Summer Primary History Network

This session was recorded on Tuesday, 30th June 2026. Answers and comments may be in reference to the chat feed which you cannot see and therefore could seem out of context. You may use this session in your own school including all approaches, ideas and shared resources. You may NOT share these more widely without express written permission from Mr T does Primary History Ltd. This can be requested by emailing stuart@mrtdoeshistory.com with the subject: Summer Network Sharing.

This term’s network focused on where next for primary history with a focus on the use of artefacts and retrieval.

The sessions are priced so reasonably to ensure as many teachers can access it as possible. This is impossible if people share the resources. Thank you for your cooperation.

Giveaway:
This session was generously sponsored by Wildgoose Education and Starbeck Education who provided a £50 voucher for one lucky winner and a 10% off discount for all purchases using the code Summer10 which is valid until the 30th September 2026. They have an extensive collection of printable and tangible resources for history and subjects across the foundation curriculum. Genuinely, they are my first stop when purchasing artefacts, maps and more for my history work or when teaching.

You can find their extensive collections on their websites:
Starbeck
Wildgoose

Discount code:
The networks are always free to paid website members but I know some people prefer to buy a ticket to individual sessions. With that in mind, the Autumn session will be an in-depth analysis of the draft National Curriculum update which launches for consultation in September.
For 25% off the ticket price, please enter the code: CurricDraft (valid until September 2nd).

This session was recorded on Tuesday 24th March, 2026. Answers and comments may be in reference to the chat feed which you cannot see and therefore could seem out of context. You may use this session in your own school including all approaches, ideas and shared resources. You may NOT share these more widely without express written permission from Mr T does Primary History Ltd. This can be requested by emailing stuart@mrtdoeshistory.com with the subject: Spring Network Sharing.

The sessions are priced so reasonably to ensure as many teachers can access it as possible. This is impossible if people share the resources. Thank you for your cooperation.

(Please note: this was recorded from my teaching school so the acoustics may appear a tad different)

I was joined by Glenn Carter to focus on where next for primary history. We considered key aspects of pedagogy (inclusion, AI) then how we may scaffold learning!

Links and Suggested Resources:

The Scaffolding Effect by Rachel Ball and Alex Fairlamb

How to Lead it: Primary History by Alex Pethick

Why Learning Fails by Alex Quigley

Greek Boy by Tony Bradman

This term’s network meeting focused on what it means to use historian’s interpretations in primary classrooms. Glenn and I focused on the building blocks which lay the foundations across EYFS and KS1. Our special guest, Emmy Quinn, then shared how we may implement the work of historian’s at the heart of enquiries.

The live session was recorded on the 13th November 2025. Comments and responses may be made in reference to the chat box therefore may mean they sound out of context. The book giveaway was done off screen because of time constraints and, because of GDPR, I cannot share the document that the names were linked to.

What is history?

In this session, Stuart introduced and shared how we may develop a definition for what children might view history as across KS1 to UKS2. It can then be supported with how history is studied to progressively introduce children to the nature of the historical discipline in a contextual and developmental manner. The images he shared are freely downloadable as image documents. This is a draft and needs further development and refinement…

Book Giveaway:

In this session, I gave away a copy of Totally Chaotic History by Greg Jenner. These books are magnificent at supporting children with what is thought about periods of history at an appropriate level. However, their true genius lies in the expert interruptions by specialists who precisely explain how and why we think that way. It is the book we have needed… a historian writing for primary children without just emphasising the gruesome, gory and silly out of context!

Book and Resource List:

Throughout the session, Emmy referenced a number of books and videos that she uses to teach historical interpretations. For convenience, they are linked below:
Black and British: an illustrated history by David Olusoga
Black and British: a short essential history by David Olusoga
Stolen History by Sathnam Sanghera
African Kingdoms: West Africa by katie Amery, Teni Gogo and Aaron Wilkes
Totally Chaotic History – Ancient Egypt gets unruly by Greg Jenner
Totally Chaotic History – Roman Britain gets rowdy by Greg Jenner
Totally Chaotic History – the stone age runs wild
The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan

Life and Death in the Valley of the Kings – BBC Teach

Dan Snow’s History Hit
Stuart’s favourite – The Ancients
You’re Dead to Me – comedy history with ‘colourful’ language (not for children)
Empire
The Rest is History