Issue 87 / Spring 2021
The primary education journal of the Historical Association
The revised EYFS Framework – exploring ‘Past and Present’ How did a volcano affect life in the Bronze Age? Exploring the spices of the east: how curry got to our table Ancient Sumer: the cradle of civilisation ‘I have got to stop Mrs Jackson’s family arguing’: developing a big picture of the Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings Subject leader’s site: assessment and feedback Fifty years ago we lost the need to know our twelve times tables Take one day: undertaking an in-depth local enquiry Belmont’s evacuee children: a local history project Ofsted and primary history One of my favourite history places – Eyam
CENTRE SPREAD DOUBLE SIDED PULL-OUT POSTER ‘Twelve pennies make a shilling; twenty shillings make a pound’ Could you manage old money? Examples of picture books New: webinar recording offer for corporate members
Corporate membership offers a comprehensive package of support. It delivers all the benefits of individual membership plus an enhanced tier of resources, CPD access and accreditation in order to boost the development of your teaching staff and delivery of your whole-school history provision*.
We’re pleased to introduce a NEW benefit for corporate members – the ability to register for a free webinar recording of your choice each academic year, representing a saving of up to £50. Visit www.history.org.uk/go/corpwebinar21 for details
The latest offer for corporate members is just one of a host of exclusive benefits for school members including:
P A bank of resources for you and up to 11 other teaching staff. P New and exclusive resources: subject leader area guides. P Free and discounted CPD for you and up to 11 colleagues. P Exclusive access to our free corporate webinar recordings. P Eligibility for the HA Quality Mark.
All from as little as £72 per year – less than £1.40 per week. To upgrade email [email protected] or call 0300 100 0223 * Please note that corporate primary membership is available only to schools. If you are a training provider, university or other type of organisation please contact us to discuss bespoke membership packages available. Issue 87 Spring 2021
REGULARS ARTICLES
Editorial 04 HA Primary News 05 HA Update 06 08 The revised EYFS Framework – exploring ‘Past and Present’ Helen Crawford History in the news 10 Cover image Lyre of a Bull’s Head from Queen Pu-Abi’s tomb as displayed in the CENTRE SPREAD British Museum. 12 How did a volcano affect life in the Bronze Age? DOUBLE SIDED Alf Wilkinson PULL-OUT POSTER
‘Twelve pennies make a 14 Exploring the spices of the east: how curry got to shilling; twenty shillings our table make a pound’ Could you Karin Doull manage old money? Examples of picture books 19 Ancient Sumer: the cradle of civilisation Susie Townsend 24 ‘I have got to stop Mrs Jackson’s family arguing’: developing a big picture of the Romans, Anglo- Saxons and Vikings Carol Jackson and Darius Jackson 28 Subject leader’s site: assessment and feedback Tim Lomas 32 Fifty years ago we lost the need to know our twelve times tables Karin Doull
in this issue 34 Take one day: undertaking an in-depth local enquiry Kate Thomson and Tracey Wire 39 Belmont’s evacuee children: a local history project George Skinner and Judith Peel PEFC Certified
This product is 46 Ofsted and primary history from sustainably managed forests and Tim Jenner controlled sources
PEFC/16-33-254 www.pefc.org One of my favourite history places – Eyam 48 The Historical Association Penelope Harnett 59a Kennington Park Road London SE11 4JH Telephone: 020 7735 3901 Fax: 020 7582 4989 www.history.org.uk
PRESIDENT Professor Peter Mandler EDITORIAL GROUP Letters, articles and other contributions to the Suggestions and comments are very welcome and DEPUTY PRESIDENT Dr Katharine Burn Paul Bracey, Linda Cooper, Helen Crawford, magazine are welcome. They should be typed, should be sent to: the Chairholder, Bev Forrest, Karin Doull, Alf Wilkinson, Bev Forrest, double spaced, on one side of the paper. Please c/o The Historical Association. HONORARY TREASURER Michael Brooks Tim Lomas, Polly Tucknot, Matthew Sossick keep references to a minimum. A direct style HONORARY SECRETARY Dr Tim Lomas and Damienne Clarke free from jargon is preferred. Photographs and Primary History is published three times a year and CHIEF EXECUTIVE Rebecca Sullivan children’s work are welcome. The maximum article is available at substantial discounts to members of length is 1,500 words. Send to: The Editor, the Historical Association. Membership including Primary History c/o The Historical Association, Primary History is £43.00 for individuals, £72.00 © The Historical Association 2021 PUBLISHER Rebecca Sullivan 59a Kennington Park Road, London SE11 4JH. for schools and other corporate bodies and £36.50 all rights reserved. DESIGN AND LAYOUT Martin Hoare for students and NQTs. Registered charity 1120261 Publication of a contribution in Primary History Incorporated by Royal Charter does not necessarily imply the Historical Advertising enquiries to telephone: 020 7820 5985 Association’s approval of the opinions expressed in it. The Primary Committee of the Association has Printed in Great Britain by particular responsibility for matters of interest to Stephens & George Print Group primary teachers and schools. Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, CF48 3TD ISSN 0040-06109 editorial
This edition is the second to be produced during the pandemic and hopefully the last. Potentially when the summer edition comes out we will be looking back at this most strange of times. My admiration goes out to all the committed, hardworking and exhausted class teachers trying to find ways to engage children now that the days are dark and short and the novelty of remote learning has long gone. A heartfelt thank you and well done to all of you who have contributed so steadfastly to supporting children’s learning. If history teaches us anything it is that it is cyclical, that humans periodically need to re-examine and re-experience situations, but that also, difficult times can be overcome. We hope that this edition will give you some ideas to build on and develop once a more normal teaching situation returns. Pedagogy Helen Crawford explains what to consider in relation to the new EYFS. Tim Jenner, the new History Subject Lead for Ofsted shares some observations that provide useful points to consider when evaluating our own practice. Tim Lomas contributes suggestions to develop effective feedback and assessment. Practice George Skinner and Judith Peel share a wonderful project that their village school undertook to remember wartime evacuees. The project clearly inspired the children and came to involve the whole community. Darius and Carol Jackson shared a ‘Mantle of the Expert’ activity that encouraged children to compare the contributions of Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings looking across the periods. This developed creativity and problem solving. Tracey Wire and Kate Thomson demonstrated how to use archives for a local history project. Subject knowledge Alf Wilkinson links a long-ago volcanic explosion in Iceland to Bronze Age climate change, enabling us to look at wider environmental concerns. What do a crime writer, a pair of married archaeologists, monumental construction and golden treasure have in common? Susie Townsend will lead you through ancient Sumer to find out. And how about curry, now a British staple: how did it make its debut in Britain? Find out about Hannah Glasse and Sake Dean Mahomed. Finally, Penelope Harnett explores the ancient village of Eyam and the sacrifices the villagers made in a previous plague situation.
Our anniversary this edition is Decimalisation Day, 15 February 1971 (fifty years ago). Ask those that remember what their favourite coin was. Personally, I still mourn the loss of the silver sixpence whose largesse would allow the purchase of several bars of chocolate.
Karin Doull is a principal lecturer at the University of Roehampton and a member of the HA primary committee.
In our Summer 2021 issue:
The next edition of Primary History will include articles on Stone Age monuments, using music to tell the story of different groups, how to develop subject knowledge and working with a source and an anniversary focus on the Festival of Britain of 1951.
4 Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association HA Primary
As I write, we are in the by the government, but it midst of another period is likely that some level of of lockdown and severe remote learning will persist disruption to normal school until the summer term, for life. Many of you will be at least some children. facing teaching live remote lessons, putting together Please don’t forget our packs of work and juggling wonderful museums and being in school for key archives at this strange workers’ children. Don’t time. While visits will forget that the HA is here to certainly be off the menu help and we have a number possibly for the rest of of home learning resources this academic year, don’t on our home learning hubs. forget that many museums You can access the hubs and other Ofsted plans to keep all assessment are offering virtual tours and remote HA support materials here: activity online until at least mid- learning sessions that can be accessed www.history.org.uk/go/ February. In the meantime, they have either from home or in school. Why ResourcesCovid19 published some guidance on what not take a look on a few museum works well in remote learning, based websites to see what they have on New activities are soon to be added on evidence gathered from interim offer. so look out for these, including an visits. www.gov.uk/government/ interactive timeline research activity publications/whats-working-well-in- The killing of George Floyd in America on the Anglo-Saxons. remote-education/whats-working- sparked a renewed emphasis and well-in-remote-education alongside period of reflection about racism Our significant local individuals a report exploring remote learning in and inequalities in society and what resource is growing. If your area is recent months. The main challenge education can do to address and covered, why not use it as a resource that parents and carers are reporting educate about these issues for a to set up a lockdown local history is how to keep children focused and better future. The HA has been project and if your area is yet to be motivated. working on initiatives and resources covered, why not enlist your class to to explore and address diversity in research and then make and submit Those of you on Twitter may also be the primary history curriculum for a your own list to be added to the interested in the new #DistHist which number of years, but there is still a resource: aims to collate both advice and tips – great deal to learn and to be done. www.history.org.uk/go/ for people looking to deliver remote A reminder that members can access SignificantIndividuals history lessons – on getting the best our 2019 summer resource on out of various digital platforms. It is diversity here: www.history.org.uk/go/ As you will no doubt be aware, in QTS also a place where some teachers, PrimaryDiversity2019 standards and early career framework museums and archives are posting as well as the new Ofsted framework, examples of remote-learning history In an update from the last time there is a shift towards subject activities. While there are currently I wrote about this, we have also emphasis. The Quality Mark is an more secondary-phase users of this launched a brand-new series of excellent way of holistically auditing hashtag, you may well find inspiration webinars covering diversity in the and developing your history provision here and it will be great to see more primary history curriculum. Given the and thanks to a kind legacy, the HA primary input and examples going up importance of this issue, the HA has will be able to offer a small number of too. For those of you on Facebook, heavily subsidised prices in order to bursaries for primary schools wishing there are also a number of groups keep the cost as low as possible for to undertake the Quality Mark. Look sharing information and ideas, such teachers and educators to attend. out for further details of this coming as the Primary History Co-ordinators You can find out more about this new soon. Due to the pandemic the group among others. How long webinar series on our HA Update Quality Mark is currently suspended schools will remain closed to all but pages. for assessments, but it is still possible key-worker and vulnerable children to register. Find out more at: remains unclear beyond the March Mel Jones www.history.org.uk/quality-mark re-opening target recently suggested HA Education Manager
Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association 5 HA Update CPD, projects competitions and resources
elcome to your latest primary HA Update. Here you can find details of the CPD, competitions Wand resources that the HA has coming up. Chartered Teacher of History Member resources The HA is here to support you at every stage Schemes of work of your career. If you are a teacher with at As a member, you gain access to a number of resources including our least four years of experience, looking for schemes of work which continue to grow. Coming later this year will be recognition as an individual and that you a scheme of work exploring sporting heritage. We regularly review and have continued to develop your knowledge, update our existing schemes of work, but if you do find broken links, expertise and teaching of primary history, the please let us know by contacting: [email protected] HA Chartered Teacher of History programme may be for you. You can find out more here: New ‘Ask an expert’ sessions www.history.org.uk/primary/categories/CTHist This summer term, we’ll also be launching our new ‘ask an expert’ opportunity for all members. This will be a termly webinar meeting CPD update session run by members of our primary committee and provides an As members will understand, we have opportunity for members to discuss articles from Primary History and to moved all our CPD provision online until ask for support, guidance or seek clarification on aspects of their history at least summer 2021. We look forward to teaching, leadership or curriculum, in a safe informal environment. events in person when it is safe to do so and It will also provide an opportunity for members to get to know our we will of course keep you updated about primary committee as well as one another. Look out for further details any developments. In the meantime we’ve over the next few months. expanded our online CPD offering, including a free corporate recording offer for corporate Subject leader’s area members. For further details view our termly Last year we launched our subject leader area for corporate members, CPD calendar on page 11 or online at: full of handy practical guides to various elements of subject leadership www.history.org.uk/primary/categories/cpd such as the recently published guide to resourcing history. Look out for further guides coming this year. Write Your Own Historical New Corporate webinar recording offer Fiction competition We are pleased to launch our latest corporate resource. In addition Our historical fiction competition has gone from to the range of free webinars we already offer to members, strength to strength each year. We are always so corporate member schools will have access to one full price webinar impressed by the number and standard of entries recording of their choice per year, giving a saving of up to £50 per we receive, around a wide range of historical year. In a world where budgets are tight and access to subject CPD periods and settings. This year’s competition can be difficult, we hope that corporate members will find this a is open once again to pupils in Years 5–6 and valuable resource. we will continue allowing entries to be sent by individuals from home. However, we also understand that some teachers may be setting this as a remote learning activity for whole Quality Mark classes. Find out more at: In light of the new Covid restrictions, it has sadly become necessary www.history.org.uk/go/HistoricalFiction2021 to again suspend the Quality Mark. The situation will be reviewed at the end of March. However, it is still possible to register for the Get in touch Quality Mark and gain access to the materials to start the process. As always we’d love to hear if there are any Any schools who register during the period of suspension will gain specific resources or support that might access to QM documentation but the 12-month assessment period help you further during this challenging will not begin until QM resumes. Find out more at: period and beyond. Get in touch with us on: www.history.org.uk/primary/categories/quality-mark [email protected]
6 Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association Online courses and webinar series New Diversity in the primary history curriculum We’re pleased to offer this new series of webinars aimed specifically at teachers and trainees working in primary schools. It will consider the following questions: What is diversity? Why is it so important in developing children understanding of the past? Why has it proved to be so controversial and how can we respond to this? Each webinar in this series will explore key themes and will suggest practical strategies for weaving different aspects of diversity into your curriculum. This series is heavily subsidised in order to make it as affordable as possible to participate, at only £10 per webinar for members and further discounts for bulk bookings. Up and coming webinars in this series include: 1. Teaching migration histories at Key Stage 2 (Thursday 25 February 2021). 2. Were all Victorian childhoods the same? Bringing socio-economic history into the primary classroom (Thursday 11 March 2021). 3. Women in the primary history curriculum (Wednesday 17 March 2021). 4. Teaching for ethnic, cultural and religious diversity in the primary history curriculum: an overview (Wednesday 21 April 2021).
Find out more and book now at: www.history.org.uk/go/primary-diversity-series Corporate members can access a free recording from this series with our new offer – see Page 6 for more details.
