Pearson

Primary

History

Empire, persecution and resistance

Invasion, migration, and settlement

Power, government and religion

Trade, ideas and communication

Warfare and conflict

In ‘Elizabeth II: what was her life like?’ pupils begin their study of history as a distinct subject by studying the life of a specific person and their role in society. In ‘Photographs from history: what can they tell us about Britain's recent past?’ pupils build on another aspect from EYFS: understanding the past, doing so through looking at historic photographs.

Photographs from history: what can they tell us about Britain's recent past?

From EYFS, pupils should be able to talk about the lives of the people around them and their roles in society, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class. In ‘Elizabeth II: what was her life like?’, pupils begin their study of history as a distinct subject by studying the life of a specific person and their role in society.

The baby Elizabeth

Elizabeth's childhood character

1936 - a momentous year for Elizabeth

Elizabeth's childhood education and interests

Elizabeth and Britain during WW2

Elizabeth's marriage to Philip

Elizabeth's first children

Elizabeth II's accession and coronation

Queen of four nations

Elizabeth II's public duties and service

Head of the Commonwealth

Elizabeth II's reign comes to a close

Elizabeth II: what was her life like?

In ‘Photographs from history: what can they tell us about Britain's recent past?’ pupils build on another aspect from EYFS: understanding the past, doing so through looking at historic photographs. In ‘Traditional stories: what do they tell us about the distant past?’ pupils move to the distant past in order to start building their chronological framework by hearing traditional historical stories.

Traditional stories: what do they tell us about the distant past?

In ‘Elizabeth II: what was her life like?’ pupils began their study of history as a distinct subject by studying the life of a specific person and their role in society. In ‘Photographs from history: what can they tell us about Britain's recent past?’ pupils build on another aspect from EYFS: understanding the past, doing so through looking at historic photographs.

The invention of photography

The challenges of early photography

A nineteenth century family portrait

Late Victorian seaside photographs

Photographs of Britain in the 1930s and 40s

Photographs of Britain in the 1960s and 70s

In ‘Traditional stories: what do they tell us about the distant past?’ pupils move to the distant past in order to start building their chronological framework by hearing traditional historical stories. In ‘Significant explorers: how has seafaring changed over time?’ pupils develop this framework further by studying a theme that can introduce change and continuity across a long time span.

Significant explorers: How has seafaring changed over time?

In ‘Photographs from history: what can they tell us about Britain's recent past?’ pupils built on another aspect from EYFS: understanding the past, doing so through looking at historic photographs. In ‘Traditional stories: what do they tell us about the distant past?’ pupils move from the more recent past to the distant past in order to start building their chronological framework.

England, Scotland and Wales

England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland

Ireland, Scotland and England

Scotland, Wales and Ireland

Wales, England and Ireland

In ‘Significant explorers: how has seafaring changed over time?’ pupils develop their chronological framework, studying a theme that introduced change and continuity across a long time span. In ‘Significant rulers from the past: what can their stories tell us?’ they continue to develop chronological understanding whilst being introduced to various substantive concepts that relate to ruling.

Significant rulers from the past: what can their stories tell us? 

In ‘Traditional stories: what do they tell us about the distant past?’ pupils moved to the distant past in order to start building their chronological framework by hearing traditional historical stories. In ‘Significant explorers: how has seafaring changed over time?’ pupils develop this framework further by studying a theme that introduces change and continuity across a long time span.

John Cabot and Brunel

John Cabot and John Franklin

William Adams and Brunel

William Adams and John Franklin

In ‘Significant rulers from the past: what can their stories tell us?’ pupils continue to develop their chronological understanding whilst being introduced to various substantive concepts that relate to ruling. In ‘Queen Victoria: how did Britain change during her lifetime?’ pupils build on this in a depth study of a significant individual and the period in which they ruled.

Queen Victoria: how did Britain change during her lifetime?

In ‘Significant explorers: how has seafaring changed over time?’ pupils developed their chronological framework, studying a theme that introduced change and continuity across a long time span. In ‘Significant rulers from the past: what can their stories tell us?’ they continue to develop chronological understanding whilst being introduced to various substantive concepts that relate to ruling.

