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The end of the Roman Empire
Historian article
Guy de la Bédoyère considers whether the Roman Empire ever really fell or simply went through endless processes of change that makes it an integral presence in our lives today.
The fall of the Roman Empire is like the end of the dinosaurs. It’s one of the vast dramatic crisis moments we love...
The end of the Roman Empire
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Move Me On 199: handling differences between history lead's advice and history teachers' approaches
Teaching History feature
Move Me On is designed to build critical, informed debate about the character of teacher training, teacher education and professional development. It is also designed to offer practical help to all involved in training new history teachers. Each issue presents a situation in initial teacher education/training with an emphasis upon...
Move Me On 199: handling differences between history lead's advice and history teachers' approaches
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Primary History 67
The primary education journal of the Historical Association
04 Editorial
05 HA Primary News
06 Why stories? Hilary Cooper (Read article)
08 Chronology: developing a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain's past and of the wider world - Hilary Cooper (Read article)
16 Teaching ancient Egypt - Karin Doull (Read article)
22 Ideas for Assemblies: significant women in...
Primary History 67
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The Government of the Roman Empire
Classic Pamphlets
The Government of the Roman Empire, as everyone knows, was autocratic, and, like all autocracies, it was ‘tempered by assassination' or by military revolution. The emperor ruled through an imperial service, at once civil and military, in which several grades, corresponding to the social classes of the empire, were always...
The Government of the Roman Empire
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Roman Baths
Lesson Plan
Please note: this lesson was produced as part of the Nuffield Primary History project (1991-2009) and pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum. It is part of a full sequence of lessons available here.
The account tells how we recreated a Roman bath house in the Reception/Year 1 classroom during a ten-week unit learning about...
Roman Baths
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Making the most of your primary membership
Information
Making the most of your HA membership
HA membership offers much more than just your subscription to Primary History. As a member you can enjoy a wholistic package of benefits and resources designed to support you, whatever challenge you may face. With the vast array of support available it can...
Making the most of your primary membership
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Refugee Week 2023
19th May 2023
People become refugees all over the world for many different reasons, and they come from many different backgrounds. Refugees have been a continuous feature of human societies for thousands of years. How long people remain as a refugee can be days, weeks or a lifetime – what unites them is that they...
Refugee Week 2023
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The Fall of the Western Roman Empire
Ancient European History
In this podcasts Professor Peter Heather of King's College London duscusses the division of the Roman Empire and the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
The fall of the Western Roman Empire, was the loss of central political control in the Western Roman Empire, a process in which the Empire failed to...
The Fall of the Western Roman Empire
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Local and Community History Month
1-31 May each year
The aim of the month is to increase awareness of local history, promote history in general to the local community and encourage all members of the community to participate.
Activities happen across the UK and include trips, library exhibitions and local lectures. It is a great way for groups to...
Local and Community History Month
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Dramatising Boudicca and the Celts
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the current National Curriculum and some content and links are outdated.
The story of Boudicca lends itself equally well to both history and drama. As a key part of work on ‘The Romans', it is an example of how history and drama when used together can contribute to...
Dramatising Boudicca and the Celts
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Building and assessing a frame of reference in the Netherlands
Teaching History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
Concerns about our ability to equip young people with a frame of reference that they can actually use to orient themselves in time are widespread. The challenges were extensively debated within the last issue of...
Building and assessing a frame of reference in the Netherlands
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Magna Carta Enquiry: free lesson sequence
Magna Carta Scheme of Work
The following sequence of lessons is designed to build on pupils' existing knowledge and understanding of the medieval period. In particular it is assumed that pupils will already have an outline knowledge of the main features of medieval kingship and how monarchs exercised their power.
In determining the focus for...
Magna Carta Enquiry: free lesson sequence
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‘Miss, did the Romans build pyramids?’