Coming soon Online courses After the success of our trial of online versions of our full-day courses, this term Boosting subject we are continuing to offer these courses over two afternoons on Zoom: knowledge at Key An introduction to mastering examples will be taken from the UK’s Stage 1 primary history Little Ice Age, Egypt and the Nile, the Monday 8 March 1.30–4pm and Viking world, the Maya (past and Following the success of this Thursday 16 March 1.30–4pm present) and Stone Age to Iron Age. The series at Key Stage 2, this new This course for early-career course will also include an opportunity series aims to develop primary primary teachers will develop your to review resourcing and support. teachers’ subject knowledge understanding of effective history at Key Stage 1 covering all teaching. The course has a strong The new Ofsted framework: topic areas on the National practical focus with approaches based Supporting quality history and Curriculum. on recent research and a regard geography (in partnership with the to national initiatives including the Geographical Association) Each practical, enquiry-led new Ofsted education inspection Thursday 25 March 9am–4pm webinar will survey the subject framework. Every delegate will come The Geographical Association and knowledge for successful away with a range of ideas that can Historical Association are pleased to teaching of particular curriculum be implemented easily and to have an be working together to offer a one- topic areas, giving teachers of impact in every history curriculum. day course supporting primary subject primary history more confidence leaders in reviewing the quality of their in teaching relevant content Geography and history curricula in light of the new Ofsted to enable progression, in line – Together stronger, but separate...? framework. The course will begin with the expectations of the Friday 19 March 2–5pm by giving some background into the Ofsted framework. It will also Run in conjunction with the Royal development of the framework and suggest how the content could Geographical Society, this participatory provide evidence from primary history be organised into a coherent course will support you in planning and geography subject leads who medium-term plan featuring primary history and geography in ways have been through the inspection rigorous enquiry questions that strengthen links between the process. Delegates will then discuss the focused on a variety of subject- subjects and amplify learning. Taking characteristics of a quality history and specific concepts such as cause examples of enquiry-led topics from geography curriculum and share and and consequence, and change both Key Stages 1 and 2, from the UK be given practical examples. They will and continuity. Links to useful and the wider world, it will be a chance then have the opportunity and tools resources will be provided with to enhance your subject knowledge to reflect on the quality of their own suggestions for possible learning and explore the potential of meaningful curriculum and to consider next steps activities. cross-subject planning. Practical for developing this further. www.history.org.uk/go/webinars-primary for details of all our courses and webinars
Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association 7 The revised EYFS Framework – exploring ‘Past and Present’
Helen Crawford
What is the new EYFS Figure 1: Extracts from Development Matters (relating to ‘Past and Present’) Copyright Development Matters (2020) framework? A new Early Years Foundation Stage Children in Reception Examples of how to support this: framework will become statutory will be learning to: from September 2021. Around Talk about members of During dedicated talk time, listen to what children say three thousand primary schools in their immediate family about their family. England are already implementing and community. Share information about your own family, giving this revised framework – these children time to ask questions or make comments. settings have been deemed early Encourage children to share pictures of their family and adopter schools. listen to what they say about the pictures. Using examples from real life and from books, show The actual curriculum for EYFS children how there are many different families. is not changing. There will still be seven areas of learning and development, categorised as either Name and describe Talk about people that the children may have come prime or specific. The three prime people who are familiar across within their community, such as the police, the areas will remain as Personal, to them. fire service, doctors and teachers. social and emotional development, Listen to what children say about their own experiences Communication, language and with people who are familiar to them. literacy and Physical development. The four specific areas will remain as Mathematics, Literacy, Expressive Comment on images Present children with pictures, stories, artefacts and arts and design and Understanding of familiar situations in accounts from the past, explaining similarities and the past. differences. the world. Schools will still have the freedom to design and shape Offer hands-on experiences that deepen children’s understanding, such as visiting a local area that has teaching and learning in the early historical importance. years in the best way that suits their Show images of familiar situations in the past, such as individual setting and the children homes, schools, and transport. they support. Look for opportunities to observe children talking about experiences that are familiar to them and how these So, what exactly is may have differed in the past. changing? Offer opportunities for children to begin to organise The Early Learning Goals (ELGs) events using basic chronology, recognising that things – the knowledge, skills and happened before they were born. understanding children should have at the end of their Reception year – have changed within each area of Compare and contrast Frequently share texts, images, and tell oral stories that learning. These new Early Learning characters from stories, help children begin to develop an understanding of the including figures from past and present. Goals are more closely aligned with the past. distinct subject disciplines. Within Feature fictional and non-fictional characters from a range of cultures and times in storytelling, listen to Understanding the world, there is a what children say about them. new ELG entitled ‘Past and Present’. Reception teachers will need to Draw out common themes from stories, such as bravery, difficult choices and kindness, and talk about make a ‘best fit’ judgement about children’s experiences with these themes. children’s ability in relation to the In addition to storytelling, introduce characters, new ELG criteria (see page 15). including those from the past, using songs, poems, puppets, role play and other storytelling methods.
8 Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association Early Years
Early Learning Goal for Figure 2: ‘Past and Present’ Theme Examples of picture books
• Talk about the lives of the Families Grandma’s Bill by Martin Waddell (Orchard Books, 1991) people around them and their roles in society. My Great Grandpa by Martin Waddell (Walker Books, 2001) • Know some similarities and My Two Grannies by Floella Benjamin (Frances Lincoln, 2009) differences between things in the past and now, drawing on Coming to England by Floella Benjamin (Macmillan, 2020) their experiences and what has been read in class. • Understand the past through Babies Peepo by Janet and Allan Ahlberg (Puffin, 2011) settings, characters and events and The Growing Story by Ruth Krauss and Helen Oxenbury encountered in books read in childhood (Harper Collins, 2016) class and storytelling. Once There Were Giants by Martin Waddell (Walker Books, 2001) The non-statutory guidance document ‘Development Matters’ provides us with some examples Houses A House That Once Was by Julie Fogliano / Lane Smith of how we can support children’s and (Two Hoots, 2018) learning to meet this revised Early homes Peepo by Janet and Allan Ahlberg (Puffin, 2011) Learning Goal (see Figure 1). Our House by Emma Rogers and Paul Rogers (Candlewick, 1993) Using stories and books The revised EYFS framework emphasises the importance of Toys and The Toymaker by Martin Waddell (Walker Books, 1993) using a range of books to develop games children’s understanding of the Too Many toys! By Heidi Deedman (Walker Books, 2015) past. When sharing texts with Lost in the Toy Museum: an adventure by David Lucas historical settings, it is a good idea (Walker Books, 2011) to make explicit to children whether the story relates to fictional Dogger by Shirley Hughes (Random House, 1979) characters or whether it refers to a Brown Paper Bear by Catherine Allison (Macmillan, 2005) real historical figure. This can avoid potential misconceptions and is also an effective way to introduce Using picture books to explore the past and the present children to the key concept of significance, by exploring why some people from the past should be remembered.
See Figure 2 for suggestions of picture books that align with typical EYFS topics or themes.
How can we make links to Key Stage 1 history? Essential to whole-school planning is ensuring curriculum coherence from EYFS to Key Stage 1 and beyond. Although the topics or historical periods you study with children will necessarily be different within each key stage, the core concepts you cover will be consistent. This means asking children to identify similarities and differences and make connections between the past and present. It MBI / Alamy Stock Photo
Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association 9 means focusing on both change remembering that the Early Historical Association (2020) and continuity. And it means giving Learning Goals – whether existing Exploring Historical Fiction: children opportunities to develop or revised – do not constitute the Primary History Summer Resource their understanding of chronology, curriculum. Fundamental to good 2020 – This resource contains a by identifying changes in their own practice in EYFS is the provision of a comprehensive list of recommended lives and using simple language holistic curriculum, centred on the picture books. that relates to the passing of time. development of the whole child. Crawford, H. (2017) Learning about This can be best achieved by a the past through a study of house Equally, we need to give children continued focus on active learning, and homes, Primary History 76 the opportunity to understand playing and exploring, and creating that we can learn about the past and thinking critically. Crawford, H. (2017) Learning about in lots of different ways. The new the past through the theme of people exemplification for Understanding Further reading who help us, Primary History 77 the World emphasises the DfE (2020) Development Matters Kirkland, S. (2017) Learning about importance of giving children a Non-statutory curriculum guidance the past through ‘Ourselves and our ‘range of personal experiences’ – for the early years foundation stage families’, Primary History 75 from visiting museums or sites of (September, 2020) Development historical interest to engaging with Matters – non-statuatory curriculum Temple, S. (2018) Castles: their local community. Oral history, guidance for EYFS (publishing. distinguishing fact and fiction in investigating artefacts, looking service.gov.uk) the Early Years Curriculum, Primary closely at images or exploring History 80 DfE (2020) Statutory framework for buildings will give children an early the early years foundation stage: early foundation into how historians Helen Crawford is Senior adopter version July 2020 https:// use different sources of evidence Lecturer in Primary Education at assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ to construct and frame their the University of Northampton government/uploads/system/uploads/ interpretations of the past. and a member of the Historical attachment_data/file/896810/EYFS_ Finally, it is always worth Association Primary Committee. Early_Adopter_Framework.pdf History in the news
Eating out in ancient Pompeii of the Royal Navy (NMRN) in Portsmouth raised the Archaeologists excavate an entire thermopolium or hot money in eight weeks. It is now seeking further funds food and wine bar in Pompeii. The frescos give some to put the maps on display for the first time. These idea of how it was decorated and various elements can be found digitally and make a wonderful visual of the fast food bar can be seen. It is highly likely that timeline to explore the battle. there would have been similar stations in large British www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england- cities during the Roman period. Read more here: hampshire-55812565 www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/27/city-fast- food-bar-unearthed-in-pompeii-after-2000-years Something to look out for – significant individuals or Anglo-Saxons? Statue of mysterious woman with ‘Star The story of the find is almost as interesting as the Wars’-like headdress found in Mexico treasures they discovered. A new Netflix film tells the Statue of an elite woman wearing high-status clothes story of the discovery at Sutton Hoo. and jewellery, with tasselled earings and a complicated www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-55652661 elaborate headdress. She also has a thick necklace with a round ‘oyohualli’ pendant. The statue has links to Colchester: ‘Incredible’ gem ‘possibly worn Aztec and Maya civilisations. by high-ranking Briton’ www.livescience.com/statue-woman-headdress- Rare intaglio ring with a naked figure of Mars has mexico.html been re-designated as Iron Age rather than Roman. It is thought that the ring may have been brought Spanish Armada maps saved for the nation by a merchant or someone visiting Britain before the Hand-drawn, Elizabethan-era maps depicting the Claudian invasion. It could also have been a family Spanish Armada have been saved for the nation after heirloom that arrived on the finger of an invading £600,000 was raised to buy them. The ten maps, Roman soldier. believed to have been drawn the year after the famous www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-55662415 battle of 1588, were sold to an overseas buyer in July www.colchester.gov.uk/info/cbc-article/?catid=latest- but an export ban was imposed. The National Museum news&id=KA-03539
10 Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association New Year primary CPD webinar calendar February to March 2021 Here is your at-a-glance CPD calendar for the rest of this term February 2021 Date Title Focus Release type Wednesday 24 Bringing refugee history into the classroom* Subject February knowledge
Thursday Diversity in the primary history curriculum: Pedagogy 25 February Teaching migration histories at Key Stage 2**
Throughout What’s the wisdom on: Historical significance# Pedagogy Pre-recorded the month
Throughout Using sources and historical interpretations in Pedagogy Pre-recorded the month primary history#
March 2021 Date Title Focus Release type
Tuesday 2 March Primary history and geography teachmeet Pedagogy 7.00pm–8.30pm (with the Royal Geographical Society with IBG)
Monday 8 March An introduction to mastering primary history (Part 1) Pedagogy 1.30–4.00pm
Wednesday Local history: approaches to the national narrative Subject
10 March from the local viewpoint* knowledge
Thursday Diversity in the primary history curriculum: Were Pedagogy 11 March all Victorian childhoods the same? Bringing socio- economic history into the primary classroom**
Tuesday 16 March An introduction to mastering primary history (Part 2) Pedagogy 1.30–4.00pm
Wednesday Diversity in the primary history curriculum: Pedagogy
17 March Women in the primary history curriculum**
Friday 19 March Geography and history – Together stronger, Pedagogy 2.00–5.00pm but separate...? (with the Royal Geographical Society with IBG)
Thursday 25 March The new Ofsted framework: supporting quality Pedagogy 9.00am–4.00pm history and geography (with the Geographical Association)
Throughout Enquiry building in primary history# Pedagogy Pre-recorded the month
Key Bookings now live for all *Webinars marked with an asterisk are free to HA members but must be booked in the courses. For full details advance. These events are live webinars. and to book any of these All live webinars are 4–5pm unless otherwise stated. # Pre-recorded – these webinars are available to view throughout the month at a time webinars visit: and place that is convenient to you. www.history.org.uk/go/ ** Webinars marked with a double asterisk are available for HA corporate members to book a free recording but must be booked in advance using your offer code. webinars-primary How did a volcano affect life in the Bronze Age?
Alf Wilkinson
Mesolithic Neolithic Bronze Age Iron Age 8000 BCE 6000 BCE 4000 BCE 2000 BCE 0
Hekla erupts
Life in the Bronze Age Most people in the Bronze Age were farmers, although many hunted and fished to supplement their food. Houses were very similar to those from the Stone Age, made from timber or wattle and daub, with a thatched roof. The main difference, of course, was the use of bronze for tools and weapons. Bronze axes were superior to stone axes, so it was easier to clear timber for fields and for building. The population was increasing, and we find more examples of decorated items, showing people were getting wealthier. Many settlements had several grain storage pits, where seed grain for next year as well as surplus grain could be stored. But for many, life was still a little precarious.
Recent discoveries have greatly altered our view of life Scientists have found volcanic ash in ice cores in in the Bronze Age. Must Farm, for example, was built Greenland, as well as in peat bogs in Ireland and in the Cambridgeshire Fens around 1000 BCE. Scotland. Ash would have rained down over a huge [You can find out more about Must Farm in PH 82.] area, obscuring the sun for weeks and increasing the amount of rainfall. Tree-ring evidence suggests it was Disaster! much colder in Ireland for nearly 20 years! Trees are Sometime around 1159 BCE [no-one is quite sure sensitive to local climate conditions, such as rain and when] Hekla, a volcano in Iceland [a country no-one temperature. They give scientists some information yet knew existed] erupted, throwing millions of tons about that area’s local climate in the past. For example, of volcanic ash and dust into the atmosphere. Hekla tree rings usually grow wider in warm, wet years and is one of the largest volcanoes in Iceland and has they are thinner in years when it is cold and dry. Tree erupted over 30 times that we know of. It gives little growth was stunted as far away as Turkey. warning of an eruption – activity appears only 30–90 minutes before an eruption. Medieval people called it Impact of the eruption in the Gateway to Hell! Volcanic ash covered the whole Scotland of Iceland to a depth of several inches. In the far north of Scotland, around Caithness, archaeologists have discovered over 2,000 abandoned There are over 130 active and inactive volcanoes in huts. They appear to have been abandoned around Iceland. Iceland sits on the mid-Atlantic ridge, where the year 1150 BCE. Why did people leave their homes two tectonic plates are moving apart. This allows and farmland? Could it be because the volcanic magma to move up from the earth’s mantle and, from eruption made life just too difficult? We worry about time to time when pressure builds up, to erupt. climate change today – the rise in sea level and
12 Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association Key Stage 2
A modern view of what the settlement at Must Farm may have looked like
Hekla is 1,491m high Continuity and change We are used to viewing history as a story of improvement – better homes, better tools and weapons, more food and increasing wealth. There is no doubt that the population of Britain was increasing during the Bronze Age. But then, around 1150 BCE, something happened and it seems that the population fell, fewer people were farmers, archaeological evidence disappears altogether from some areas. It might just be that we haven’t found the evidence yet, but I like to think that a volcano in Iceland might have something to do with it. What do you think?
