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Primary History Curriculum

Resources For National Curriculum Primary History

Explore our range of ready-to-teach History resources that collectively cover all National Curriculum objectives for the primary History curriculum. Lesson plans, engaging slideshows and a range of a range of activities to support your adaptive teaching practice are all included within each resource pack, as well as free overviews and assessment grids. 

If you're looking for a Whole School History Curriculum, find out about our Curriculum Packs

  • Seaside Holidays in the Past

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    Challenge your Year 1 or Year 2 class to explore seaside holidays in the past with this ready-to-teach lesson pack. Your KS1 children will investig...

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  • Homes in the Past

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    Challenge your KS1 class to explore homes in the past with this ready-to-teach lesson pack. Your Year 1 or Year 2 children will investigate the dif...

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  • Communication Then and Now

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    Take a whistle-stop tour across the ages from hieroglyphics to the World Wide Web as your KS1 class explore the history of communication. They will...

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  • Florence Nightingale

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    Teach your children about one of Britain's most famous historical figures with this Florence Nightingale KS1 planning pack for Year 2. Find out abo...

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  • Famous Queens

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    Take your class on a royal journey and explore the lives of three famous queens from British History: Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria and Queen E...

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  • The Great Fire of London

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    This Great Fire of London Year 1/2 planning pack is full of all the lesson plans, differentiated activity ideas, slideshow presentations and printa...

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  • Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot

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    This Guy Fawkes KS1 History lesson pack teaches your class all about the reasons for, and events of, the Gunpowder Plot. Each lesson includes a det...

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  • Intrepid Explorers

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    Use this Famous Explorers KS1 History pack to introduce your class to some of the most intrepid explorers across history, including Ibn Battuta, Ch...

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  • Toys Past and Present

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    This Toys Past and Present KS1 History planning pack has everything you need to explore changes within living memory in the world of toys! Your cla...

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  • Childhood Then and Now

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    These exciting, practical lessons will encourage your class to become historians as they learn about childhood and how it has changed over time, fr...

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  • The Olympics Year 1/2

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    Introduce your KS1 class to the global, multi-sport athletics competition that is the Olympic Games! Develop their knowledge, understanding (and wo...

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  • Mary Seacole

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    Best known for being a nurse and setting up the 'British Hotel' in the Crimean War, Mary Seacole was an incredible Black woman who was lost to hist...

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  • Isaac Newton

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    Introduce your children to Isaac Newton, one of Britain's most famous scientists. In this KS1 History unit of work, your pupils will class will dis...

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  • What are we remembering on Remembrance Day?

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    Download these KS1 Remembrance Day lessons to teach your class about what Remembrance Day is, why people wear poppies and who we are remembering on...

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  • Superheroes Topic

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    Are you ready for an adventure? 'Superheroes!' includes all the resources for 18 lessons for KS1 children aged 5-7. The lessons cover a whole range...

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  • All About Me Topic

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    Open their eyes to the wonder that is each and every one of them with this fantastic 'All About Me' cross-curricular lesson plan for KS1. Your clas...

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  • Castles Topic

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    This KS1 Castles Topic for Year 1 and Year 2 is stuffed to the battlements with engaging and inspiring teaching resources to get your class of litt...

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  • Exploring Space Topic

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    5, 4, 3, 2, 1...BLAST OFF! Take your KS1 class on an incredible adventure through space with this Exploring Space KS1 topic pack. There are History...

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  • Dinosaurs Topic

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    This KS1 Dinosaurs topic is packed full of exciting lessons all about dinosaurs. Your children will learn about Mary Anning, using persuasive langu...

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  • Travel and Transport Topic

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    Hop on board and prepare to blast off on an exciting adventure with this Travel and Transport topic for KS1! Your class will explore journeys of al...

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  • Arctic Adventures Topic

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    Introduce your class to the freezing and fabulous Arctic in this 'Arctic Adventures' cross-curricular topic for KS1. Your class will learn about Ar...

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  • This is Me Topic Bundle

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    This great 'This is Me' Topic Bundle for KS1 gives you a solid basis for you cross-curricular teaching. With four complete PlanBee schemes of work,...

