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Sarah Forbes Bonetta: Scheme of Work
Primary Scheme of Work, Key Stage 1 History (unresourced)
Children are introduced to the idea of significance, and how this might change over time. Sarah Forbes Bonetta – we don't even know her real name – was an African princess, a slave in West Africa, a god-daughter of Queen Victoria, a wife, mother and missionary teacher.
Does that make her...
Sarah Forbes Bonetta: Scheme of Work
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The Historian 148: Out now
The magazine of the Historical Association
Read The Historian 148
How many times are we all going to write ‘it’s been an odd year’? – I know I have now written it many times, yet it has affected schedules and output here at the HA. So I am very sorry that this edition of The Historian...
The Historian 148: Out now
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The Historian 158: Out now
The magazine of the Historical Association
Read The Historian 158: Music
Anniversaries provide enticing opportunities for historians and the public to reflect on moments from our collective past. For choral music lovers this year is significant as it is the four hundredth anniversary of the death of the Tudor composer William Byrd, which is being marked by...
The Historian 158: Out now
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The Historian 1
The magazine of the Historical Association
The first ever edition of The Historian magazine, first published in Autumn 1983. The edition's editorial sets out this vision for the magazine:
“The Historian lays no claim to an elaborate philosophy, but is conceived as an up-to-date and forward-looking magazine provided by and for all historians. It advances no editorial...
The Historian 1
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A View from the Classroom - Chronology
Primary History feature
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
As a teacher, the passing of time in a classroom may be: challenging, stimulating, appear endless, be subject to constant change, though never dull. Years pass, yet at times it can seem but yesterday, when I...
A View from the Classroom - Chronology
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The Wolfson History Prize 2023
29th November 2023
On 13 November 2023 some of the HA team were fortunate enough to be in a glorious room at Claridge’s in Mayfair, London to hear the announcement of the winner of the prestigious Wolfson History Prize.
To a full room it was announced that the winner was independent historian Halik...
The Wolfson History Prize 2023
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Belmont’s evacuee children: a local history project
Primary History article
Teaching about World War II, particularly the home front, continues to be popular in primary schools, despite the government deciding not to include it as a compulsory subject in the new National Curriculum introduced in 2014. Many primary schools still choose to organise an evacuee experience of some kind for pupils...
Belmont’s evacuee children: a local history project
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Was Richard II Mad? An evening with Terry Jones
Event Podcast
On 19th June Terry Jones, 'Python', historian, broadcaster, actor, director and comedian called King Richard II a victim of spin at the annual Historical Association/English Association lecture at the Bishopsgate Institute. Here he sets out to rescue his reputation and lift the lid on the turbulent world of 14th century...
Was Richard II Mad? An evening with Terry Jones
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Report on the Historical Association Tour of Cardiff and its environs
31st August 2018
Twenty-three people met in the comfortable Clayton Hotel in central Cardiff in June to attempt to assimilate two thousand years of Welsh history in a week. We were blessed with a heatwave, a bustling city environment, and a lot to see. We started on the eastern edge of South Wales...
Report on the Historical Association Tour of Cardiff and its environs
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The Tale of Two Winstons
Historian article
Winston Churchill is generally regarded as one of the most prominent figures of the twentieth century. As Prime Minister he led Britain to victory against the Nazi war machine, leading Time to name him ‘Man of the Year' in 1940 and ‘Man of the Half Century' in 1949. As recently...
The Tale of Two Winstons
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From human-scale to abstract analysis: Year 7. Henry II & Becket
Teaching History article
Tim Jenner was working on a causation enquiry with his Year 7 students when he noticed that weak conceptions of change were limiting their ability to produce powerful and period-sensitive arguments. He therefore decided to digress into a temporary but explicit focus on analysing historical change. He created a deceptively...
From human-scale to abstract analysis: Year 7. Henry II & Becket
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Write Your Own Historical Fiction Competition 2025
The Historical Association Historical Fiction Prize
Each year we are so impressed by the ever increasing number and standard of entries we receive around such a wide range of historical periods and settings. You can take a look at some of last year’s winning entries here.
Unleash the creativity of your pupils through the Write Your Own...
Write Your Own Historical Fiction Competition 2025
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Oxford Branch Programme
Article
For any further information, please contact Dr Vivienne Larminie, branch secretary, email vivienne.larminie@history.ox.ac.uk
HA members free, non-members £2 per meeting. Annual associate membership £10 individual, £15 joint (living at same address), full-time students under 30, £6. School groups £10 per group.
Oxford Branch Programme 2025
Monday 10 February4.30pm at Wychwood...