Alf Wilkinson taught history for many increasing drought because of a temperature rise – years and is now retired. over 100+ years – of 1.5 degrees. What must it be like if suddenly, the temperature drops by 7 or 8 degrees, the sun is obscured for weeks, ash falls out of the sky, Resources and it rains more? How do you farm in that situation? What happens to your crops? And if this temperature change lasted for 18 years – as the Irish tree-ring Finding out more about the Bronze Age: evidence suggests – how do you survive? You might PH 66: Stone Age to Iron Age – overview and depth have grain for a year or two, but not for nearly 20 years. PH 71: Who’s afraid of the big bad Bronze Age? Impact of the eruption in PH 82: What was so special about copper and tin? England Collins Primary History: Stone Age to Iron Age In England there is evidence of fields being made National Geographic Kids: Stone Age to Iron Age bigger, suggesting a change from arable farming to Barry Cunliffe: Britain Begins [for adults] keeping animals [pastoral farming]. Probably it became too difficult to grow crops and easier to rear animals. Kathleen Fidler: The Boy with the Bronze Axe [fiction for Some more difficult to farm areas seem to have been young people] abandoned. For example Dartmoor was very heavily populated and farmed in the Bronze Age, until around 1200 BCE. After that there is very little evidence of settlement until the Iron Age. Why were all these farms and settlements abandoned? Similarly in northern Places to visit England and southern Scotland, from the River Tees up towards Edinburgh, land and homes disappear from the archaeological record. Some archaeologists Grimspound, Devon suggest Bronze Age people moved to live near rivers Flag Fen, Cambridgeshire or on islands in rivers – places just like Must Farm! They suggest it might have taken 200 years for the Great Orme Mines, Llandudno population of Bronze Age Britain to recover from the eruption of Mount Hekla.
Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association 13 Exploring the spices of the east: how curry got to our table
Karin Doull
Every migrant to our shores brings with them the the East Indies, otherwise known as the East India flavours and dishes of home, every trader searches Company. This was granted a charter by Elizabeth I in for exotic and exciting new taste sensations. Britain’s 1600. It was set up to capitalise on trade with India, culinary history has been shaped by migration, trade China and the spice islands of Indonesia. While trade and empire. by ship was long and inherently hazardous it was far more lucrative than using overland groups. A single Subject knowledge and ship-load of peppers could make the consortium a information fortune, literally. Captain James Lancaster brought back the first consignment, a cargo of 500 tons How curry, exploration and empire of pepper. He was duly knighted by James I. Sadly, building are linked however James had just brought a year’s supply from At the end of the Tudor period developments in the Dutch! navigation and ship building led the merchants of England to begin to explore and develop trade routes Spices were used in Britain from the Roman period by sea. They were following in the footsteps of and were important sources of flavourings. Most came the Portuguese and the Dutch. Different groups of across the long, extended land routes across Asia and merchants set up consortiums to finance exploration the Middle East. It wasn’t until more extensive trade and spread possible losses. This was the time of the developed with the Far East that the terms ‘currie merchant traders. There were a number of companies, and pilaw’ made it into recipe books. As England’s the names of which show how trade was developing involvement in that area grew, new foods or cooking across the world. The first such group was the styles began to be seen. Company of Merchant Adventurers to New Lands, granted a charter by Mary Tudor in 1551. This became Early pioneers in making curries the Muscovy Company, trading with Russia. Other The Forme of Cury is a cookery roll that dates from companies were the Hudson Bay Company – Canada the 1390s. The word ‘cury’ here comes from Middle (1668), Company of Royal Adventurers Trading into English and means cookery. It includes reference to Africa – West African Coast (1670), the Virginia spices and rice that could only have come from the Company of London – North America (1606). east. These include cubebs (tailed pepper) from Java, The largest company of all was the Governor and galyngal (ginger-type root) from Thailand and grains of Company of Merchants of London Trading into paradice (cardamon) from Indonesia or India.
Timeline 1390s 1732 1745 1773 1810 1920s 1960s/1970s Spices and Pilau, First recipe Mrs Norris’s First curry Beginnings Immigration rice curry curry curry in restaurant of Indian creates powder, Hannah restaurant run by Indian, restaurants: new ‘curry pickles, Glasse and Sake Dean Shafi and houses’ run by recipes of delivered Mahomed Veeraswamy, predominantly Sarah Tully both in London Bangladeshi chefs
14 Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association Key Stage 1
In 1732 Sarah Tully married Richard Hoare, Lord Mayor opened its doors for the first time in 1926 and is still of London and banker. At the same time, she started a trading successfully today. In 1960s immigration recipe book. Hoare’s bank was involved with the East from India and Pakistan led to a growth of Indian India Company and Sarah’s recipe book reflects this restaurants as curry became a favourite across the link to the east. She has a recipe for ‘A pilau after the nation. Chicken Tikka Masala and Balti dishes are east India manner’ and uses curry powder and pickles. dishes that were adapted specifically for the British Interestingly Sarah knew how to write pilau correctly, market. thus demonstrating a direct link to India. Our next author used phonetic spelling for her dishes. Activities
The earliest printed recipe for curry that we have in the Investigating curry spices cookery book of Hannah Glasse. The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy was printed in 1747 and became a best seller. Hannah provides a recipe to ‘make a currey in the Indian way’ as well as ‘pellow (pilau) after the Indian way’.
In 1773 Mistress Norris of Haymarket sold ‘true Indian curry paste’ and delivered dressed curries, rice and Indian pilaw to personal homes.
The first Indian restaurant run by an Indian was the Hindoostane Coffee House in London. It was opened 1. Buy samples of spices, both ground and in seed by Sake Dean Mahomed providing a superior dining form, and allow the children to feel and smell them room and luxury smoking club. Visitors could dine (checking for allergies beforehand). on pinapple pillaoo for one pound sixteen shillings What do they make them think of? Are there any or lobster currey for 12 shillings. Sake and his wife that they recognise? Can they name any? Can they also undertook to deliver meals to people’s houses. match ground and non-ground spices? Which parts Sadly, many of those enjoying curry already had their of the plant are being used (berries, bark, seed, own servants to prepare it so the Hindoostane Coffee root)? Which do they like or not like and why is house only lasted two years. Sake however capitalised that? Add labels to the pots of spices. on his Indian heritage by moving to Brighton and creating a prestigious steam vapour bath experience including aromatic steams and ‘champi’ (shampoo) massages. Name Place Finding the spices He became the shampooing surgeon to George IV and Cardamon India Cardamon harvesting William IV. www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbwgur2fogA
Victoria was most intrigued Ginger India, Indonesia, China Ginger and sweet making in Indonesia by Indian culture and had https://eu.gingerpeople.com/sources/ a number of members of deposed Indian royalty living at Black pepper India Black pepper production court such as Maharaja Duleep www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMbhgxYlDUQ Singh and Princess Gouramma of Coorg. She had an Indian Mace and Moluccas The nutmeg tree dining room built at Osborne nutmeg (Spice Islands – Indonesia) www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX_cI2vphoE palace by Indian craftsmen and learnt Hindustani (Urdu) Cloves Moluccas Harvesting cloves from her ‘Munchi’. Abdul (Spice Islands – Indonesia) www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXrOlWsYSec Karim came as a waiter for her Golden Jubilee but became Cumin India, China Cumin in India her secretary and confidant. www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HmkEpGU3l4 Curry was regularly served for Victoria. Turmeric India Digging out a turmeric root www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ-LGVy0pmc 1920s saw the growth of Indian restaurants after the British Cinnamon Sri Lanka Cinnamon quill production Empire Exhibition of 1924. www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPCsk_fN1S4 Veeraswamy’s in Piccadilly
Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association 15 Red: spice route by land Green: Spice route by sea Blue: silk road
2. Split your class into eight groups, one per spice. they would if they were fresh? Why do they think Each group watches a video about harvesting their people were bothering to bring them all this way? spice. They need to present the information about this to the rest of the class. They can do this as role This map allows children to see the sea routes to and play or through a presentation using illustrations from Britain and the duration of voyages (click on the and text. They must tell the class what part of video of the fourth map). the plant is harvested and how this is done. They www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/apr/13/ should also include whether the plant has to be shipping-routes-history-map processed in some way once it is harvested e.g. dried, cut, etc. Finding the people 3. Further challenge – research the uses of this spice, both culinary and medicinal.
Where do the spices come from? Explain that many of these come from an area we used to call the far east. Now they arrive by plane or as sea freight on supertankers. When they first came to this country they came overland on the silk and spice trail. Then sailing ships brought them. The journey there and back could take up to a year although it got faster as ships got better. 1. Show the children images of Sarah Tully and 1. Place the spices on the places they originated from. Hannah Glasse and ask them to suggest adjectives What do children notice about where these spices to describe each of the women. What is the same come from? and what is different? At the time these recipes 2. With a large map (try to get a floor one if possible) were written, India was part of the British Empire trace the land route with models or pictures of and lots of British people lived in and travelled horses and camels and the seventeenth-century backwards and forwards from India. Sarah married sea route with a sailing ship. Are these spices from a rich man with a large household and began near or far away? Do they think it was easy or to keep a personal recipe book. Hannah was a hard to get the spices from Asia to Britain? What working woman. She published her book, The Art effect do they think this had on the cost of the of Cookery Made Plain and Simple, for women and spices (expensive)? Do they think the spices would their servants in smaller households. Hannah gives be as good after travel for six months to a year as us the first recipe for a curry. Add adjectives to the
16 Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association Sake Dean Mahomed pictures and in speech bubbles get each to explain why they are writing down their recipes.
2. Talk to the children about recipes and what they are. Show a copy of Hannah’s curry recipe.
How is this different to more modern recipes? It does not contain many weights as measurement, for example. I am sure that not many of today’s kitchens use a clean shovel when cooking either. (What looks like an f is an s!)
3. Ask the children if they have any favourite or family recipes. Create a class recipe book with family or personal recipes; illustrate and include photos. If your school is in an area where there is not a lot of home cooking send children to gather information from staff.
4. Perhaps ask a parent to come in and make a curry with the children or ask the school cook if curry can be on the menu one week.
Hannah’s book can be found online here https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1646026W/The_ art_of_cookery_made_plain_and_easy Sarah’s recipe can be found here https://recipes.hypotheses.org/tag/sarah-tully
Where can we go out to eat curry? Sake Dean Mohamed opened the first Indian restaurant run by an Indian although he called it a coffee house. This was a place for men to meet up and have a meal and a drink. He also included a smoking room. He wanted to make it look exotic and different.
A contemporary described it thus: A room was set up for smoking from hookahs with oriental herbs. The rooms were …furnished with chairs and sofas made of bamboo canes … views in India, oriental sports and groups of natives decorated the walls. (The Epicure’s Almanack Ralph Rylance Why do you think the City of Westminster put up this https://londonist.com/2016/06/the-story-of-london-s- plaque? What made this place significant? first-indian-restaurant)
Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association 17 Veeraswamy from respectively the 1920s, 1950s and 2005 onwards
The Veeraswamy restaurant was started about 100 years after Sake Dean Mohamed’s restaurant. It was Key vocabulary very successful and is still going. Pilau, curry, kebab, chutney, naan, chapati English words from Indian Here are some images of the interiors over time. • kedgeree from khichdi or khichri India became independent in 1947 and the colours of the Indian flag are green, white and orange. That • piccalilli from Paco-Lilla (Hannah Glasse) Indian might explain the furniture in the 1950s décor. Point pickle out examples of Indian architectural features or • mulligatawny soup from the Tamil milagay decorations in the first two images. (chilli) or milagu (pepper) tanni (water)
1. What impression do these images give the children? Have the children visited a restaurant Books to read alongside with waiter service? Did they enjoy it? What did they like or not like about it? What do they think Seasons of Splendour the owners of the restaurants were trying to do by Madhur Jaffrey with their decoration?
2. Arrange a visit to a local Indian restaurant, A Single Pebble, a story preferably one that has been there for some of the Silk Road by timee. Use this to gather some oral history. Ask the Bonnie Christianson children to interview the owners. How long has (I like to read this with the restaurant been opened? Who is the owner? little artefacts linked to Are they the original owner? Who started the the story that I add to a restaurant and where did they come from? Where box as we go along) do the chefs come from? How has the restaurant changed? Why did they start the restaurant?
3. Take photos of the restaurant, chefs and waiters. Use these to create a voiceover slide show (try Shadow Puppet app) or make a film of the visit.
4. Create a poster advertising the restaurant using some of the extravagant language from Sake Dean Mohamed’s advertisement. (‘Indian dishes of the highest perfection. Allowed by the greatest Conclusion epicures to be unequalled to any curries ever made The history of the food we eat and what it tells us in England.’) about ourselves and our relationships with others is fascinating not least because we have the prospect of Hannah Glasse and Sake Dean Mohamed both had trying out our investigations. I have used an Anglo- google doodles made for them. Edward Palmer was Saxon recipe for bannock-type griddle cake and a a trader of chutneys and spices with an English father Stuart one from the time of the Great Fire of London and Indian mother and the founder of the Veeraswamy for small cakes. They certainly add another perspective restaurant. Can the class create a google doodle for to history lessons. This enquiry has shown us how him or Sarah Tully? closely intertwined we have been with India, its cuisine and its culture, for a long time – so investigate, eat, You can find the images in the google doodle enjoy. archive here – Hannah: www.google.com/ doodles?q=hannah%20glasses Karin Doull is a principal lecturer at the Sake Dean Mohamed: www.google.com/ University of Roehampton and a member doodles?q=sake%20dean%20mahomed of the HA Primary Committee.
