Jamie Byrom describes the learning activities within a final enquiry for a National Curriculum area of study - Britain 1066-1500. The strong message in this article is that the learning in each enquiry is only as good as the planning and teaching of the enquiries that precede it. Byrom's model of learning, as is evident in so much of his other writing and in-service training work, is highly cumulative. This is not a ‘coverage' model. He wants pupils to have deep period knowledge and a real historical curiosity by the end of an area of study. He does not want pupils merely to have covered topics. Too often, pupils in Year 7 still lack any ‘period feel' or deep fascination with historical issues. There are shades of the work of John Fines here - much role play of high quality and energetic participation - but underpinned by a strong belief in the importance of knowledge and the idea that ‘skills' cannot be taught in isolation but are part of set of attitudes and dispositions towards history.