History Aims

The National Curriculum for history aims to ensure that all pupils:


Subject Content Key Stage 1

Pupils should begin to develop an awareness of the past and the ways in which it is similar to and different from the present. They should understand simple subject-specific vocabulary relating to the passing of time and begin to develop an understanding of the key features of a range of different events and historical periods.

Pupils should be taught about:

  • simple vocabulary relating to the passing of time such as ‘before’, ‘after’, ‘past’, ‘present’, ‘then’ and ‘now’
  • the concept of nation and of a nation’s history
  • concepts such as civilisation, monarchy, parliament, democracy, and war and peace that are essential to understanding history
  • the lives of significant individuals in Britain's past who have contributed to our nation's achievements – scientists such as Isaac Newton or Michael Faraday, reformers such as Elizabeth Fry or William Wilberforce, medical pioneers such as William Harvey or Florence Nightingale, or creative geniuses such as Isambard Kingdom Brunel or Christina Rossetti