Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.

This article is a tribute to the 20th century’s most inspirational history teacher, John Fines. He embodied the principles of ‘doing history’ in his teaching and in the Nuffield Primary History Project that he directed. These principles are central to inclusive teaching that meets the entitlement of our gifted young historians. Before John’s death in 1998 I interviewed 20 of the Year 6 children he taught at Midhurst Intermediate School. Their words testify to John’s creative, interactive and inclusive teaching, teaching that fully engaged the children with history, see Table: Nuffield Principles – John Fines testimony opposite. His approach stimulated the children to form hypotheses...