18 Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association Key Stage 2 Ancient Sumer: the cradle of civilisation
Susie Townsend
In 1936 the next eagerly awaited Archaeology was at the height Agatha Christie novel had just of its popularity with the general been published and readers were public and the finding of transported to a region that, from Tutankhamun in 1923 had had a 1922 had been named Iraq, but major effect on everything from art through history had been part of and buildings to dances and song. Mesopotamia. The plot focuses Around the world digs were taking on an archaeological dig that place and amazing discoveries was taking place there, the victim were being made; many of these is the rather tyrannical wife of digs were centred in the Middle the archaeologist and the thriller East, exploring the area known as plays out against the background Mesopotamia and which is now of precious discoveries being Iraq, Syria, Kuwait and Turkey. smuggled out of the country. The story is exciting with many twists Mesopotamia and turns in terms of the plot but rediscovered the real people, places and events Mesopotamia, means the ‘land which inspired it are even more between two rivers’ in this case the fascinating. Secret messages, Rivers Tigris and Euphrates and the mass graves, riches beyond belief, name sums up the essence of the scandal and robbery; it was no region and the reason why this area wonder that the discoveries at Ur rediscovering lost worlds which is seen as the ‘cradle of civilisation’. equalled those of Howard Carter in was a feature of the 1920s and This is the Fertile Crescent and Egypt. 1930s. Our understanding of the it was here that the first known past is a palimpsest of unknown civilisation, Sumer, began around So why begin this article with voices that are present as the 5000 BCE. The rich soil meant Agatha Christie? What has she archaeologist delves down into the that barley could be grown and got to do with a study of ancient layers of history. So why not stop people began to settle in the area. Sumer? A chance meeting with the clock in the 1920s and start the As the need for defence grew, two acquaintances who had just story of Ur through the eyes of the towns joined together to become come back from the area resulted archaeologists who discovered its city states – 12 in all – and the in Agatha taking the Orient Express treasures? first known civilisation began. and arriving in Basra. Once there she became friends with the A ziggurat is a pyramid-shaped Woolleys, Leonard and his wife structure that is stepped. It Katharine, and she witnessed was considered as a place for first-hand the disappointment the gods, and priests would and triumphs of a dig. She also walk up the central staircases. fell in love with the assistant These have been found only in archaeologist, Max Mallowan, Mesopotamia but could have who was to become her second been the inspiration for the husband. Hardly surprising then pyramids of Egypt. Around the that she used these experiences base of the structure would be to write her novel! Through her the houses. This one is thought books, through newspapers from be 2600 BCE and may have been the time and through the diaries what the Tower of Babel in the of Woolley himself, we can get Old Testament was based upon. a real insight into the mania for 1922–34 Archaeological dig at Ur
Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association 19 Sir Charles Leonard Woolley 1880–1960 They fought each other and over the centuries different city Born into a large family, Leonard gained scholarships to go to Oxford where he states dominated. This left them studied theology. His love was archaeology, however, and after working for the vulnerable to attack from outsiders. Ashmolean Museum he began to carry out his own digs, his first major one being Between 5000 BCE and 500 BCE in North Syria at Curchemish in 1912. T.E. Lawrence worked with him on the site at other civilisations waxed and waned, the time and when the First World War began they both were in British Intelligence. of which the most influential were Woolley was on a ship that was blown up at sea and spent the next two years in a the Akkadian Empire, the Assyrians Turkish prisoner-of-war camp. After the war he spent some time in Egypt but his and the Babylonians, and it is greatest discoveries were at Ur from 1922 to 1934 where he uncovered Sumerian fascinating to see their similarities remains that had never been revealed before. He married Katharine Keeling in 1927 and differences and how they built and together they worked on the site. During the Second World War he was again on the ideas of the Sumerians. working for British Intelligence and became the chief archaeological adviser to help These later civilisations continued to prevent looting and damage to buildings. be known about but the Sumerian Mallowan, Agatha Christie and Woolley T.E. Lawrence and Woolley culture, their early settlements and even their name were forgotten over time until archaeological digs in the nineteenth century began to reveal their lost identity. In 1853 the Ur Ziggurat was discovered by John George Taylor and Sumerian artefacts were uncovered but then interest switched to the north of Mesopotamia and the city of Nineveh.
Katharine Woolley (née Menke) It was not until 1922 that Leonard Gertrude Bell described her as ‘dangerous’ Woolley stepped into the limelight and Agatha Christie viewed her as ‘an and began to excavate around extraordinary character’. Mallowan was the ziggurat and found mass clear that ‘she had the power to enchant graves with many bodies, but the …[or] create a poisonous atmosphere’. So big discovery came in late 1927 who was this woman? when they uncovered 16 royal tombs. The riches that were Katharine was born in Germany but came discovered there were so great that to England to study in Oxford. She did not Woolley sent his telegram to the complete her degree due to ill-health and Katharine on site at Ur British Museum and University of instead became a British military nurse during World Pennsylvania in Latin so that news War I, hiding her German background. She married of the find did not leak out. Lieutenant Colonel Bertram Keeling in 1919 and they travelled to Egypt with his work. It is unclear what In order to make sure that there happened next but a doctor visited Katharine who had was no damage or theft he, been unwell and spoke to her husband who then went Katharine and one other assistant to the pyramids of Giza and shot himself. No one painstakingly uncovered every find. knows the reason behind his suicide. What they discovered was amazing, as can be seen from the artefacts Katharine returned to nursing in Baghdad and by 1925 below. was working on the dig at Ur as an assistant. She was very skilled at drawing and reconstruction of artefacts, The highlight was the tomb of such as Queen Pu-Abi’s headdress, and was responsible Her reconstruction of Pu-Abi’s headdress Queen Pu-Abi which consisted of for getting sponsorship which she managed very an outer death pit, where there successfully. She was a key member of the team and an excellent archaeologist were the bodies of handmaids and in her own right. But she was a woman on her own with four men on the camp, attendants, and then the inner however, and this was seen as scandalous. Sponsors threatened to withdraw chamber with the body of Pu-Abi and the director of Pennsylvania Museum told Woolley she should leave. Instead on a wooden platform. She was Woolley married her in 1927 despite her stipulation that the marriage should never wearing jewellery that weighed be consummated. She went on to write a book about a woman who dressed as over 6 kilos, made of gold, lapis a man in order to become an archaeologist. Many questions surrounded her life, lazuli, carnelian and other precious and gossip about her sexuality and gender detracted from her real achievements in and semi-precious stones. And archaeology and the obstacles from society and ill health that she had to overcome. we know her name because of She died in 1945 of multiple sclerosis. the canister beside her with name
20 Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association inscribed on it in cuneiform script. Standard of Ur Thousands of cuneiform tablets were discovered on the site which give a real insight into the lives of the powerful and of the ordinary people .
In the corner of one of the largest tombs was what is now known as the Standard of Ur. There is a hole through it and Woolley’s theory was that this would have been carried on a pole as a standard but there are other theories such as that it was a sound box. When this object was discovered all that could be seen were mosaics scattered on the floor as the From top left to bottom right: Royal Game of Ur ; figurehead for the queen’s bitumen had disintegrated and lyre found in the tomb of Pu-Abi; cuneiform writing; headdress; queen’s lyre; ram in a thicket; Sumerian warriors; beads from Pu-Abi. some remnants of wood. Finally after extensive reconstruction it was recreated as well as possible and can be seen in the British Museum.
On one side Peace is depicted and the other side War. There are three registers; on the top one the elite in society are shown and then people of lesser importance so that the whole spectrum of society is on show. So much can be learnt about the Sumerian society from this one object: not just what it portrays but what it is made from. Everything that the Standard is made from: the wood, shell, red limestone and lapis lazuli have all been imported from places like Afghanistan and India. As with the other artefacts in the tombs this shows how far the Sumerians could trade and how much wealth those in power must have had to afford such luxuries.
Finally, as well as artefacts, canisters with cuneiform writing and buildings, the Woolleys discovered skeletons – lots of them. It was clear from the way they were laid out and adorned with beads and headbands that they were sacrifices. Woolley’s theory was that they were poisoned and then positioned in a religious ceremony. This has been disputed as some have had injuries to their heads but for such large numbers poisoning cannot be ruled out.
Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association 21 Picture A Picture B
How might you teach children about early civilisations and Sumer? Picture C Archaeology Children of all ages can gain an understanding of going back in time by considering archaeology. Look at each carefully. You are an archaeologist, either Leonard For younger children you can, for or Katharine. What questions example, get a large fish tank and would you ask? How would you bury items at different levels so explain what you see? As you that they can uncover them using get a new picture do you change trowels and brushes. Discussions your mind? can include which one was put into the tank first, to links with geology Picture D and the creation of a timeline on the wall with the most recent item at the top down to the oldest object.
At Key Stage 1 children could explore archaeologists as significant individuals – there are a number of great women among them, such as Gertrude Bell and Katharine Look at picture D with a magnifying Woolley but also archaeologists glass. What would you like to see from other countries and other a close-up of? You can request a picture of an artefact that was backgrounds, such as George found in Picture D what will you Smith, from working class choose? Which part of the plan do background, who discovered the’ you think is the most important? The Epic of Gilimesh, the oldest known literature in the world, which had been discovered in Mesopotamia. to reach a consensus about what sport, a boat for transport, a stalk is meant by civilisation and be able of barley to show crops, etc. How to use the criteria that they have can a river lead to the growth of Understanding the decided upon to recognise the a civilisation? If they have already overview – links and reasons why civilisations developed agreed what defines a civilisation connections in these areas. They also need to then they could draw lines from the In Key Stage 2 children are taught decide how to define ‘ancient’ in symbols to the specific criteria. For about ancient civilisations, although this context. example, they might draw a line in reality they are usually taught from the wheat to people settling about one such civilisation and that They need to be able to visualise in one area and then explain why is almost invariably ancient Egypt. the different timelines in one leads to the other. Or you Six ancient civilisations are usually juxtaposition so that they can could give each child a symbol or recognised: Mesopotamia (Sumer, draw inferences and ask questions a criterion and they have to move Assyria and Babylonia) the Indus about this overview. Maps are around and decide who they could Valley, the Shang dynasty in China, also essential so that children can link to. Once they have made one the Olmec in Mesoamerica, and the compare the physical environment link they could go off and see if Andes. Each individual civilisation and location. they could find another symbol has its own identity but it is what or link, so you could end up with links them together that is perhaps Location, location, location. One quite large groups walking around equally significant and it is essential problem-solving activity that you together. When the music stops that children are able to recognise could do with your class is to draw they would have to justify their what the connections are between a massive river on paper on the grouping. A version of ‘I went these communities. Paul Bracey’s floor and get them to think about shopping...’ but entitled ‘To make recent article (The Historian 146, what people could use the river for. a civilisation I would need ….’ is 2020) has focused on this aspect They could then draw symbols on quite a fun way to help them to of the unit and the importance of the river – so a fish and an animal remember some of these ideas and overview. Children need to be able for food, a bow and arrow to show could be used as a plenary.
22 Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association An understanding of the chronology the plans of the site in order for group who have got a picture from of the period is essential. Children children to interpret them and ask the War side of the standard will can create a large timeline on the questions. You could set this up as have a very different view of the floor for each of the six civilisations. if they were Katharine and Leonard Sumerians to another group who Which was the longest? How do Woolley trying to make sense of had a different section. they overlap? What might that lead what they had found so that the to? Which lasted the longest? Was children can develop problem- When they have investigated the there any evidence that they traded solving skills. Some possible items sources and used maps to locate with each other? you could include here have been areas and show trade routes they shown below but there are many can look at secondary sources such At the end of the unit, to assess examples particularly from the as text books to give an overview their understanding children British Museum and the University of what life might have been like could work in groups to design of Pennsylvania as they funded the for the Sumerians. Each group a game – Ancient Civilisations. original digs. could look at a different aspect of The game would be assessed on life – war, daily life, entertainment, substantive subject knowledge, What questions would you ask? religion and technology for example how it shows these links and What do you think it is? What and then be the experts to teach can include knowledge of the conclusions could you draw? the rest of the class. They should specific civilisations that have include at least one artefact that been explored. It would also be Set the scene as a story and you helps provide information about assessed on how clear the rules might end by telling the children their topic. are, presentation and enjoyability. that that was exactly what Agatha The class can rotate around playing Christie did ten years later. When Ancient Sumer is the beginning each game for 15 minutes and the children have worked together of civilisation and yet it is rarely evaluating it on those criteria. They in groups and discussed and taught in school. Do explore it: it is will love this! questioned the sources they can fascinating! come up with some hypotheses Having looked at what is needed about what they think this site Susie Townsend is a Senior for a civilisation to evolve, the is and what they have found Lecturer in History Education at children can then go from the out about its people. These University of Roehampton. big overview and zoom in to look theories can be put up around at maybe two or three of the the classroom and can be referred ancient civilisations in depth and back to as the class start to find assess how they demonstrate out how the Woolleys and later Further reading the attributes of an early civilised archaeologists interpreted the site. society Another way of doing this is to introduce just one or two sources https://trowelblazers.com/katharine-woolley/ Activities to at a time and the children have to Teaching History with 100 objects investigate ancient produce a hypothesis at each stage. www.teachinghistory100.org/ This would mean that they will Sumer www.penn.museum/about-collections/ review and amend their hypothesis There is something so exciting curatorial-sections/babylonian-section about that idea of discovering as new evidence appears, in much Bracey, P (2020) ‘The Emergence of the First something from another time the same way as an historian or Civilisations’, The Historian 146, Historical and space and then interpreting archaeologist reviews the finds. Association that find and, through a study of objects, children are learning how An investigation of one artefact can www.ur-online.org/about/woolleys- to analyse a source of evidence also can start to get them to think excavations/ from the past in the same way as about how they might support The Royal Tombs of Ur they would a written or a visual their views by looking at other www.nationalgeographic.com/history/ source. It helps children to realise objects or sources from that time. magazine/2016/05-06/mesopotamia-ur- that our understanding of history Giving children the Standard of Ur royal-tombs is what people think an artefact to research and question will bring Agatha Christie and Ur www. might tell us and so there can be the ancient Sumerians to life for nationalgeographic.com/history/ many different interpretations of them. You could give small sections magazine/2017/05-06/agatha-christie- history and these can change as of the standard to different groups mesopotamia-archaeology-expeditions/ new evidence is found. for them to create hypotheses or Mesopotamia ask questions about. They could www.britishmuseum.org/collection/galleries/ Your study of Ur could thus begin then put the pieces back together mesopotamia. with no prior knowledge but with as a giant jigsaw and see how it all images of some of the finds and fits together. So, for example, one
Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association 23 Unit timeline
Emperor Emperor Honorius tells Boudicca leads a Constantine stops the Britons they Julius Caesar rebellion against the persecution of need to look attempts to invade the Romans. Christians 313 CE after themselves Britain 55 BCE and 60–61 CE 410 CE 54 BCE
100 BCE 0 100 CE 200 CE 300 CE 400 CE 500 CE 600 CE 700 CE 800 CE 900 CE 1000 CE 1100 CE
Anglo-Saxon Emperor Hadrian’s Wall Antonine Wall mercenaries help Claudius started 122 CE built 142 CE the Britons fight invades off the invading Britain 43 CE Picts, early 400s
These were the words of a Year 3 pupil to her headteacher in reply to a simple question about what ‘I have got she was learning in history. What this pupil was doing was getting ‘a big picture’ of the Romans, Anglo- Saxons and Vikings and for her it was personal as her class teacher’s family were arguing about the relative to stop Mrs merits of each group.
