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As children enter Year 3 the scope and breadth of what is studied expands massively from singular people, events, etc., to entire periods of history spanning hundreds and/or thousands of years. It is important that the following page is viewed as building on the nuances of KS1 history page as it is designed to do so. In 2014, Jamie Byrom wrote a document on progression in history for the Historical Association: “We need to look at the preambles at the start of each key stage in the 2014 National Curriculum to see a summary of the cumulative effect of the teaching across the key stage. As the sentence that follows each of those preambles makes clear, planning must always have an eye on longer-term learning and the part that knowledge building plays in this.” When planning a school’s curriculum, teachers and leaders must always consider what am I building on and towards?
The Processes Paragraph
Pupils should continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study.
History has the word story in it for a reason… in KS2, this is identified as a key aspect of the historical discipline to be understood. In this case, children should have a clear sense of the overall narratives of history that span British history at differing scales then selected periods of world history. This focuses on how periods of history sit alongside one another and those societies, civilisations, etc,. who interacted with one another for differing reasons.
Then, ‘zoom in’ to consider more detailed narratives of the periods studied to provide children with a sense of time, place, and period. This helps children to understand the realities of life in each period. Without this, developing coherence within and across periods of history is a much harder prospect.
They should note connections, contrasts and trends over time and develop the appropriate use of historical terms.
When thinking about the narratives of history that children have been taught, time should be spent on making connections. This helps children to see history as more than just isolated episodes but rather a series of ‘stories’ with common features and/ or turning points which change the nature of life for some or most people. In addition, children should be introduced to ambitious vocabulary so they can describe their learning (think of how we teach aspects of phonics, grammar, and maths… it should be ambitious across the curriculum).
They should regularly address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference, and significance.
The process of historical enquiry is driven by questions and the quest to answer them purposefully. In Key Stage 2, these questions should be rooted in the 2nd order concepts. The process may involve a single lesson or across a longer series. When addressing the questions, it should involve the processes outlined below.
They should construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information.
When answering questions, the children should not just make a claim. The children must be taught how historians and those studying history support their claims with the ‘best’ evidence and then add a layer of interpretation. It is not merely a case of children recounting everything they know – more evidence does not necessarily make a better answer!
They should understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources.
Across the key stage children need to build their understanding as to the differing roles of historians, archaeologists and others involved in the study of the past. They should also begin to focus on how knowledge and understanding is built by studying a range of source material to have a more detailed understanding.
In planning to ensure the progression described above through teaching the British, local and world history outlined below, teachers should combine overview and depth studies to help pupils understand both the long arc of development and the complexity of specific aspects of the content.
In history children are not taught isolated snapshots because this skews their understanding. Teaching must enable children to understand the broader features of life during the chosen periods for different groups alongside carefully selected depth studies which focus attention on a particularly important event, development, etc., which preserved or fundamentally shifted the way of life for the people at the time.
Episodes of History
In Key Stage 2, they need to be taught that the scope of their studies increases from single people, events or small-scale changes over a limited timeframe. Whilst not explicitly stated in the curriculum children must be taught that history is ‘grouped’ into different periods of time. The key statement from the processes paragraph to consider is children should “develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study”. The children are taught the narrative of British history from the earliest visits to Britain in the palaeolithic through to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. KS3 builds on this to ensure children who are taught the National Curriculum gain a coherent sense of the story of Britain. Beyond this narrative, children encounter at least two more units with either a local emphasis, post-1066 or both. Importantly, the precise narrative of each unit is left to individual schools to decide. This includes the number of lessons, the nature of the content, etc.
World history is also taught but should not be described as a coherent narrative because this is inaccurate… the world is not a singular entity and each society, civilisation, group, etc., has their own particular narrative arc. Therefore, they are episodes of a wider history which may interact with British history but are taught because of their own merit.
Schools may choose to exceed this specification and teach more than one example from each objective or even something not listed at all… remember though, more content alone does not make a better curriculum!
Narrative of British History:
- changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age
This unit focuses on children understanding how life in Britain changed across the first five periods of history. Because the duration and scope of this unit is enormous, it would be advisable to choose a couple of changes to track across prehistory (my own recommendations would be homes, tool use and food). This can be added to with depth studies on key sites such as Star Carr, Skara Brae, Stonehenge etc.
This enquiry’s core second-order concept is continuity and change. The children should consider more than just what the changes were as the impact of the changes on people’s lives is key! However, the limited evidence base from the archaeological record means the disciplinary knowledge should include the incomplete picture available to learn then interpret.
