsetting, for educators...
Is There a Place for The Holocaust in the Primary Curriculum?
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Teaching primary history through concepts
Article
Teaching history in schools is quite new (it’s only been in the National Curriculum for English state schools since 1991), but the discipline of history as a subject is very ancient.
Thinking and writing in a recognisably historical way can be traced back to the ancient Greeks. Herodotus, an ancient...
Teaching primary history through concepts
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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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Film: What's the wisdom on... Consequence (Primary)
Article
Please note: the 'What's the Wisdom On' film series has been produced principally for secondary school history teachers, however some of the content is transferrable to a primary setting. Secondary members can view the film here
'What’s the wisdom on…' is a popular feature in our secondary journal Teaching History and provides the perfect stimulus for a...
Film: What's the wisdom on... Consequence (Primary)
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Primary History 75
The primary education journal of the Historical Association
04 Editorial (Read article)
05 HA Primary News
06 Learning about the past through ‘ourselves and our families’ by Sandra Kirkland (Read article)
08 Why is diversity so important? How can we approach it? by Alison Gove-Humphries, Paul Bracey and Darius Jackson (Read article)
13 Charles Darwin: Exploring the man...
Primary History 75
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Primary History 88: Out now
The primary education journal of the Historical Association
Read Primary History 88
It is sometimes the case that the history we are exposed to changes in a way that is barely perceptible. At other times the changes have been momentous. Some have been long lasting, others fleeting. The time that primary history often felt like a support act for...
Primary History 88: Out now
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Storytelling the past
Primary History article
This article will demonstrate how to engage children through storytelling and how it can be used to develop their critical understanding of the past.
Why story?
Despite their common derivation, the words ‘history’ and ‘story’ suggest very different kinds of knowledge, the former carrying overtones of detached understanding of the...
Storytelling the past
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Higher Education Committee biographies
HA Committees
Read the Higher Education Committee's remit
Find out more about the HA's committees
Katharine Burn
Katharine Burn is Associate Professor of Education at the University of Oxford, where she teaches on the PGCE History programme and on a range of part-time Masters courses for practising teachers. She is co-editor of the HA’s professional...
Higher Education Committee biographies
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Exploring the challenges involved in reading and writing historical narrative
Teaching History article
‘English king Frederick I won at Arsuf, then took Acre, then they all went home': exploring the challenges involved in reading and writing historical narrative
Paula Worth draws on three professional traditions in history education in order to build a lesson sequence on the Crusades for her Year 7s. First,...
Exploring the challenges involved in reading and writing historical narrative
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Primary history and the curriculum: a South African perspective
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the current National Curriculum and some content and links may be outdated.
The issues surrounding the construction of a post-conflict history curriculum are complex. At its most basic level, the memory choice for a country emerging from mass violence is between remembering and forgetting, with...
Primary history and the curriculum: a South African perspective
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Playing in the pandemic: Introducing the Play Observatory
Primary History article
What happens to children’s play in a global pandemic? In 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic was sweeping across the world, an interdisciplinary team of researchers from University College London and the University of Sheffield was beginning to plan a project to address this central question.
We began with history in...
Playing in the pandemic: Introducing the Play Observatory
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Primary History 74
The primary education journal of the Historical Association
04 Editorial (Read article)
05 HA Primary News
06 Learning about the past through a study of toys and games - Helen Crawford (Read article)
08 Local history as a way of developing a sense of identity and place - Anna Husband (Read article)
14 This is no ordinary story …...
Primary History 74
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Webinar series: AI in primary history
HA webinar series for primary teachers and history subject leaders
What does this series cover?
The proliferation of generative artificial intelligence is transforming education, the economy and society at a blistering pace. In the face of such seismic change, it can feel daunting. Whatever your level of experience with AI, this new webinar series will equip you to make informed...
Webinar series: AI 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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Celebrating success and recognising achievements – the Quality Mark evening!
The Historical Association's Quality Mark for History
On Friday 8 November 2024 there was a glittering event for those schools who have achieved the Quality Mark (QM) for History. We wanted to celebrate those who have put in the hard work and dedication to raise the standard of education, awareness, knowledge and enjoyment of history teaching in their...
Celebrating success and recognising achievements – the Quality Mark evening!