Primary History article
Miss, did the Romans build pyramids? No Johnny, I think you are confusing the Romans with the Egyptians. Actually, Miss, the Romans did build pyramids – well, at least one – and you can still see it in Rome today!
The pyramid, which is 37 metres [or 125 Roman feet]...
‘Miss, did the Romans build pyramids?’
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Teaching Slavery
HA Guide
Please note: this guide was written in 2010 and some links may no longer work. For more recent guidance, see:
Teaching sensitive subjects: slavery and Britain’s role in the trade (2019)
Slavery in Britain (2013)
Sarah Forbes Bonetta - scheme of work (2015)
Diversity guidance for primary teachers and subject leaders (2019)
Teaching Slavery...
Teaching Slavery
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On-demand webinar: Mastering the memory challenge at GCSE
Webinar series: Making history accessible
Webinar series: Making history accessible
Session 2: Mastering the memory challenge: running successful interventions with students who are struggling to remember at GCSE
This webinar will explore a range of proven strategies for helping students remember more at GCSE. This includes:
How to avoid cognitive overload by maintaining an explicit...
On-demand webinar: Mastering the memory challenge at GCSE
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Anglo-Saxons: a brief history
Reference guide for primary
Jump to: Anglo-Saxons in Britain | Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms | Areas to examine | Key concepts & links
This resource 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...
Anglo-Saxons: a brief history
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Ancient Egypt
Reference guide for primary
This resource 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
Please note: this guide was written before the new National Curriculum...
Ancient Egypt
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Teaching History 187: Out now
Article
Read Teaching History 187: Widening the World lens
Those who don’t teach history sometimes ask why it is that the work of history curriculum development is never finished. Why is it that just when a scheme of work seems to be working well, the history teacher starts to question it,...
Teaching History 187: Out now
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Teaching History 126: Outside the Classroom
The HA's journal for secondary history teachers
06 ‘I understood before, but not like this:’ maximising historical learning by letting pupils take control of trips – Helen Snelson (Read article)
12 A search beyond the classroom: using a museum to support the renewal of a scheme of work – Hannah Moloney and Paula Kitching (Read article)
20...
Teaching History 126: Outside the Classroom
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Developing a big picture of the Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings
Primary History article
‘I have got to stop Mrs Jackson’s family arguing’: These were the words of a Year 3 pupil to her headteacher in reply to a simple question about what she was learning in history. What this pupil was doing was getting ‘a big picture’ of the Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings and...
Developing a big picture of the Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings
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Curriculum plan: Ancient Greece
Primary History, Years 5 and 6
Welcome to our new look curriculum plans. Log in below to access the unit.
Before you delve into our plan on Ancient Greece with author Andrew Wrenn, take a look at this short film from Steve Mastin, outlining our approach to curriculum plans and what to look for in a...
Curriculum plan: Ancient Greece
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Remembrance Day 2025
4th November 2025
When the generation of men and women first adopted the wearing of a poppy in the aftermath of the First World War they were doing so for many reasons. For some veterans the poppy had been a symbol of new life on the battlefield, while the inclusion of a pressed...
Remembrance Day 2025
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Women in British Coal Mining
Historian article
With the final closure of Britain’s deep coal mines, Chris Wrigley examines the long-standing involvement of women in and around this challenging and dangerous form of work.
With the closure in 2015 of Thoresby and Kellingley mines, the last two working deep coal mines in Britain, leaving only open-cast coal...
Women in British Coal Mining
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Podcast: Life at the edge of the Roman Empire
Annual Conference Podcast 2019
Podcast: Life at the edge of the Roman Empire
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Out went Caesar and in came the Conqueror: A case study in professional thinking
Teaching History article
A case study in professional thinking
Michael Fordham examines the evolution of his own practice as an example of how history teachers draw upon collective, professional knowledge constructed by other history teachers in journals, books, conferences and seminars. Fordham explains how a particular Year 7 enquiry examining historical change from the...
Out went Caesar and in came the Conqueror: A case study in professional thinking