- the Roman Empire and its impact on Britain
This multi-part objective requires a carefully curated narrative to ensure children don’t encounter this period as a disconnected or unrelated series of episodes. It covers both world and British history therefore beginning with the expansion of the empire before transitioning to the invasion, conquest and Romanisation of Britain. The evidence base includes a much greater range including sites, finds, contemporary accounts and subsequent interpretations.
There are enormous possibilities as to which aspects of the empire to teach because schools could include UNESCO world heritage sites including Pompeii, various villas and more! It is important for children to understand the Romans built infrastructure as they conquered and expanded their territory. This includes roads, forts and settlements.
Once the story reaches the shores of Britain, children can be taught about Julius Caesar’s failed invasions, the successful conquest by Claudius’ troops, etc, Ensure children understand the conquest took several decades, and different groups chose to become client kingdoms, resist or a combination of both. There is no singular story…
The Romanisation was equally complex therefore ensure children have a clearly defined narrative using a mixture of local and national examples.
- Britain’s settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots
This objective is one of the least prescriptive as it merely focuses on the settlement. This difficulty is compounded by there being a lack of source material for the early medieval period. As such, teachers have immense freedom on how to implement this… an opportunity or mindset depending on knowledge.
It is important that this objective is not simply missed out or a token lesson to enable a wider study of the Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle. Without an understanding of social and cultural understanding in this period, children will find it more challenging to understand the Viking raids, invasion and conflict across the later part of this period.
Key knowledge to be taught to provide a clearer start point for the conflict which follows:
1) England was not a singular nation. Each kingdom had its own monarch who wielded differing levels of power across the period. This may include depth studies of locally significant monarchs such as Offa of Mercia and conflicts or conquests within different reigns.
2) The conversion to Christianity including the central role the church played in matters of belief and the political power it wielded.
3) The everyday life of people who lived in small farming villages with minimal visits to other villages beyond potentially visiting a market town. This had implications for assembling the fyrd (militia forces) and communication between groups.
- the Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England to the time of Edward the Confessor
This objective also lacks specificity as to what specifically should be taught. However it is taught, it must deliberately build on the content taught in the Anglo-Saxon and Scots settlement. The Vikings arrive to raid, trade and eventually invade this ‘world’ (rhyme absolutely intended). The narrative to be taught must emphasise the stages of this period to facilitate a clear and detailed enough narrative to give a broader sense of the period.
As such, the suggested narrative I would advocate for is:
1) The early Viking raids on Lindisfarne and Jarrow including how they were documented by the Anglo-Saxons at the time. But, still ensuring the children know the limited picture means we have a skewed picture.
2) The shift to invasion by the ‘Great Heathen Army’ and subsequent groups. This includes the conquest of Northumbria and Mercia. A link can be established to the divided Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and time taken to assemble the militia (fyrd) as a factor which enabled the Vikings’ success. His victory at Edington and preserving the last kingdom under Anglo-Saxon control.
3) Alfred the Great’s reign including his reforms to defend Wessex. The reigns of Edward the Elder and Aethelflaed, which continued their father’s work and began to reclaim Danelaw. Athelstan (Edward’s son and Alfred’s grandson) being known as the first king of England in 925AD. It should end with William of Normandy’s victory in 1066AD.
However, this unit is full of opportunities which could include developing a wider understanding of the Viking world such as their enormous trade routes which includes contact with the early caliphates (a useful addition if the school teachers Early Islamic History as the Non-European study) or the settlements in Iceland and North America.
Additional British History
The scope for both objectives below is immense. Think carefully about which is taught and how it builds on the rest of the curriculum. Schools may wish to teach more than one of each objective but are not required to (more content does not always equal a better curriculum after all).
- a local history study
These units can be implemented in a number of ways as either stand alone depth studies examining the impact a change in the area had such as industrialisation, the arrival of new forms of transport etc or a significant site or family. In addition, they can be a great opportunity to study the local stories of one of the periods of British history studied elsewhere. They should not merely be seen as a gathering random facts about the locality but supporting children’s understanding of how the locality developed and their immediate ‘world’ was shaped by the past.
- a study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066
This content of this unit can include any aspects of British history post-1066. Schools may choose to teach a depth study of a turning point in history such as the arrival of the railways, the Battle of Britain in World War 2 for instance. According to the 2022 Historical Association survey, World War 2 was the most popular topic by a large margin. However, it is important to remember children will study this in Key Stage 3 therefore avoid repeatedly teaching the same content when the possibilities are much greater. Another option is a longitudinal study which tracks changes across the British history; this is often taught through the changing power of the monarchy or crime and punishment. The children study continuities and changes through time and should use them to consider the wider social, cultural or political histories.