Oxford Branch Programme
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Key Stage 2 – Key Stage 3: Transition
Primary History article
Often, primary schools and secondary schools are seen as separate entities. But why?
At primary, is it our responsibility to nurture our children and to encourage them only until they finish their primary education after the Year 6 SATs? Do we then just wave goodbye as they embark on their...
Key Stage 2 – Key Stage 3: Transition
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Teaching History 188: Out now
The HA's journal for secondary history teachers
Read Teaching History 188: Representing History
History teachers are familiar with the challenges that arise as we try to help our students make historical sense of past worlds. Building historical representations of the past is imaginatively demanding – it requires ‘world-making’ and narrative expertise. The challenges are probative, not merely...
Teaching History 188: Out now
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Reading at A-Level
Student Guides
This resource is free to everyone. For access to a wealth of other online resources from podcasts to articles and publications, plus support and advice though our “How To”, examination and transition to university guides and careers resources, join the Historical Association today
At A-Level, in most subjects there is...
Reading at A-Level
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New Saxon, Viking and Medieval GCSE Content
GCSE Resources
As you will no doubt be aware, GCSEs are changing. New specifications (subject to accreditation) will require students to learn history from a range of different time periods. Different specifications will specify different content, but whichever specification you end up teaching, you are very likely to be teaching some medieval...
New Saxon, Viking and Medieval GCSE Content
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Modern Polish History, British-Polish relations & the British Polish community
Modern history podcasts
The Kingdom of Poland started its existence in the medieval period as one of the most important countries of eastern Europe. Positioned on key trading routes, it became a powerful nation that had periods of remarkable stability, playing a major role in both the Renaissance and the Reformation.
Despite this,...
Modern Polish History, British-Polish relations & the British Polish community
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Cleopatra Podcast
Branch Lecture Podcast
This pod-cast was recorded at the Central London Branch of the Historical Association on Saturday 20th February 2010, at the Institute of Historical Research, Senate House, University of London. We were pleased to welcome cultural historian Lucy Hughes-Hallet to the branch to speak on ‘Cleopatra'. Lucy Hughes-Hallet detailed how fact and legend about Cleopatra had been intertwined through history in...
Cleopatra Podcast
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Dates of a Decade: the 1960s
Book Review
Dates of a Decade: the 1960s by Nathaniel Harris. Franklin Watts, pub 2008, ISBN: 978 0 7496 7882 1
Reviewed by Alf Wilkinson
This book contains a selection of the key events of the 1960s. Each double-page spread has at least one image, detail of and background to the event, and a...
Dates of a Decade: the 1960s
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Will China Democratise?
Historian article
Michael T. Davis compares the parallels between the democratic expectations, or possibilities, of modern-day China with Britain's democratic evolution from the eighteenth century to the emerging democracy of the nineteenth century.
The future is an unfamiliar place for historians. Yet we stand on the edge of an historic shift away...
Will China Democratise?
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Cunning Plan 94: Study Unit 2: Crowns, Parliaments and Peoples, 1500-1750
Article
Flesh and blood people bring history to life. Capture the interest of our Year 8 pupils by making sure they engage with human dilemmas and dangers. A focus on individual people as the starting point for enquiries helps pupils to tackle the ‘big' stories (overviews) and difficult concepts.
Cunning Plan 94: Study Unit 2: Crowns, Parliaments and Peoples, 1500-1750
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The International Journal Volume 5 Number 2
Journal
Articles
Lieke van WijkThe Learning and Teaching of History in Europe: EUROCLIO's Enquiries Compared
Peter Brett Citizenship and the National Curriculum
Jerome FreemanThe Current State of the 4-19 History Curriculum in England and Possible Future Developments: a QCA Perspective
Jon NicholFrom Russia with Love: a History Curriculum...
The International Journal Volume 5 Number 2
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Scheme of Work: Ancient Sumer
Primary Scheme of Work, Key Stage 2 History (unresourced)
Ancient Sumer is often called 'the Cradle of Civilisation'. The Ancient Greeks called it Mesopotamia - the land between two rivers. It is where cities first developed, agriculture began and writing first appeared. One eminent historian records 39 'firsts' for Sumer! Most of this was lost until the 20th century,...
Scheme of Work: Ancient Sumer
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Course: Assessment and progression in primary history
HA CPD course for primary history subject leaders and senior leaders
Book Now
(Registration is via Cademy which opens in a new window. Please read the HA CPD terms and conditions before registering)
Available dates
Summer term: Wednesday 11 June 2025, 9.30am–3.30pm (online)
What does the course cover?
This practical course will help primary teachers to understand the purpose of assessment...
Course: Assessment and progression in primary history
