Our understanding of the world and our place in it is largely shaped by history. We can look back and be inspired by past people’s innovation and tenacity and learn from their mistakes. As primary school teachers, it’s our responsibility to encourage a love of history in young minds and ensure it comes to life for them in the classroom. Teachers are already very short of time, so the best way to ensure your history lessons cover that national curriculum and inspire your pupils can be to use a primary history scheme of work.

The Great Fire of London has been a staple in the KS1 history curriculum for decades. Why? Because it’s an exciting and dynamic story that captures the attention of young children and impacted London, and the country, in a way that can be seen today.

Designed to teach empathy, provide perspective, and to learn from the successes and failures of others, the KS1 and KS2 history curriculum is important for a child's learning development. History is a subject that is critical to our society, yet many think they don’t enjoy it due to how they were taught at school.

Be the change that inspires the next generation to fall in love with the past, and that starts with understanding the KS1 and KS2 history curriculum. Get your class excited and engaged to learn with our selection of high-quality resources. Within this guide we’ll run through some of our top tips and activities to make you confident for your next history lesson.

Table of Contents:

• What is the Primary History Curriculum?
  • The Key Requirements For KS1 History
  • The Key Requirements For KS2 History
• How to Teach the KS1 and KS2 Primary History Curriculum
• Resources to Help Teach History at the Primary Level

History, like any story, is only boring when it is badly told. This certainly extends into the classroom in school history lessons, where history can be brought to life for students, inciting a life-long passion, or appear completely irrelevant to their current lives.