World History
- the achievements of the earliest civilizations – an overview of where and when the first civilizations appeared and a depth study of one of the following: Ancient Sumer; The Indus Valley; Ancient Egypt; The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China
The recent Ofsted subject report titled: Rich Encounters with the Past highlighted a common mistake: “Few schools made the most of the national curriculum recommendation to teach pupils an overview of the development of the earliest civilisations.” This is key as it enables children to understand how civilisations emerge from prehistory at different stages in history and the common accomplishments/individual characteristics (aim 2). This can be as little as one lesson or an entire unit using similarity and difference to look at a more global perspective.
Regardless of which civilisation is studied in-depth, it is key to consider what facilitated their achievements. If teaching about the Egyptians, focusing entirely on their monument/tomb building and mummification results in significant misconceptions… the pyramids didn’t happen by chance or accident! They are the outcome of a remarkable society including the education scribal class with knowledge or reading, writing, maths and science. The Pharaonic successes were underpinned by the farming output. Whilst not the most glamorous of jobs, it certainly was one of the most important.
Therefore, start with the society at large and actively link them to the monuments and complex ritual belief systems in order to create a coherent and developed understanding. - Ancient Greece – a study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world
This is another multi-part objective which requires careful thought to ensure the immense legacy of the Ancient Greeks is not reduced down to surface level facts about the gods, Olympics and mythology. Whilst all of those are important, they are part of a much wider narrative to be told.
Part 1 of the objective should enable children to understand the development of Greece and how it differs from other civilisations studied. This should include the city-state structure, complexity of being on the mainland and many islands, and differing cultures which had their own unique societies, cultures, political systems etc. This provides a clearer sense of ‘world’ and therefore a firmer foundation to consider the legacy.
Part 2 builds on this by looking at how the Ancient Greeks influence shaped their Roman contemporaries but also had an enduring legacy across the Western world. Schools will choose to emphasise certain aspects of the legacy over others but it is vital to ensure children understand their learning is a small fraction of what could have been chosen. The BBC bitesize video narrated by David Tennant is a useful start point as it lays out the scale of influence. The Olympics are often taught but their influence on the modern world is limited to sport whereas other concepts such as philosophy, language, mathematics, literature, history itself have a wider reach and, it could be argued, more important. In no way is this saying don’t teach about the Olympics but consider the depth of study and value each can add. Whichever aspects of the Greek legacy are taught, the children should be clear that it is why historians regard their legacy as significant.
- a non-European society that provides contrasts with British history – one study chosen from: early Islamic civilization, including a study of Baghdad c. AD 900; Mayan civilization c. AD 900; Benin (West Africa) c. AD 900-1300.
The purpose of this objective is to broaden children’s understanding of history to different parts of the world. Each unit offers a brilliant opportunity to consider a positive narrative from somewhere the children are less likely to know in detail. Each also offers the opportunity to think about how Britain compared at different points in history. It is no secret that I am a big advocate for teaching Early Islamic history given the 21st century world children are growing up in. However, an equally strong case can be made for the Maya (Mayan are the languages and Maya are the peoples), and Benin. Consider the nature of the school’s context as to which is most beneficial to be studied… or think about teaching more than one.
The unit can be broken into two phases:
1) Focus on the achievements and accomplishments of the civilisation to ensure children understand the positive aspects of the narrative (this may challenge a stereotypical view found in the popular media or aspects of society) and their achievements/discoveries. This learning should provide a clear framing for part 2. The precise content needs to be coherent and likely requires contextual geography.
2) The emphasis can shift to comparing aspects of life with Britain during the concurrent periods of history. It should not focus on claiming that Britain was ‘worse’ than the Non-European study but focus on how their achievements, societal structure and cultural emphasis differed. As such it’s important the children have the knowledge required to compare the similarities and differences.
For the Maya Classic Periods and Early Islamic Caliphates, the contemporary period is early medieval England which the children study. However, schools can link the conquest of Maya lands by the Spanish in the 1500s to the explorations by people such as John Hawkins and Francis Drake if the Tudors are a local or Post-1066 study. The same is true for the conquest of Benin by the British in 1897; it provides a connected narrative which helps to build coherence if it is carefully and deliberately structured then narrated.