Context Jackson’s This work was done at a first school in Worcestershire, so the Key Stage 2 history curriculum is split between first and middle schools. In Year 3 family the history is based around studying the Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. While these three topics are popular and pupils enjoy them, they cover over a thousand years of history and there is a vast arguing’: amount of content and research which means our understanding of this period is always changing.
The challenge the history co-ordinator faced was how developing a big do we pull these themes and groups together, so that students develop a big picture of this period? picture of the The school uses ideas based on the ‘Mantle of the Expert’ regularly in their work so it seemed natural Romans, Anglo- to the pupils that they should receive a commission to work for ‘a client’. This has the benefit that the pupils see their work has an audience beyond Saxons and Vikings their classroom. The client in this commission was Mr Jackson whose family were arguing over the competing legacies of the Romans, Saxons and Carol Jackson and Darius Jackson Vikings. Though Mr Jackson was technically the client, in practice the pupils were more concerned about Mrs Jackson’s family. The end product of the commission would be to present their findings to Mr Jackson. Here they would also need to justify their conclusions.
24 Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association Key Stage 2
793 CE Vikings start Viking Vikings raiding regularly Harold Godwinson, Sutton Hoo raid on conquer all of from 835 CE the last Saxon king burial between Lindisfarne England apart of England, killed 575 and 625 CE from Wessex at the Battle of 867–877 CE Hastings 1066 CE
100 BCE 0 100 CE 200 CE 300 CE 400 CE 500 CE 600 CE 700 CE 800 CE 900 CE 1000 CE 1100 CE
Staffordshire Alfred leads King Alfred Athelstan King Penda hoard the Wessex reconquers becomes King of probably of Mercia army and London from England divided the English when hidden in died 655 CE. defeats the the Vikings between a he defeats the 655 CE He was the Vikings at 886 CE Saxon England Viking kingdom last Pagan Edington and the Viking of York 927 CE king 878 CE Danelaw 884 CE
The other benefit of this approach is that Figure 2: Themes the pupils see themselves developing expertise in a field. They not only learn new material, but it has a purpose and runs in parallel with a growing technical vocabulary Change Continuity and confidence at ‘doing proper history’. Proposal The overarching question for pupils studying the unit on invaders is, ‘Who had the biggest impact? the Romans, Anglo- THEMES Saxons or Vikings’. The story is that Freya had to write an essay on invaders and that triggered an argument within the Jackson family as different members took different sides in the argument. Outline Comparison Importance There are several stages to the commission. Stage 1 Reveal the commission. Here the pupils learn about the family dispute and their role in settling Stage 3 it. Figure 2 is used to start the discussions and show Everyday life in Roman Britain. The pupils use a range these are real people (although the client in the Mantle of sources (maps, photographs of Roman remains, of the Expert approach does not have to be real). and reconstructions) to identify features of Roman They generate a series of questions that they think are towns then use resources to find out about life in relevant, then do a quick literature search using the Roman Britain. books in the classroom and on the internet to draw some preliminary ideas. It is important at this stage Stage 4 that they are aware of new vocabulary and that this is Outdoor learning day. The school playground has a collectively stored. huge timeline painted on it. The pupils put the events they have researched onto the timeline (see unit Stage 2 timeline) as well as other dates they know from other Roman invasion. The pupils use a range of sources to topics they have studied. This gives the pupils a sense explain when and why the Romans invaded as well as of perspective on how long ago the Romans, Anglo- how successful they were at subduing the Britons. Saxons and Vikings were.
Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association 25 Communications This is a selection of the emails sent between the client and the pupils.
The commission
The Jackson family have recently started arguing about history.
A few days ago, over their tea they were talking together about history. They argued about who were the most significant in British history: the Romans, Saxons or Vikings. Her eldest daughter Freya says it was the Vikings, her younger daughter Inga argues it was the Romans, and her husband Darius thinks it was really the Anglo-Saxons.
Mrs Jackson is fed up with her husband and daughters arguing about this. So, she would like you to look at the evidence and the arguments and then settle this dispute once and for all. That way she can have a peaceful meal with her family at home.
You will all present your conclusions to Mr Jackson in four weeks.
Email about the Romans from the client
Hi
One thing that annoys me is the way we think of the Romans as all wearing togas, living in centrally heated villas and spending a lot of time in the bath house. Certainly rich men did but that ignores women, children, ordinary Romans, poor Romans and slaves.
Slaves were very important and they made up about 10–15% of the Roman Empire’s population. Most slaves worked on farms but around a quarter of slaves worked in their owner’s house, cooking cleaning, teaching, child care, medical care, looking after the owner’s money were all jobs that different slaves would do.
So if you look at pictures of Romans, • first think ‘what can I see here, and what are they doing?’, • then ask yourself ‘what sort of Roman is this and what can I say about their life’ • then try to compare them.
Tour teacher has a translation of a Roman birthday party invitation. It was written by a slave for his mistress. I have just found out that her husband was called Aelius Brocchus, he was a very important Roman soldier. However a lot of his letters are about him going hunting, he had special dogs for hunting deer, and nets for hunting ducks and birds. What does this, and the birthday invitation tell you about their lives?
All the best Darius
A second email about the Romans
Hi
Two new bits of Roman information have come out in the last few days that shows about ordinary Romans. First, archaeologists are excavating a villa in Pompeii, actually it was on the edge of the city in a posh part of town. They discovered two new bodies, one was an adult male and the other a young male. Most likely they were the man who owned the house and a slave boy. The really fascinating bit is that they were both wearing woollen clothes to keep themselves warm. There is an argument among historians and archaeologists as to the date of the volcano erupting. It used to be thought it was a hot day in the middle of August, but more recently it has been suggested it was in October and much cooler. What do you think?
In this month’s BBC History Magazine there is a collection of true stories about life as a Roman soldier. It is based on letters and diaries the soldiers kept. It is written by Guy de la Bedoyere, he is a specialist in Roman history. My favourite story is about an Egyptian called Apion who joined the Roman navy in the 2nd century AD. He wrote a letter to his father describing his adventures but the best bit is that he has changed his name to ‘Antonius Maximus’, this translates as ‘Anthony the greatest’ or ‘Anthony the biggest’, but I will think of him as ‘Big Tony’. Why do you think he changed his name?
All the best Darius
26 Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association Stage 5 hilarious, one pupil was intrigued about ‘going The Anglo-Saxon invasion. The pupils use sources to the toilet on a Viking ship’. Some groups have to find out how, when and why the Anglo-Saxons wanted to know more about the Staffordshire invaded as well as how it relates to the invasion by the Hoard, with several of them taking their family to Scots. Birmingham to see it. • They generated a set of questions they felt were Stage 6 important at the start and followed some of their Meet the Vikings. A re-enactor, in the role of Hrothgar own lines of enquiry in their presentations. This the Viking, visits the school, pupils discuss everyday enabled them to make their own claims about the Viking life, their tools, culture and weapons with him relative importance of the three groups of invaders. as well as why the Vikings raided and invaded Britain. Furthermore, their new historical knowledge had a They listen to and act out Viking stories about the gods purpose they could see. and handle artefacts. • The pupils became far more confident at handling textual sources. The point where they realised Stage 7 that historical sources might not be true was a Alfred and the Vikings. Pupils sequence the events of real lightbulb moment. They also weighed up Alfred’s conflict with the Vikings. how plausibility of the explanations for Claudius’ invasion. Stage 8 • The pupils appreciated that regress happens. They Prepare their presentation. Working in groups of were intrigued that with the end of the Roman four the pupils decide who they think was the most period ‘there were no toilets or baths or heating’. significant. The groups do more research to support • Links were made with other disciplines through their argument and then prepare their presentations. these lessons most notable Geography as the pupils mapped out Roman towns, roads, remains and Changes spheres of influence, English, reading Beowulf and This academic year, with the impact of Covid on Art, they produced various mosaics. schools, the lessons were amended. Group work was not an option so the pupils had to work on their Two weaknesses appeared in the early trials of this own. Instead of arguing the claim of one particular sequence. group they set out to consider the case for each of the groups. Furthermore, the presentations were done • In the presentations pupils outlined the strengths online and followed by discussions and a question- of their choice rather than comparing their choice and-answer session. with the others. This was easy to resolve by putting more emphasis on comparison in the lessons (see Outcomes Figure 2). There were many positive outcomes from this • The other was that pupils didn’t pick up the sequence of lessons. importance of slavery in Roman society. Again, this was easy to resolve (see Communications email • At a motivational level the pupils really enjoyed about the Romans). the work. This was commented on by teachers, teaching assistants and parents. They discussed Carol Jackson is History Subject Leader and Year 3 their new knowledge with enthusiasm. They Leader, Oak Hill First School, Redditch. found aspects of the work intriguing and at times Darius Jackson is an education consultant.
Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association 27 Subject leader’s site: assessment and feedback Tim Lomas
Very few teachers prefer assessment to teaching yet the latter has little point if there is no way of knowing that what we teach is beneficial to our pupils. The problem is that there is no such thing as perfect assessment and feedback. For example, you cannot assess everything – assessment would then dominate the whole of teaching and learning. It is also difficult Paul Doyle / Alamy Stock Photo to assess how much individual pupils have actually learnt and how embedded that learning is. Given the constraints, how reliable can assessment be? What is the purpose of assessment in history? Basically if we think history is important as a subject area in the primary curriculum, then it makes no sense rushed add-on at the last minute just to get things to seek no evidence that the children are actually ready for an inspection understanding it and achieving something. The • Trying to do too much or too little – avoiding starting point is to look at what we think constitutes a situation where the assessment tail wags the good history and then consider assessment that is history curriculum dog or having something flimsy linked to these features. Clearly there might be some and nebulous. variation but these features are likely to include: • Distorting what is assessed such as just factual recall. • A growing database of historical information. • Distorting how it is assessed – such as only tests or • Being able to use that knowledge to answer written tasks. historical questions and create historical scenarios, descriptions and explanations. • Assessing aspects that are not really history – most likely literacy. • Explaining how things were and why. • Assessing in a way that the pupils do not • Engaging with enquiries and knowing how to find understand how they have performed and how out things in history. they might improve. • Finding links and connections within and across • Assessing for the sake of assessment rather than as history. a tool for improvement – i.e. too much summative • Understanding how history as we read and see it and not enough formative assessment. has been produced. What might work? What are the pitfalls in devising One should be wary about an assessment system that assessment in history? fits all circumstances. A good assessment and feedback • Not planning carefully can result in assessment approach can mean different things in different becoming a bolt-on. There is unlikely to be a real school settings. This article is not recommending urgency. Ofsted are much more likely to prefer a one particular approach as school circumstances vary carefully thought through approach rather than a and so does the degree of independence of history
28 Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association subject leaders to implement their own methods. An • Expect progress to be continuous. Research assessment and feedback approach can also be seen as indicates that pupils might demonstrate some skills something that evolves. For example, a school where and competencies before it is fully understood and all the staff are aware of the features of effective embedded. history teaching and progression might be initially • Record assessment information and keep out more sophisticated than one where this is not the case. of sight of others. Any information needs to be That does not mean a free-for-all though and there are shared obviously with the pupils but also with some dos and don’ts that it is valid to apply. other teachers so that progress over time can be considered. Some Dos • Use marks, grades, levels and such like unless they • Keep an eye on pupil progress but don’t assess are based on very clear criteria which everyone too often – for example, some progress might be understands. clearly observable at the end of a unit of work but probably not after every lesson. What sort of aspects might be • Focus on reliable assessment – in other words where real, sustained progress has been part of history assessment and demonstrated rather than one-off achievements. feedback? • Link assessment with the questions and tasks you • Recall knowledge of key features of historical use. Good planning is half the battle. If the tasks situations and chronology. and questions focus on valid history objectives, • Knowledge of historical terminology. then assessment and feedback become that much • Development in the key concepts such as more efficient and useful. causation, change, significance. • Understand what progression means in history – at • Answering historical questions. least recognise some of the features associated • Making comparisons and contrasts across historical Paul Doyle / Alamy Stock Photo with getting better at history, otherwise meaningful assessment is seriously compromised. topics. • Monitor pupil progress in a variety of ways – not • Knowing how history is put together using sources. just written work or tests. Keep an eye on how they • Recognising and explaining why there can be are doing in class and group discussions or other different accounts of history. forms of communication such as visual. • Enjoyment and motivation. This one is often • Involve the children themselves – self assessment, ignored but it is worth monitoring if only to peer assessment – and discuss why they think they reassess our teaching if pupils are not fascinated by have performed as they have. the subject. • Look at more than the performance of individual pupils. Can you work out whether the class or These dos and don’ts do not define a school’s particular groups of pupils are struggling? Look also assessment scheme but they can help provide the at the bigger picture. One should ask the question parameters. There is plenty of guidance on assessment, not just how are they doing but also is achievement not least in the pages of Primary History and on the what can reasonably be expected given the context subject leader section of the website. of the pupils. Is there any mechanism that allows you to see whether they are doing relatively better Tim Lomas is Honorary Secretary of the Historical at history than other subjects? Association, a member of the HA’s Primary History Committee and the Primary History editorial board. Some Don’ts • Adopt a tick box approach with a load of can-do statements. That is not a fair reflection on how Further reading pupils develop historical understanding. • Just assess content in isolation – what matters is what they do with the content rather than a short Jerome Freeman, ‘Assessment and Progression without term memorisation of 20 facts that might, in any levels: where do we go from here?’ PH 69, spring 2015. case, soon be forgotten. Tim Lomas, ‘Tracking pupil progress: what can the • Don’t pretend that good literacy (or art, technology primary history co-ordinator do?’ PH 80, autumn 2018. etc.) is the same as good history. There are Alun Morgan, ‘Assessment and feedback in history’, distinctive features of good history even if these PH 81, spring 2019. other aspects are also important. • Just provide pupils with feedback. Involve them and Sarah Winter, ‘It worked for me: investing in dialogue as ensure they understand why they have performed a tool for assessment’, PH 81, spring 2019. as they have and how they can improve.
Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association 29 Making the most of your HA membership
HA membership offers more than just your subscription to Primary History. As a member you can enjoy a holistic package of benefits and resources designed to support you, whatever challenge you may face. With the vast array of support available it can be easy to forget what’s on offer, especially when there are new resources being developed all the time. To help, we’ve highlighted some key benefits available here. If you need help you can contact us on [email protected] or by calling 0300 100 223.
All primary members
Online resources Print and digital journal On-demand quality teaching A depth of knowledge and insight and support whatever guidance that you won’t find your challenge elsewhere Schemes of work: 35 expert- Primary History: receive termly print produced schemes covering all NC copies as they are published. units. Online archive: access and Local significant individuals: download back editions and articles inspiration for bringing a local study from Primary History. at Key Stages 1 and 2 to life. Article guide and topic grid: the Resource hubs: practical and quality archive is supported by a topic grid resources to support home learning. and online guide from Tim Lomas which organises past articles by Brief histories: topic reference topic and theme, from aspects guides with key events and subject of curriculum to organising and knowledge. managing primary history as a subject Podcasts: a library of 400+ podcasts leader. covering all periods. Recorded CPD: on-demand sessions from past conferences and webinars.