Conflict, conquest and empires

Ruling and religion

In ‘Queen Victoria: how did Britain change during her lifetime?’ pupils build on their chronological and substantive understanding in a depth study of Queen Victoria and Victorian Britain. In ‘Significant individuals who changed Britain: how did they fight for change?’ they compare two significant individuals from different periods to develop this further.

Significant individuals who changed Britain: how did they fight for change?

In ‘Significant rulers from the past: what can their stories tell us?’ pupils continued to develop their chronological understanding whilst being introduced to various substantive concepts that relate to ruling. In ‘Queen Victoria: how did Britain change during her lifetime?’ pupils build on this in a depth study of a significant individual and the period in which they ruled.

Victoria's 'melancholy' childhood

Victoria's accession to the throne

Victoria's proposal and marriage to Albert

Victoria's children 

Victorian society

Industrial Britain during Victoria's reign

The Great Exhibition

Albert's death, Victoria's grief and her servant John Brown

Victorian childhood

Alice Kinloch and the Victorian British Empire

Victoria, Empress of India

Britain at the time of Victoria's death

In ‘Significant individuals who changed Britain: how did they fight for change?’ pupils compare two significant individuals from different periods to develop their chronological and substantive understanding. In ‘Stone Age Britain: what do archaeologists think they know about it?’ they begin to investigate more ways in which we know about the past.

Stone Age Britain: what do archaeologists think they know about it?

In ‘Queen Victoria: how did Britain change during her lifetime?’ pupils built on their chronological and substantive understanding in a depth study of Queen Victoria and Victorian Britain. In ‘Significant individuals who changed Britain: how did they fight for change?’ they compare two significant individuals from different periods to develop this further.

Emily Davison and the tragedy at Epsom Racecourse

Emily Davison's early life and education

Emily Davison and the Suffragettes

Stories from Emily Davison's activism

Emily Davison's funeral

Changes for women following Emily Davison's death

Paul Stephenson and the Bay Horse pub

Paul Stephenson's early life and evacuation

Paul Stephenson arrives in Bristol

Paul Stephenson and the Bristol Bus Boycott

Paul Stephenson's legacy in Bristol and Britain

Comparing Paul Stephenson and Emily Davison

In 'Stone Age Britain: what do archaeologists think they know about it?' pupils have learnt about how the archaeological record informs what we know about Stone Age Britain. In 'Bronze and Iron Age Britain: how did life change during this time?' pupils examine the archaeological record with a focus on the changes brought about by the Bronze and Iron Ages.

Bronze and Iron Age Britain: how did life change during this time?

'Significant individuals who changed Britain: how did they fight for change?' strengthened pupils' knowledge of twentieth century British history by asking them to compare two individuals fighting for change. 'Stone Age Britain: what do archaeologists think they know about it?' contrasts this by transporting pupils to some of the earliest history of the British Isles, focusing on archaeology.

The big picture of the earliest humans in Britain

The evidence of the Paleolithic Era

Life at the end of the last Ice Age

Settlement during the Mesolithic Era

Skara Brae and life in the Neolithic Era

Significant Stone Age Artefacts

In 'Bronze and Iron Age Britain: how did life change during this time?' pupils examine the archaeological record with a focus on the changes brought about by the Bronze and Iron Ages. In ’Ancient Egypt: what stayed the same across 3,000 years?’ pupils are introduced to their first Bronze Age civilisation in order to gain familiarity with this concept.

Ancient Egypt: what stayed the same across 3,000 years?

The first use of bronze

How bronze changed life in Britain 

The beginning of the Iron Age

Changing agriculture in Britain during the Iron Age

Changing settlements and trade in Iron Age Britain

Comparing and contrasting Bronze Age and Iron Age Britain

In ’Ancient Egypt: what stayed the same across 3,000 years?’ pupils are introduced to their first Bronze Age civilisation in order to gain familiarity with this concept. In ‘Sumer and other early civilisations: what made them similar?’ pupils now encounter multiple early civilisations in overview in order to strengthen this concept and make connections.

Sumer and other early civilisations: what made them similar?

In 'Bronze and Iron Age Britain: how did life change during this time?' pupils examined the archaeological record with a focus on the changes brought about by the Bronze and Iron Ages. In ’Ancient Egypt: what stayed the same across 3,000 years?’ pupils are introduced to their first Bronze Age civilisation in order to gain familiarity with this concept.