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  • Houses and Homes Topic Bundle

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    Four complete schemes of work are included in this Houses and Homes Topic Bundle to give you a fantastic basis for your 'Houses and Homes' cross-cu...

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  • Great Fire of London Topic Bundle

    Original price £38.50 - Original price £38.50
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    Immerse your class in this sizzling cross-curricular topic packed with Great Fire of London activities, detailed lesson planning and differentiated...

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PlanBee's Primary History Curriculum

Intent, Impact and Implantation Statement

Intent:

PlanBee's Primary History Curriculum provides a comprehensive and engaging framework for pupils to explore and understand the History of Britain and the wider world. It is designed to cultivate children’s inquisitiveness, enabling them to become critical historians, informed citizens and effective communicators.

By studying a diverse range of historical periods, individuals and events, children will gain a broad, deep and critical understanding of the past. They will also develop an appreciation for the complexities of people’s lives throughout History and for how societies, social groups and ways of life have changed over time. This understanding will help children to establish meaningful connections between the past and present, make sense of the world they live in and grasp their place and identity within it.

We also aim to equip children with the tools they need to think and act as historians. Children will develop historical enquiry skills, including: asking and answering questions about the past, analysing and interpreting sources, evaluating competing ideas and employing evidence and reasoning. They will become confident investigators who are capable of constructing their own understanding of the past and drawing informed conclusions about the interpretations made by others.

Implementation:

Our primary History curriculum is meticulously designed to provide comprehensive coverage of the Primary History National Curriculum. Not only does the PlanBee curriculum also align with our core curriculum principles and decolonisation pledge, but it also integrates the latest research and best practices to ensure that it is both relevant and effective in its provision.

Curriculum Framework Our knowledge-engaged primary History curriculum is organised into four domains to provide coherence and structure. These domains are: Historical Vocabulary and Oracy; Chronological Understanding; Historical Understanding and Historical Enquiry. Our commitment to representing diversity and critical evaluation of multiple perspectives runs across each of these domains.

Within our framework, content is purposefully sequenced to increase in range, depth and complexity as children progress through KS1 and KS2. Regular opportunities to revisit and reinforce prior learning are provided, enabling them to build effectively on their existing knowledge base and unpack potential misconceptions.

Schemes of Work We offer a wide range of History schemes across KS1 and KS2, providing schools with the flexibility to choose one of our ready-made Curriculum Packs or to create their own bespoke curriculum by combining their own choice of schemes from our collection. This allows schools to tailor and adapt the curriculum to suit their specific needs and context.

Each scheme includes a medium-term overview, assessment grid, detailed lesson plans, engaging slideshows and activities, along with a range of resources which offer different access points for learners. Meaningful examples and case studies, chosen for their significance or relevance to the cohort, are incorporated into each scheme to support children’s acquisition of knowledge and skills. Resources are carefully designed to support effective teaching and learning, incorporating storytelling, debate, drama and writing in role as well as practical and collaborative activities.

These elements were brought together to create a broad and rich curriculum that nurtures the development of the whole child and supports their future success, with a specific focus on closing the attainment gap for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Historical Vocabulary and Oracy Key vocabulary is defined, discussed and revisited to make sure that children can access and make sense of the content and build secure historical knowledge. We prioritise opportunities for oral rehearsal, story-telling and discussion, providing supporting resources such as word banks and chat mats to support children to communicate their knowledge and ideas effectively.

Chronological Awareness The curriculum introduces children to varied historical time periods, developments and events. Children are taught to sequence events chronologically as well as to use and construct timelines to strengthen their understanding. In doing so, children build temporal mental models of the scale of History and duration of time periods. This supports a better understanding of how different time periods and events are located and connected across History.

Historical Understanding The curriculum is carefully planned and sequenced to enhance children's historical understanding in terms of breadth, depth, and complexity. To bring the past to life, children encounter a rich range of historical accounts, sources and modelled examples. This grows their understanding of the broad characteristics of historical periods and helps children to develop coherent narratives that are more memorable. Core substantive and disciplinary concepts such as cause, significance, conflict and settlement are regularly revisited to enable children to make sense of and apply their new learning.