Enhanced 12 staff logins to access online resources and support. Subject leader guides: a suite of resources designed to guide you benefits of through the most important elements of primary history subject Corporate leadership, from planning and resourcing history to developing local history enquiries and raising the profile of history in your school. membership Visit www.history.org.uk/go/pri21 for more details CPD courses and Other benefits Accreditation webinars Development opportunities Keeping you up to date with Recognising and providing a addressing key concerns and the latest sector news and framework for excellent provision tailored for every stage developments at every level Free and discounted courses by up HA News: members’ magazine sent Chartered Teacher of History to 30% including: twice a year with updates on projects (CTHist) is a programme available and activities. to HA members. This accreditation Webinar series: from subject recognises a high level of expertise knowledge to aspects of diversity. Round-up emails keeping you up to in historical knowledge and date. Subject knowledge webinars understanding and age-appropriate Local HA branch: access to events pedagogy, as well as a commitment Online courses: from becoming and lectures at over 45 branches to continued development in these an effective primary history subject across the UK. areas. leader to mastering primary history. Opportunities to get involved Funded Teacher Fellowships are HA Virtual Conference: with a with our committees, branches and also available to members, such as dedicated primary stream. editorial boards. our upcoming programme on local ‘Ask the expert’ sessions: with Competitions from Write Your Own history. members of primary committee Historical Fiction, to Young Quills – a (coming this summer). great way to engage your pupils in On-demand sessions: including past history. webinar recordings for purchase.
12 staff members gain access to free and discounted CPD The HA Quality Mark award supports schools in auditing and Free webinar recording offer: each academic year corporate school developing their history provision members can book to receive a free webinar recording from our paid as well as offering recognition series, representing a saving of up to £50. from a trusted body. Exclusive recording access to our free subject webinars Visit www.history.org.uk/go/pri21 for more details Pre-decimalisation British coins on a ten shilling note CBW / Alamy Stock Photo Fifty years ago we lost the need to know our twelve times tables
Karin Doull
Background Why did I need to have this grasp of the times tables In the first year of junior school, I was in Mrs Phillip’s up to twelve? Well, at that point there were no class. She was one of those teachers who you electronic calculators and no smartphones, so maths remember, but, sadly not for good reasons. I was very had to be done mentally. In order to calculate money frightened of Mrs Phillips and the worst part of every in particular I needed to be able to work in base 12 week was the tables test … forwards, backwards and and base 20 because I was a child pre-decimalisation. questions in between. I still know my tables very well and for that I think I should thank her, but it could Up until 1971 Britain paid for its goods in pounds, have been less traumatic! shillings and pence. Twelve pennies made a shilling and twenty shillings made a pound (represented as £/s/d). Life was certainly more complicated when calculating money up to 1971.
Fifty years ago, Britain changed to a decimal system with 100 new pence to one pound. 15 February 1971 was decimalisation day. February was chosen because it was the quietist month for banks, transport and trade. Some coins were introduced early and could be used interchangeably for the old, the 5p coin for the shilling and the 10p coin for the florin. D Day was planned for extensively with public information films and comparison charts of the different currency.
For a while after D Day old coins could still be used. Some shops moved to new currency straight away Lewis’s Department Store in Manchester changing old others refused initially to convert and tried to continue coins to the new decimal currency, 15 February 1971 to use old money. May retailers decided on dual pricing PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo showing both old and new money.
32 Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association Key Stage 1
Activities with coins A young mother and child seeing a doctor at a baby clinic; on Try to get hold of some of these old coins (Ebay/Esty/ the wall, a ‘shoppers’ guide’ that converts pounds, shillings and junk shops/boot fairs are all useful sources). pence into the new currency as decimalisation took place in February 1971 Allan Cash Picture Library / Alamy Stock Photo 1. Allow children to investigate them, looking at the different weights, sizes, designs and monarchs. Some will be have Elizabeth but others may be from George VI, Edward VII or maybe even George V. Children today have only ever experienced coins with Elizabeth’s head on them. 2. Compare to modern coins. How are they the same or different? 3. Look at the designs on the back of the coins. Are there any recurring themes (national flowers for example)? Can you find any themes or images replicated on new coins? 4. Why do you think the farthing had a wren on it? (The smallest British bird for the smallest coin) 5. What is the ship on the ha’penny? Why is this ship significant?(The Golden Hinde, the galleon that Sir Francis Drake used when he circumnavigated the globe in the 1500s, the first Englishman to do so.) 6. Who is on the back of the penny? (Britannia with her shield and trident) 7. What is the significance of the plants and flowers used? (National plants of four nations, rose of England, thistle of Scotland, leek of Wales and shamrock of Ireland) 8. Only one version of the queen’s head is used on stamps, on coins however her profile has been remodelled several times. Find some examples and chart the changes. 9. The monarch traditionally faces in the opposite direction to the previous monarch. Look at a coin with Elizabeth and one with George VI – is this so? Activities around decimalisation day 1. Watch the public information film that the government created to help people prepare for the 3. How would you get ready for a change like this? changeover. Who do you think is most concerned What needs to be changed? Make a list of all the about the coming change and why do you think things that would need to be adapted. How would this is so? What has the government done to you help shops to get ready? What would need to make it easier for people to manage? Do you think be changed here? Watch the film and look at how this film would be helpful if you were worried this was managed. Were there things that you had about the change, why do you think this? Think not considered? about what people might worry about most or www.youtube.com/watch?v=045Pm78sPkQ where there might be issues. As a group create 4. Find an older member of the community who a storyboard for your own film to prepare for remembers when the money changed over. Invite changes or design an information poster. them in (or zoom interview) to talk to you about www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJNoPyoiWRQ what they remember about that time. What Granny gets the point public information film. were their key impression of the time? Do they www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yE-wA24xJ8 D remember the term D Day or do they link this with Day preparation film D Day 1940? Can they remember the month and 2. Listen to this song. How does the singer feel about year that this happened? My favourite coin was the decimalisation? Wilfred Brambell ‘The decimal song’ sixpence, did your visitor have also have a favourite www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCLVtuvZ71k one? Listen to this song as well. How is it different? Does this song have a different purpose? Karin Doull is a principal lecturer at the www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncZihiuztvg&list= University of Roehampton and a member UUeLwK9S2VvFLkxe5wS_iNSg of the HA Primary Committee.
Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association 33 Take one day: undertaking an in-depth local enquiry
Kate Thomson and Tracey Wire
Local history units of study global pictures. There are other should enable children to engage provide teachers with valuable advantages to working in depth, in problem-solving activities. This opportunities, but these can not least the chance to engage approach works best when a also seem daunting. Potential children in high quality, enquiry- collection of linked sources is used. challenges for teachers include the based learning. ‘Doing less but These sources should be used in perceived overwhelming scope of better’ means that children have conjunction with one another to the topic, difficulties in developing time to immerse themselves in the increase their accessibility and subject knowledge and knowing learning experience and develop impact. where to find resources. However, their knowledge, conceptual none of these is insurmountable, understanding and skills. Rather than deciding on a narrow if teachers identify a clear learning focus at the beginning of the focus and are realistic about what Another advantage of this process, it is better to be open to a can be achieved. Where teachers approach is that children can use range of possibilities. Be prepared take this approach, local history primary sources to focus on a to explore archives, local history enquiries can present a rich self-contained narrative. They can libraries and online resources to see learning experience for children. explore the human experience, what is available.The selection of and develop empathy and an the narrative focus should be led by With the Key Stage 2 National appreciation of complexity. The the availability of sources. Curriculum’s heavy emphasis on challenge, then, is how to define early periods of history, there the focus. One way to overcome are few opportunities to engage this dilemma might be to take one Case study: with the full range of primary day as a vehicle for investigating one day, one street, sources (DfE, 2013, pp.189–192). big ideas. one bomb If carefully selected, however, Context: a short, in-depth local local history units lend themselves Take one day history enquiry in a Year 5 class that to work using sources such as Taking one day addresses many previously had little experience of photographs, diaries, newspapers of the challenges facing teachers, working with written sources. and even oral histories. Local ensuring that the scope of the studies offer opportunities for enquiry is well defined and We began by deciding that we pupils to work in depth. It is worth manageable. Teachers need not wanted to teach children about remembering that there is no worry about knowing the entire Cheltenham during WWII. A statutory requirement stipulating history of the local area, across long straightforward internet search the length of a unit of work; across periods of time; rather they can was a good place to start and we a key stage, units of work do not focus on one story associated with found that there had been several need to be of equal length. This one day in the past. In this instance, bombing raids in the town, some means that it would be acceptable a key principle is to identify a day of which resulted in fatalities. The to take a narrow focus in some which is associated with a strong search uncovered a photograph local units, as long as clear links narrative and provides a route of a war memorial and first-hand are made between depth and into people, period and place. accounts of bombing raids. Because overview. Children need to be As always, a successful enquiry we had uncovered the dates of the supported in making connections should be underpinned by high- raids, we were able to undertake between the local, national and quality, source-based work. This a more tightly focused search of
34 Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association Key Stage 2
Gloucestershire Archives online Figure 1: Enormous crater in a Christ Church Road garden where a bomb catalogue. This revealed that a on 11 December 1940 partly destroyed the house collection of photographs from a Cheltenham Local and Family History Library, CW/Box N/PR110.22 local newspaper was housed in the local history library. It was the discovery of these rich primary sources, revealing the very human story of one raid on Stoneville Street in Cheltenham, that dictated the focus of the enquiry. By the end of this initial research phase we were confident that we would be able to produce an engaging unit of work rich in learning potential. We had found our ‘one day’: the bombing of Stoneville Street on 11 December 1940.
We then embarked on the search for as many primary sources as possible, for example a Digimaps resource, material on a genealogy website (Gloucestershire Genealogy), and a detailed account of a raid in a local history book (Lewis-Jones, 2009). We rejected many sources that, while interesting, did not quite serve our purpose, settling on those that worked well together and would have the most carefully at the image before pupils were able to establish that significant impact on children’s going on to make deductions and the bombing raid in Cheltenham learning.These finds enabled us inferences, we began by asking the occurred near the beginning of to plan a unit of work, the aim of class to describe what they could the war, about eighty years ago. which was for children to behave see. This provided opportunities This was an opportunity for us to like historians and investigate an for us to extend period-specific provide some ‘enabling knowledge’ aspect of local history by exploring vocabulary and practise picture about bombing raids at this point what happened on one particular day. reading skills.The children identified in time. It was important at this the demolished building, the stage, when the learning was As planned, in lessons the children mound of earth and the individual heavily scaffolded, to ensure that used primary sources (photographs, in uniform, then spontaneously children had sufficient knowledge maps, a memorial) to develop an concluded that the photograph and understanding of this context understanding of the impact of a was taken during World War II to apply to the later enquiry. single bomb falling on a single street and that a bomb had caused the in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. damage. Detailed questioning was Only once we had laid the To make the enquiry authentic and important at this point to ensure foundations for the children’s to promote problem solving, the that children were able to evaluate enquiry did we introduce the key children were ultimately asked to the evidence. Questions like ‘What questions that led the unit: use the full range of sources to work has happened?’, ‘Where exactly did What happened in Cheltenham out exactly where the bomb fell the bomb fall?’ and ‘How do you on 11 December 1940? How in the street. Careful thought was know?’ helped them to form and were the lives of people in given to the sequencing of sources justify their opinions. Cheltenham affected by this and key activities in order to scaffold event? the problem-solving process. In this Having revealed that the bomb way children’s engagement was had fallen 100 metres from the We explained to the class that in maintained as the mystery unfolded. school in 1940, we moved from order to answer questions historians depth to overview to help children need to examine evidence from To inspire curiosity, we began by understand the broader context. the past. Children then worked providing a photograph as a ‘hook’ We set the individual event within collaboratively in small groups to for learning (Figure 1). Working the framework of knowledge and examine a collection of primary on the principle that we wanted understanding of the Second World sources which were introduced to ensure that children looked War by using a timeline. In this way, to them in a very particular order
Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association 35 Figure 2: Morning after the raid in Stoneville Street, 11 December 1940 – one of the residents (Mrs Meredith) sits outside her house with what furniture and belongings she has been able to salvage. A soldier in battledress and tin hat looks on. Cheltenham Local and Family History Library, CW/Box N/PR110
to build their knowledge and the railway and at the other by the Examples of prompts to accompany understanding incrementally.They gas works (where a superstore is Figure 2. started with a photograph of a now located). The children then • What has happened to Mrs memorial to civilians who had died ‘visited’ Stoneville Street in 1940 Meredith’s house? on 11 December 1940, alongside by examining photographs from a document listing names and the local newspaper showing • Is the damage superficial or ages of the casualties and place the street the day after the raid structural? Is there a danger the of death. Children were given a (Figures 2 & 3).They noted that house will collapse? What makes you specific task: to look for patterns some houses had been totally think that? in the evidence and then to report destroyed, while others were • What do you think Mrs Meredith was what they had found. They spotted largely intact. This rich resource doing just before this photograph the repeated appearance of prompted lots of discussion about was taken? some addresses and of surnames, the damage caused by the bomb enabling them to identify families and the impact on local residents. • Did she have help to remove her and where they lived, and that The children expressed empathy as belongings? What makes you think one bomb had resulted in several they examined images of people that? fatalities in one particular street. made homeless by the raids. • What has she salvaged? This narrowed the focus of the They considered what people enquiry to Stoneville Street. As with might have removed from the • Why do you think she has chosen to any productive enquiry, this created damaged buildings and the roles of save these belongings? a ‘need to know’: the children were individuals in uniform. • How do you think Mrs Meredith is now eager to find out where the feeling? Can you convince me? street was and more details about The sources and tasks so far had what had happened. given the children knowledge and • Is she being looked after? How do understanding of the context, of you know? Using a combination of maps, the location and the impact of the • What do you think happened aerial photographs and Google bomb. We then wanted them to immediately after this photograph Street View the children located solve a problem and presented was taken? the street and identified two them with a challenge: Where did parallel rows of Victorian terraced the bomb land in the street? This housing, bordered at one end by could not be solved without all of
36 Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association Figure 3: Telling their stories to an Echo reporter in Stoneville Street, 11 December 1940. Four people in the photograph have been named – Mr and Mrs Atkins, Marian Atkins, and Bill Western. Cheltenham Local and Family History Library, CW/Box N/PR110.14
the information they had gathered Figure 4: Detail from 1946 Cheltenham and Evesham Ordnance Survey Map so far. To support this final enquiry, Reproduced with kind permission of the Ordnance Survey children were given pictures of Stoneville Street today and a period map of the street with house numbers added (Figure 4).They were asked to work out and show where the bomb landed in the street on the map and justify their decision, using the primary sources they had been given.