The River Nile

The three kingdoms of Egypt

Howard Carter and the Valley of the Kings

The Rosetta Stone and Egyptian writing

Death and the Ancient Egyptians

Change and continuity in Ancient Egypt

In ‘Sumer and other early civilisations: what made them similar?’ pupils encounter multiple early civilisations in overview in order to strengthen the concept of civilisation and to make connections between these. In ‘The earliest civilisations: the Indus and the Shang’ they are encouraged to develop their understanding of this concept even further. 

The earliest civilisations: the Indus and the Shang 

 In ’Ancient Egypt: what stayed the same across 3,000 years?’ pupils were introduced to their first Bronze Age civilisation in order to gain familiarity with this concept. In ‘Sumer and other early civilisations: what made them similar?’ pupils now encounter multiple early civilisations in overview in order to strengthen this concept and make connections.

Mesopotamia, the land 'between two rivers'

The growth of trade, construction and writing in Mesopotamia

Other 'cradles of civilisation'

The art and artefacts of the earliest civilisations

Similarities between the earliest civilisations

Comparing the earliest civilisations

In ‘The earliest civilisations: the Indus and the Shang’ pupils were encouraged to develop their understanding of the concept of civilisation. In ‘Iron Age Britain: what have historians learnt about Iron Age Britain?’ pupils are now invited to contrast their strong understanding of early civilisations with Iron Age Britain.

Iron Age Britain: what have historians learnt about Iron Age Britain?

In ‘Sumer and other early civilisations: what made them similar?’ pupils encountered multiple early civilisations in overview in order to strengthen the concept of civilisation and to make connections between these. In ‘The earliest civilisations: the Indus and the Shang’ they are encouraged to develop their understanding of this concept even further. 

The Indus Valley civilisation: What have archaeologists found out about it?

The Shang: What have archaeologists found out about them?

In ‘Iron Age Britain: what have historians learnt about Iron Age Britain?’ pupils are invited to contrast their strong understanding of early civilisations with Iron Age Britain. In ‘Ancient Greek civilisation: what do we know about ancient Greece?’ pupils are able to apply their understanding of these places to Bronze Age Greece.

Ancient Greek civilisation: what do we know about ancient Greece?

The discovery of Lindow Man

Celtic art, the Snettisham Great Torc and the Battersea Shield

The Wetwang chariot and Celtic warfare

The women of Iron Age Britain

Iron Age Britain's connections to the wider world

What historians have learnt about Iron Age Britain

In 'Ancient Greek civilisation: What do we know about Ancient Greece?' pupils expanded their knowledge of the Bronze Age world by learning about the Ancient Greek city-states. In 'Ancient Greek civilisation: what is its most significant legacy?' pupils will take their knowledge of Greek society and culture, deepen this further and explore its lasting legacy.

Ancient Greek civilisation: what is its most significant legacy?

In ‘Iron Age Britain: what have historians learnt about Iron Age Britain?’ pupils were invited to contrast their strong understanding of early civilisations with Iron Age Britain. In Ancient Greek civilisation: what do we know about ancient Greece? pupils are able to apply their understanding of these places to Bronze Age Greece.

Ancient Greece's location and history

The city-state of Athens 

Sparta's rivalry with Athens

What Greek myths can tell us about Ancient Greece

The city-states of Ancient Greece

What we know about Ancient Greece

In 'Ancient Greek civilisation: what is its most significant legacy?' pupils will take their knowledge of Greek society and culture, deepen this further and explore its lasting legacy. In 'Ancient Greek civilisation: Why is Alexander called 'The Great'?' pupils will learn about the historic enmity between Greece and Persia while reflecting on why Alexander earned the epithet, 'The Great'.

Ancient Greek civilisation: why is Alexander called 'The Great'?

The Trojan War and 'The Iliad'

Famous Ancient Greek philosophers

The Ancient Greek Olympic Games

Athenian democracy and modern Britain

The legacy of Ancient Greek language and architecture

The most significant legacy of Ancient Greece

In 'Ancient Greek civilisation: Why is Alexander called 'The Great'?' pupils learnt about the historic enmity between Greece and Persia while reflecting on why Alexander earned the epithet, 'The Great'. In 'The Romans: What did it mean to be a Roman?' pupils will learn about the rise and fall of a new Mediterranean power, the Roman Empire.