Historical Enquiry Children are taught how historians investigate the past and how they construct historical accounts and arguments. They are given meaningful opportunities to engage in research, analyse and interpret sources, structure accounts and arguments and to present findings coherently. The curriculum introduces children to a rich range of historical sources, including artefacts, archaeological evidence, stories, photographs, paintings and oral histories.

Interpretation and Representation The curriculum encourages children to research and discuss diverse interpretations and experiences of the past. Children learn to critically evaluate different interpretations of the past by understanding that these are shaped by the information available or presented in dominant narratives. They also learn that new discoveries or interpretations can revise our understanding of History.


We are committed to creating decolonised content that challenges biases and offers a fuller, fairer and more truthful representation of the world, its histories and its peoples. Our resources incorporate diverse representation and discussion of multiple perspectives to grow children’s understanding of how and why people had varied experiences of the past.

Assessment Ongoing diagnostic assessment is built into our schemes of work through questioning and low-stakes quizzes. This enables teachers to gauge children’s learning and understanding and to identify and address any gaps or misconceptions. This also means that teachers are equipped to make in-the-moment adjustments to lesson pathways and teaching strategies or to revisit longer term planning and support systems for their children.

Each scheme of work comes with an assessment grid which is aligned with our History Knowledge and Skills Progression Documentation. These can be used by teachers and subject leaders to track children’s curriculum coverage and progress through their Primary Phase learning journey.

Teachers and subject leaders can assess progress in engagement and attainment for History through a combination of diagnostic and summative assessment, observation of teaching and learning and pupil voice. They can also consider outcomes in pupil’s books as well as presentations, classroom installations, such as living museums or displays, and class assemblies.

Subject leads should monitor pupil progress, staff subject knowledge and their confidence and competence in teaching History, highlighting areas of strength and for improvement.

Impact:

Our History curriculum empowers children to develop a strong historical consciousness and gain insights into the world around them. Through our curriculum, children become knowledgeable and practising historians, critical thinkers, effective communicators, and responsible global citizens with a deep appreciation for History and its impact on the world. This prepares children to become informed global citizens who appreciate the importance of History and its relevance to their lives.

Evidence of impact can be collated using our Assessment Grids, pupil voice and through high-quality outcomes in books or via displays, presentations and assemblies.

Specifically, children can demonstrate the following:

Secure historical knowledge, skills and understanding Children exhibit a secure and coherent knowledge of the past, including significant historical periods, societies, people and processes. They can recall important historical knowledge and show their understanding of historical concepts. They utilise the historical enquiry skills they have developed to generate questions, conduct historical research and investigations and draw evidence-based conclusions. By the end of Year 6, children are ready to build upon their History learning journey and transition to the Key Stage 3 curriculum.

Critical Thinking Children display curiosity about the past alongside well-developed critical thinking skills. They are able to explain the cause and consequences of historical events and their impact on the present. They can evaluate the validity, reliability and authenticity of historical sources and interpretations, and to construct well-reasoned historical explanations based on evidence and reasoning.

Effective Communication Children are confident and effective communicators who can express historical knowledge and understanding orally and in writing. They use historical vocabulary and concepts accurately to discuss the past, and compose structured and coherent accounts and arguments based on their ideas, analysis, and evidence.

Cultural and Global Understanding Children demonstrate cultural and global understanding by recognizing diverse historical civilizations, societies, experiences, and perspectives. They possess empathy and respect for the diversity of human experiences throughout History. Children appreciate the interconnectedness of global History, fostering cultural awareness and promoting tolerance.

Responsible and Informed Citizenship Children become responsible and informed citizens who understand the historical roots of contemporary society. They appreciate the diversity and richness of different cultures and societies. They have gained a better understanding of their personal identity and place in the world by recognising the achievements, significance, and challenges faced by others. Children grasp the influence and importance of innovation and exploration, power, democracy, conflict, and social justice.

Through our History curriculum, children have a deep appreciation for History and its impact on the world, preparing them for a future where they can contribute positively to society.