We were ready to offer structured support at this point, but in fact most children responded very positively to this open-ended, problem-solving task and were eager to piece together the clues. the source with inferences they This enquiry undoubtedly worked Children who rushed to guess had made. Real detective work because the children were a location on their map were was needed to identify the house motivated and engaged to solve reminded that their decision should numbers of buildings shown in the the mystery and because the be evidence-based. As a first step photographs and involved matching learning was carefully scaffolded. they were encouraged to mark old and new pictures, counting The problem triggered higher-order the information they had gathered chimney pots and doors and using thinking skills: the children weighed from the sources onto the map. Google Street View to check their up the evidence, supported The children identified where the ideas.This problem provoked much inferences with reference to the people who died in Stoneville discussion and interrogation of primary sources and justified their Street had lived, they used the the primary sources. Most children final decisions. Analysis of the photographs to colour code the correctly reasoned that the bomb modern photographs enabled map showing the extent of the was likely to have fallen in the road them to work out what happened bomb damage and annotated near the railway embankment. next. They could see that rubble
Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association 37 was cleared and that several of the houses that what you and the children can learn. Be inspired by appeared to have superficial damage had,in fact, been what you find in the streets you walk every day. demolished and rebuilt. Their natural reaction was to wonder what had happened to the families that had Examples of ‘one day’ in and lived in these houses and other people who lived in around Cheltenham: Cheltenham during the war. As planned, this depth 23 September 1776: Katherine A’Court was poisoned enquiry was then the springboard for children to with arsenic by a footman, Joseph Armstrong, who ask and answer more questions about the town and had been accused of stealing his mistress’s valuables. national context at this time. For example, the children There remains some mystery around the events of wanted to know why the bombs had been dropped her death. (Starting point: a gravestone in St Mary’s on the town and whether Stoneville Street, with its Church.) proximity to the railway and the gas works, had been specifically targeted. The power of the narrative was 3 October 1838: John Hampton rose from Montpellier that it ‘inspired pupils’ curiosity’ (DfE, 2013, p.188). Gardens in a hot air balloon to make the first In the following lessons, children gained a broader successful British parachute descent. (Starting point: a contextual understanding, building on their developing plaque commemorating the event on a bandstand.) knowledge, making links between the specific and the 16 March 1934: Three elephants from Chapman’s general. London Zoo Circus were parading through the streets of Cheltenham. Having scented animal feed, they Implications for planning a entered Bloodworth’s Seed Merchants and Pet Shop local study for a snack. (Starting point: a mural hidden on an alley • Do less better: it is often better to restrict the scope wall.) of a local history unit of work. • Be open to possibilities and be led by the resources. What can you find in your local • Locate ‘families’ of resources that you can use in area? Look out for ... conjunction with one another. a disaster a launch circus • Relate what was happening in the local area to a crime a first a birth / a death / what was happening nationally and internationally. a march an opening / a marriage Make sure you establish a context in time and place a festival closure an act of bravery for your depth study. a celebration a sporting event and much more • Present children with a genuine enquiry and real a homecoming a parade, fair, problem-solving opportunities. This is motivating for children, allows you to raise the level of challenge and encourages independence. Kate Thomson and Tracey Wire are senior lecturers in Primary Education, University of Gloucestershire. • Give children the time and space to solve the problem and provide opportunities for children to develop higher-order thinking. • Think carefully about the order in which the primary sources are revealed to the children; the sequence is important. Those sources introduced at the beginning of a lesson/unit should provide Resources children with the foundations of knowledge they need in order to rise to later challenges. Department for Education (DfE) (2013) The • Children have no difficulty working simultaneously national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 with several sources. In this case, they were even and 2 framework document. Available at: better at making links between sources than we https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ had anticipated. government/uploads/system/uploads/ • To do this well takes time. attachment_data/file/425601/PRIMARY_ national_curriculum.pdf If we give children the opportunity to take their time, work with rich resources and support their learning in Gloucestershire Genealogy (No Date) a structured way, they will rise to the challenge and Cheltenham Civilian Role of Honour. often surprise us in what they can achieve. Studying Available at: www.glosgen.co.uk/warmem/ ‘one day’ enables us to do just this while at the same cheltcivilianswm.htm time making the task of planning and resourcing both Lewis-Jones, J. (2009) The Cotswolds at War, more manageable and more rewarding. It is time to delve into the stories of people, events and places in Stroud: Amberley Publishing. the local community and prepare to be enthralled by
38 Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association Key Stages 1 & 2 Belmont’s evacuee children: a local history project George Skinner and Judith Peel
Teaching about World War II, particularly the home knowledge, to enable them, by Key Stage 2, to front, continues to be popular in primary schools, become ‘mini historians’ – so promoting independent despite the government deciding not to include it as research and enquiry within class-based studies. a compulsory subject in the new National Curriculum introduced in 2014. Many primary schools still choose The specific focus presented itself by a chance discovery to organise an evacuee experience of some kind of a somewhat cryptic comment in the school logbook for pupils and curriculum resources organisations concerning the arrival in 1939 of 80 children, many recommend the topic. Today, teachers are often of whom were from the north Manchester Jewish encouraged by curriculum developers to link the community, ‘due to war Emergency’. We could topic to other designated areas or objectives of the see how exploring this historical event would also history curriculum or to other dimensions of the wider build links to areas which the school was developing National Curriculum. Local museums, history groups concerned with diversity and Britishness, while forging and even railway companies provide tried and tested links with the village through a ‘study of an aspect of evacuee experiences and replica wartime artefacts are history that is significant in the locality’. widely and cheaply available to schools. Initial investigations revealed that despite the wealth At Belmont Primary, we discovered that pursuing of published general material about evacuees and their such a project as a local study provided the perfect experiences nothing related to our village. Discussions opportunity to trial our new skills-based approach with villagers, particularly the embryonic local history to history. Under this revised version of its creative group, revealed little knowledge or memory of the curriculum, the school aims for children to build evacuees, but a real enthusiasm for working with the investigative skills, alongside a bank of historical school to rediscover this part of the village’s history.
Stone memorial bench designed by pupils
Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association 39 John Kohorn, wartime refugee from Czechoslovakia dimension of the experience, together with the mixed- and ex-pupil, talks to the children faith nature of the evacuee group, suggested that the project might sit well in a number of cross-curricular themes, especially understanding about Britishness in the context of social, cultural and religious diversity. Furthermore, the prospect of relating to, and working with, the wider village community presented an opportunity both to learn more from those from the village who could provide personal recollections and, later, to share the school’s findings with the present wider community.
The curriculum project One session of about 45 minutes a week was allocated to teaching the term-long project. The materials Pupils and villagers working on a mosaic. were developed by a governor (a retired educational researcher) and the class teacher. The pupils began by looking at the actual documents that had stimulated the project. Through dramatised readings, based on the account in the headteacher’s logbook and a transcribed personal recollection of one of the teachers who brought the children from North Manchester to Belmont (discovered in a local museum), the pupils soon came to an understanding and anticipation of a ‘history mystery’ worthy of further exploration. Some guided small-group analysis of the information to be gleaned from facsimiles of the school admissions register provided pupils with helpful insights into the value, and the limitations, of historical records and discussion of different kinds of evidence. While doing this analysis the class actually discovered that one of the families who were thought to be evacuees were in fact refugees from Czechoslovakia. This discovery led to the tracing of, and correspondence with, one of the Mosaic: evacuee arriving at Belmont children from the family, now in his 80s and living in the USA, and later a visit from his younger brother to speak with the children.
The general background to the war-time evacuee experience was explored through case studies drawn from the excellent BBC People’s War materials and led to pupils thinking about their own reactions to such a challenge. They grappled with the almost impossible task of having to decide what chosen belongings to pack in a small evacuee’s suitcase and they designed and wrote reassuring postcards, based on those originally given to evacuees, to send home to parents. Pupils worked with facsimiles of documents produced for the evacuee programme and other wartime artefacts, and also some original family items discovered and brought in by one of the children.
In January 2018 a curriculum-based programme was Four ex-pupils who lived in Belmont when the started with a class of Year 3 and Year 4 pupils. It was evacuees arrived were identified and provided a unique intended from the outset that the pupils should be oral history experience by sharing their experiences involved sufficiently early in the project to enable them from the perspectives of being from a village family to be part of the research process as the school tried and what they remembered of school life during the to understand the nature and circumstances of this war. Activities exploring the billeting process, based little-known period in the village’s history. Although on the admissions register and historical records essentially an historical topic, the uniquely local discovered in the local library archives, helped to create
40 Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association Mosaic: planes over Manchester
a picture of the distribution of evacuee children. A reported very negative and sad experiences, day spent on the East Lancashire Railway Evacuee contrasting with the largely jingoistic and upbeat Experience brought home the reality of the combined newspaper reports of the time. feelings of adventure and insecurity the original evacuee children must have felt. Preparation for this, The idea of creating visual expressions of the ideas and including constructing gas-mask boxes and choosing issues arising from the project (already achieved in a clothes to wear, and follow-up sessions, provided small way through such activities as designing evacuee interesting and stimulating classroom work. postcards to send home and creating outfits for the evacuee experience trip) became a more specific focus. The initial project stimulated much lasting interest on At this point, and after discussions with the school the part of the pupils. Nine months later, when they arts council and villagers, it was decided to move the were no longer engaged in curriculum work associated project on to the very practical long-term objective of with the topic, a review and research-updating lesson creating a permanent memorial. with the group revealed substantial retention of stories and issues associated with Belmont’s evacuee In the summer of 2019, children from the original children. The children quickly engaged with a recently group of Year 4 children explored the village through discovered account in a wartime edition of The three guided visits to discover how people and events Jewish Chronical about the village’s response to the had been remembered in the past. Discussions with Jewish section of the evacuees and they reflected the children of their findings led to the exploration perceptively on issues to do with the value and degrees of a variety of approaches to making an appropriate of dependability of first-hand experience, newspaper memorial for the evacuees. Three particular ideas reports and documentary evidence, particularly when which emerged were a small memory garden, a bench messages we received from two overseas ex-evacuees or seat of some kind and a memories/information (traced through The British Evacuee Association) board.
Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association 41 External story board for memorial garden
42 Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association Ready for the evacuee experience
With the generous help of a local gardener and work for our ArtsMark programme. However, as builder, the first step was taken in creating a memories it developed we were increasingly conscious of the garden just inside the school main entrance gate challenging expectations, reflected in the National using original local stone rescued from a recent school History Curriculum guidelines, of any encounter with building project. Pupils worked with a nearby tile history in the primary school and we tried as far as manufacturer to design and create mosaics for the we were able to provide coherent knowledge, inspire garden using Gaudi’s Parc Güell as inspiration while the pupils’ curiosity and encourage them to ‘think drawing on ideas and symbols associated with the critically, weigh evidence, sift arguments, and develop evacuation. The offer by a local memorial mason to perspective and judgement’. We were also keen create a stone bench for the garden inspired pupils that throughout the teaching sessions pupils would to consider appropriate words and illustrations to be understand the methods of historical enquiry, including engraved. A grant obtained from the Historic Society how evidence is used rigorously. of Lancashire and Cheshire allowed us to work with pupils to create a professional external story board We were pleasantly surprised at the way in which based round discussions relating to design and content the group, on the whole, coped with the mixed ranging from font styles to the use of QR codes! experiences of success in our search for understanding, and disappointments when we couldn’t find answers. Plans were being made to share the findings of the We were pleased by the way in which many pupils project with the wider community and other schools were stimulated by the awareness that this was a in the spring of 2020 but while the garden project genuine adventure into unknown territory where the continued, despite the many restrictions the pandemic teachers frequently didn’t know the answers to the imposed, the sharing event has been postponed. questions raised – though usually had some ideas about how to find them. Some pupils spontaneously Reflections brought along personal items to sessions which had The project started out simply as a topic to develop been found for them by elderly relatives as a result of our history teaching model and to stimulate creative them reporting what they had been doing in school.
Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association 43 Figure 1: Links between pupils’ research and NC attainment targets Explore the different • We made use of original artefacts such as school logbooks and registers. ways we can find out • First hand reports provided valuable material, through both interviews and about the past and written accounts from people who were actually involved at the time. This was how to understand the supplemented by the use of secondary sources – through relevant internet sites. evidence. • A visit to a local museum and a themed ‘evacuee’ trip on local steam railway totally Use sources of engaged the children while building knowledge of the period. They dressed up and information including ICT prepared for their ‘own evacuation’, taking part in ‘living history’ workshops. to find out about events, • Cross-curricular links were made through art work through the creation of mosaics people and changes. to depict relevant scenes based on the study of photographs from the period. See Planes over Manchester mosaic.
Identify different • Through working first hand with older members of the community, children learnt ways in which the about the importance of recording historical events such as the local, social impact past is represented of evacuation in WWII – to allow future generations to gain understanding of the and interpreted and past. recognise how history is • Children learnt how to conduct a simple evaluation of the reliability of different preserved. information sources: e.g. books; internet sites; first-hand narration; newspaper reports from the period. • Pupils took part in a week long village study of ‘memorials’, focusing on how the past is remembered. • The designing of the elements of a school evacuee memorial garden provided a platform to draw together the project whilst considering different ways to preserve and communicate historical information.
Investigate the • Pupils discussed and investigated the underlying political reasons at the start of WWII characteristic features through a simple approach to the basic information. of, and changes within, • They studied the impact of this – e.g. rationing, the restrictions of life in wartime – periods of history on travel and clothing. that were of global significance.
Identify the impact of • A former pupil and refugee visited the school, fascinating pupils with his first-hand the movement and account of his journey to England from Sudetenland via Prague, culminating in his settlement of people arrival at Belmont Primary at the age of eight. in different periods of • The children studied the movement of children from Manchester to the North history. Pennine Moors – looking at questions such as: How did they travel? Who accompanied them? What were they permitted to bring with them? How welcoming were the Belmont people when they arrived? • An exercise using a village map and billeting details brought to life the realities of this abrupt relocation on the lives of evacuees.
Recognise similarities • Children were interested to learn how the social changes as a result of WWII and differences between affected different members of the local community. For example, what was the people’s lives during impact of the evacuation on resident village children compared with those evacuated different periods of time. from Manchester?
Communicate knowledge • Children worked on a variety of written accounts, e.g. a day in the life of an and understanding in a evacuee, or village child who had an evacuee to stay, and discussed and designed variety of ways. postcards home. • Pupils enjoyed producing related visual art work e.g. sketches of significant aspects of life for an evacuee – this culminated in the design now engraved on the stone bench in our evacuee garden. • Related drama work brought the stories alive through role play in costume of the arrival of evacuees in Belmont. • The creation of the commemorative garden area with mosaic artworks, the engraved bench and the addition of plants which had significance for the project, such as the inclusion of red poppies and rosemary for remembrance. • The final step in the project of an exhibition for the local community displaying the Belmont ‘evacuee journey’ has had to be postponed as a result of Covid 19, but we yet hope to hold this in spring 2021.