The Romans: what did it mean to be a Roman?

The Persian Empire

The wars between Greece and Persia

Alexander's journey from boy to king

Alexander's conquests

Alexander's achievements

Why Alexander is called 'The Great'

In 'The Romans: What did it mean to be a Roman?' pupils learnt about the rise and fall of a new Mediterranean power, the Roman Empire. In 'The Romans: What impact did the Romans have on Britain?' pupils will examine, in depth, the way that Roman invasion and settlement changed life in Britain.

The Romans: what impact did the Romans have on Britain?

 In 'Ancient Greek civilisation: Why is Alexander called 'The Great'?' pupils learnt about the historic enmity between Greece and Persia while reflecting on why Alexander earned the epithet, 'The Great'. In 'The Romans: What did it mean to be a Roman?' pupils will learn about the rise and fall of a new Mediterranean power, the Roman Empire.

Roman kings

The Roman Republic

The rise of the Emperors

The division of the Roman Empire

The fall of the Western Roman Empire

What it meant to be a Roman

In 'The Romans: what impact did the Romans have on Britain?' pupils will examine, in depth, the way that Roman invasion and settlement changed life in Britain. In 'The Romans: what is the story of Christianity's rise?' pupils will build on their knowledge of the Roman Empire by studying an overview of Christianity's spread across the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Near East.

The Romans: what is the story of Christianity's rise?

In 'The Romans: what did it mean to be a Roman?' pupils learnt about the rise and fall of a new Mediterranean power, the Roman Empire. In 'The Romans: what impact did the Romans have on Britain?' pupils will examine, in depth, the way that Roman invasion and settlement changed life in Britain.

The Roman invasion of Britain 

Boudica's rebellion against Roman rule

How far religion changed under Roman rule

The buildings of Roman Britain 

Towns in Roman Britain

The changes to life brought about by Roman settlement

In 'The Romans: what is the story of Christianity's rise?' pupils build on their knowledge of the Roman Empire by studying an overview of Christianity's spread across the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Near East. In ‘Britain after the Romans: how did Christianity survive in the British Isles?’ pupils explore the evidence of where Christianity survived in Britain.

Britain after the Romans: how did Christianity survive in the British Isles?

In 'The Romans: What impact did the Romans have on Britain?' pupils will examine, in depth, the way that Roman invasion and settlement changed life in Britain. In 'The Romans: what is the story of Christianity's rise?' pupils will build on their knowledge of the Roman Empire by studying an overview of Christianity's spread across the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Near East.

Early Christianity

Constantine's conversion to Christianity

Christianity in Western Europe

Christianity in the Eastern Roman Empire

The Christian Church in Aksum

Early Christianity's story

In ‘Britain after the Romans: how did Christianity survive in the British Isles?’ pupils explore the evidence of where Christianity survived in Britain. In ‘Early Islamic civilisation: how did Baghdad become the ‘City of Peace'?’ pupils look at the emergence of another religion: Islam.

Early Islamic civilisation: how did Baghdad become the ‘City of Peace'?

In 'The Romans: what is the story of Christianity's rise?' pupils built on their knowledge of the Roman Empire by studying an overview of Christianity's spread across the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Near East. In ‘Britain after the Romans: how did Christianity survive in the British Isles?’ pupils explore the evidence of where Christianity survived in Britain.

Roman Christianity in Britain

The impact of the Romans' withdrawal on religion

St Patrick and Christianity in Ireland

The growth of Irish monasteries

Irish missionaries

How Christianity survived the Romans' departure

In 'Early Islamic Civilisation: how did Baghdad become the ‘City of Peace’?' pupils learnt about the rise of Islam and the founding of Baghdad. In 'Early Islamic Civilisation: what connected Baghdad to the wider world?' pupils deepen their understanding of the 'Golden Age' of Islamic civilisation by examining how Baghdad was connected to the wider world. 

Early Islamic civilisation: what connected Baghdad to the wider world?

In ‘Britain after the Romans: how did Christianity survive in the British Isles?’ pupils explored the evidence of where Christianity survived in Britain. In ‘Early Islamic civilisation: how did Baghdad become the ‘City of Peace'?’ pupils look at the emergence of another religion: Islam.

Subject

School phase

KS1 & KS2 History

Overview

Curriculum explainer

Subject principles

Our curriculum partner