44 Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association Parents often mentioned in passing how this ‘evacuee thing’ had caught their child’s imagination. Of course, Resources the available time was such that many topics remained unexplored in as much detail as we would have liked. But it was a unique opportunity for this particular Selected recommended sources cohort of children to experience in a simple way the pleasure and challenge of exploring local history No Time to Wave Goodbye, by one-time evacuee, and of working towards sharing, through various art Ben Wicks, is an edited collection of many stories creations, during the coming months, their discoveries told by evacuees in their own words. Published by and a renewed awareness of a significant time in the Bloomsbury in 1988 when many evacuees were still life of the village. alive, it was the first, and probably the most thorough and honest, account of the range of experiences of How does a local study of evacuee children. this nature fit with Key The British Evacuees Association was formed in Stage 2 National Curriculum 1996 to ensure that the true story of the evacuation requirements? would become better known and preserved for further Since the current National Curriculum was introduced generations. It publishes a bi-monthly magazine and in September 2014, the ability to utilise local sites of has a world-wide membership. interest in history projects at Key Stage 2 in primary www.evacuees.org.uk schools has often proved more challenging than in the past, since chronologically, the Key Stage 2 history WW2: The People’s War is an archived but curriculum now extends only as far as 1066. However, searchable source of wartime memories contributed by finding reference to the addition of both evacuees members of the public and gathered by the BBC. and refugees at the start of World War II in our school bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar.online logbooks at Belmont Primary felt too exciting an opportunity to miss in giving our pupils the chance The Memorabilia Pack Co. produce good quality to become first-hand ‘historians’, so bringing history replica WWII (and many other) historical items. alive. A project of this type can fit well, however, www.mempackcompany.com within the ‘Local Study’ element of national curriculum ‘Enquiry Skills in History: the Blitz and expectations. The scope of our evacuee project evacuation’ in Citizenship, Social and Economics matched well within the National Curriculum example Education, 9, no. 1, 2010. Historian Francis O’Hagan of ‘A study of an aspect of history or a site dating from argues for the inclusion in the school curriculum of this a period beyond 1066 that is significant in the locality’. important time in British history and provides useful This enabled us to fulfil curriculum requirements while information about drawing on the varied experiences still allowing children to pursue first-hand research of evacuees ‘with a view to developing enquiry skills in relatively freely. history’.
In addition, we discovered on rolling out the Belmont’s Evacuee Children, our 64-page A5 project that the particular opportunities for booklet, is available to read on the school website hands-on interrogation offered by this study were www.belmontprimarybolton.co.uk instrumental in facilitating the building of children’s independent historical research skills. The table opposite demonstrates how children’s research in the Belmont project linked to specific skills within George Skinner is a retired lecturer with many National Curriculum attainment targets (Figure 1). This years’ experience of research and teaching in approach can be adapted in most situations where aspects of pluralism and education in the Faculty local first-hand historical records or information are of Education at the University of Manchester. In available e.g. church records, newspaper reports, a retirement he has directed his research interests to collection of photographs accompanied by first-hand historical subjects, including the village of Belmont narrative. An association between the familiar local where he lives and has been a long-standing and environment and historical information provides an active governor of its primary school. additional element of interest which motivates many Judith Peel is has been Headteacher of Belmont children to research further. Furthermore, when Primary School for eight years. She studied at Edge enhanced by cross-curricular work such as drama and Hill University for her initial teaching qualifications the visual arts to allow pupils to both ‘live’ and enjoy where she specialised in primary music education the knowledge as they acquire it, a study of this nature and the arts. In 2020 she was awarded a Masters in can enable pupils to identify more readily with the Educational Leadership by Manchester Metropolitan past. University. Judith is a firm believer in educating the whole child and has previously worked as an Artsmark Assessor for Arts Council England.
Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association 45 Ofsted and primary history
Tim Jenner
Firstly, I would like to introduce myself as Ofsted’s new We were very pleased by the breadth of the curriculum Subject Lead for history. offered in the schools we visited. Pupils were exploring the past in a range of places, across time periods and Despite the many challenges of the past year, it is an on different time scales. We saw pupils hooked from exciting time for history education. I am very pleased a young age by the rich stories from the early human that the number of primary history teachers who are civilisations, and continuing to explore a rich and varied now part of the HA community has risen tremendously history of Britain and the wider world throughout their in recent years. This journal and the resources on the time in school. HA website are invaluable for anyone thinking about their curriculum or their classroom practice. We were particularly pleased to speak to pupils who were able to confidently recall what they had learned. My role We visited schools which had paid careful attention Since starting the role in June, I have been developing to securing pupils’ chronological frameworks, using training for our workforce to build our understanding timelines and regularly orientating pupils in the past. of history as a subject. Much of the training is focused In these schools, pupils were able to talk confidently particularly on history in primary schools. This training about broad developments over time, putting together is now being delivered, and when we eventually return the puzzle of the long sweep of human history. The to full inspections under EIF we will do so armed ‘mental timelines’ which pupils had secured in these with better knowledge than ever about the specific schools were a really powerful tool for helping them issues in history education. This will help us to ask to navigate the past and place what they learned in the right questions and have rich conversations with context. If you want to think further about how you staff, leaders and pupils about the quality of history might build pupils’ chronological frameworks, be education in their schools. sure to revisit Hilary Cooper’s article on this in Primary History 67.1 I am also currently working on the first stages of a subject report. This will combine a review of the It was also very exciting on these visits to see the research on what works in history education with progress some schools have made in thinking about our findings about how history is being taught in securing pupils’ knowledge of important substantive schools. Previous Ofsted subject reports have been concepts. We spoke to teachers who had reflected really valuable for teachers, and I hope that we can on how important the knowledge of these concepts share a lot of useful information with schools through could be for helping pupils to access content in history this report which will ultimately help us all to ensure lessons. In some schools pupils were developing secure that all pupils are receiving the best possible history and sophisticated knowledge of terms like empire, tax education. and trade thanks to careful teaching and assessment, even at a very young age. Knowledge of these concepts helps pupils to unlock increasingly complex information History in outstanding primary about the past throughout their history education. But schools in a number of schools, pupils’ knowledge of these In the autumn term we inspected the history provision concepts is still left too much to chance. Ailsa Fidler in a number of schools with an outstanding judgement explores the importance of these concepts in her article in a previous inspection. We will soon be publishing in Primary History 84,2 and it is well worth the time our findings from those inspections, but I wanted to taken to consider how your curriculum and teaching share some of those findings with you in advance. could better secure this knowledge for pupils.
46 Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association In many of these schools, pupils explored the past the Wisdom on…’ feature (including the new video through rich stories which didn’t shy away from the discussions) which will quickly introduce you to some complex and challenging. Most exciting was when of the best thinking about how to approach these this was combined with the skilful work of teachers complex ideas with pupils. to tease out important elements like those above and secure them for all pupils. When teachers get this Guiding pupils on the early stages of their history balance right, exploring the richness of the past but journey is a great responsibility but also a great carefully ensuring access to this richness for all pupils, privilege. Thank you for everything you do to make the impact is striking. sure that all pupils are given the best start on this journey. One area where we saw more mixed practice was in teaching of the second-order concepts of the Get in touch discipline. This is most powerful when pupils engage You can follow updates from Ofsted on Twitter: with the discipline alongside deep knowledge of a @Ofstednews topic, and through specific examples of sources and You can also contact Ofsted’s curriculum team at: the work of historians. The tools, assumptions and [email protected] modes of argument used by historians are complex. Pupils must be introduced to these carefully over time. We did see some pupils getting lost or developing Tim Jenner is HMI Subject Lead History for Ofsted. misconceptions when this disciplinary knowledge wasn’t handled carefully. It is always worth revisiting Tim Lomas’s excellent article exploring some of the key 3 REFERENCES ideas pupils need to get to grips with. If you would 1 Cooper, H. ‘Chronology: Developing a coherent knowledge and understanding like to know more about how to approach these of Britain’s past and of the wider world’ in Primary History 67 2 Fidler, A. ‘More than just a word list: embedding progress in historical vocabulary second order concepts, I strongly recommend the teaching’ in Primary History 84 resources on the HA website, especially the ‘What’s 3 Lomas, T. ‘Getting to grips with concepts in Primary History’ in Primary History 82
Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association 47 One of my favourite history places
Penelope Harnett’s favourite place to visit – Eyam
Imagine……… walking down the street and crossing the road to avoid having to talk to a friend……. declining a friend’s invitation to enter her house…... feeling angry and trapped that you cannot travel away from your home…. .
Are such feelings familiar to you during the coronavirus crisis? Maybe they are – but I am not talking about experiences in the twenty-first century – I am thinking about what the inhabitants of a small village called Eyam might have felt during 1665–66 when plague struck their village and they decided to isolate themselves from their neighbours.
The story of the Plague Cottage plague west of the church and ordered was rather damp so George put it Eyam is one of my favourite some special cloth from London beside the fire to dry out. Shortly history places to visit. Situated for the clothes he was making. afterwards, he began to feel ill. He in the Derbyshire Peak District The date was September 1665; had a high temperature and big about 12 miles from Sheffield it plague was raging in London, but boils developed under his armpits is a small village centred around Eyam was a long way away and and at the top of his legs. Within the church and has a remarkable no one thought that there was a couple of days he was dead and history. A tailor, George Viccars any danger in sending cloth to the other members of the household lived in a small cottage to the village. When the cloth arrived, it succumbed shortly afterwards.
48 Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association The graves of the Hancock family on Riley Farm Today as you walk past the little cottage where they died, you can imagine the fear which must have overcome the villagers. There was no known cure for the plague and the disease began to spread rapidly throughout the village. By the end of September six villagers had died; in October the casualties were much higher with 23 deaths. As winter cold arrived the numbers of those catching the disease began to reduce and there was hope that the worst was over.
However, in the summer of 1666 the plague returned more virulently than ever. There were 21 deaths recorded in June, followed by 45 in July and the infection reached its peak in August with 78 deaths. The death rate reduced in September and October and the final victim died on 1 November.
Eyam enters into isolation The Rector, William Mompesson and his predecessor Thomas Stanley persuaded their parishioners to isolate One of my favourite themselves in the village to prevent the disease from Elsewhere food was left at a boundary stone between spreading to neighbouring villages. The church was Eyam and the neighbouring village of Stoney closed and the churchyard was shut for burials. To Middleton. Holes bored into the rock were filled with avoid contagion the parishioners chose to meet in the vinegar to disinfect the coins which were placed there history places Cucklet Delf for their church services. to pay for the supplies.
Mompesson wrote to his patron the Duke of Stories of individual hardship Devonshire for help and it was agreed that food would Many families suffered terrible hardship and loss. be left at certain places on the outskirts of the village. Between 3 and 10 August 1666 Mary Hancock buried One of these places was on the hillside above the her husband and six children in a field near their village and you can still visit Mompesson’s well to see farmhouse. You can still visit their tombs encircled by a where the provisions were left. stone wall in a field close to Riley Farm.
Mompesson’s Well Members of the Darby family were buried at the entrance to the village and their gravestones are to be found in the Lydgate.
Mompesson sent his children away to safety, but his wife Catherine remained to help him and she succumbed to the plague in August 1666. Her tombstone stands in the churchyard; a memorial to a very brave woman.
Stories of individual bravery and fortitude have been handed down by villagers; Emmott Sydall who lived in a cottage opposite the church went each day to the
The Boundary Stone Plague Cottage
Catherine Mompesson’s grave
Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association 49 The Anglo-Saxon celtic cross in the churchyard of Eyam St Lawrence’s Church, Eyam
Cucklet Delf to wave to her boyfriend, Rowland Torre Aium – meaning an island, or in Eyam’s case probably from Stoney Middleton. One day she did not appear a cultivated place surrounded by moorland. There for their tryst and Rowland learned later that she had are several springs around the village and every year died in April with other members of her family. villagers remember the precious gift of water as they decorate the wells following the Derbyshire tradition of Marshall Howe recovered from the plague and was well dressing. Clay is smoothed into a wooden frame employed as the local grave digger – his wife and child and a picture pricked out on the clay’s flat surface. however fell victim to the disease. Different natural materials are used to create the picture; seeds trace the picture’s outlines; moss, bark Commemorating those who died and alder cones provide materials to use for vegetation It is estimated that out of a population of 350, nearly and flower petals are carefully laid on the clay to 270 people had died in Eyam. The bravery of the provide colourful images and patterns. A procession villagers who steadfastly remained in isolation to is held through the village and the wells which have prevent the contagion spreading is commemorated been ‘dressed’ are blessed and thanks given. each year with a church service held in the Cucklet Delf on Plague Sunday – the last Sunday in August. Things to see as you walk Walking around the village today you can see that the around the village sacrifices made by these individuals are not forgotten; Stepping inside the beautiful church there are plaques mark the cottages where they lived and where reminders that it has been a place of worship many of them died. cherished by villagers for hundreds of years; Norman pillars are thought to rest on Saxon foundations and Well dressing ceremonies there is also a Norman window; the two baptismal There are other interesting customs associated with fonts date from Saxon and Norman times respectively. the village. Eyam is an old settlement dating back to Seventeenth-century wall paintings representing some Saxon times with its name deriving from Old English – of the 12 tribes of Israel, the Lord’s Prayer and the
50 Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association Eyam Hall
The Wrights built their hall after the plague and it still stands opposite the village green today where the stocks serve as a reminder of former punishments for breaking the law.
Nearby is the old market hall. The village had a thriving community with villagers engaged in a range of occupations including lead mining, cotton and silk production, boot and shoe manufacture and farming. A visit to the Eyam Museum provides fascinating accounts of ways of life in the village; Stocks on the village green much useful information Creed adorn the walls in the nave. They were painted about the village’s history and suggestions on how to over and only rediscovered in the 1960s when repairs make the most of your visit to the village. were undertaken to repair the plaster which was falling off the walls. Among other interesting features are Soak up the atmosphere as you walk through the Mompesson’s chair – with the Rector’s name carved village and read some of the stories which have used into its back and the pulpit from where he might have Eyam as a setting. For children, A Parcel of Patterns preached. by Jill Paton Walsh or Children of Winter by Berlie Doherty. And for adults Year of Wonders by Geraldine The late eighth / early ninth century cross in the Brooks. Enjoy your day! churchyard bears testimony to the influence of Christianity in the area. Opposite the cross on www.eyam-museum.org.uk the south wall of the church is a splendid sundial constructed in 1775 which accurately shows the times Penelope Harnett is Professor Emerita at the of day at places across the globe. University of the West of England, Bristol.
Primary History 87 Spring 2021 Historical Association 51 A plaque remembering the residents of Rose Cottage in Eyam who died in the plague Sam Vaughan / Alamy Stock Photo