Own-pace blocks · History
One human story, told many times.
- We teach history as one connected timeline, from the first humans to today.
- Children travel it again and again, each time through a new lens: technology, food, homes, health, trade, power, beliefs and more.
- So no period is ever learned on its own.
Years 4–10+England · United States · International BaccalaureateMapped
At a glance
- Years 4–10+covered
- 12lenses
- 1published sources checked
History
The lenses we look through.
- Technology and toolsStone tools → fire → wheel → bronze and iron → printing → steam → computers
- Food and farmingForaging → first crops on several continents → irrigation → new foods crossing oceans → factory farming
- Homes and citiesCaves and camps → first villages → first cities → great capitals → megacities
- Health and medicineHerbal remedies → early surgeons → Ibn Sina's Canon → germs discovered → vaccines and antibiotics
- Numbers and knowledgeTally marks → writing → zero → algebra → the scientific method → computers
- EnergyFire → muscle and animals → water and wind → coal → oil → electricity → solar
- Trade and moneySwapping → shells and metal → coins → paper money → banks → digital money
- Power and rulesBands and elders → kings → empires and law codes → parliaments → nations
- Beliefs and ideasEarly ritual sites → the great world religions and philosophies → reformations → modern ideas
- Travel and communicationWalking → boats → horses → roads and ships → trains → flight → the internet
- Art and storiesCave paintings → epics and myths → theatre → printed novels → film → games
- Sport and playAncient games → the Olympics → medieval ball games → football's 1863 rules → global sport
History
Where we take a different approach
- England's curriculum moves through periods, one at a time. We don't. We follow the Big History approach: one story, many passes.
- That means the same Year 4 child meets Stone Age tools, Roman roads and the steam engine in one lens, and sees how they connect.
- We follow England's Key Stages 2 and 3 where we can. The overlap table shows each statement, whether we cover it, and where. Some gaps are real, and the table says so.
- If a child later sits GCSE History, the British periods it needs would become deep dives from Year 9.
- History sprints are three weeks, not two, to leave room for reading and sources.
History
Stage by stage.
Years 4–6
The big picture: rounded dates, before and after, where on the map, what changed
They can:
- Place milestones on one master timeline using rounded dates
- Say what came before and after, and where on the map it happened
- Name what changed across the eleven eras, from first humans to today
- Follow one lens, such as food or travel, through every era
- Compare what was happening on four continents at the same moment
- First humans
- Spreading across the world
- Ice Age hunter-gatherers
- Farming begins, many times over
- First cities and writing
- Bronze and iron
- Empires and big ideas
- A connected world of trade and knowledge
- Oceans crossed
- Machines and revolutions
- The modern world
- Technology and tools
- Food and farming
- Homes and cities
- Health and medicine
- Numbers and knowledge
- Energy
- Trade and money
- Power and rules
- Beliefs and ideas
- Travel and communication
- Art and stories
- Sport and play
All 94 blocks
- Stone hand-axes and fireEra 1: First humans
- Needles, spear-throwers, boatsEra 3: Ice Age hunter-gatherers
- Sickles and potteryEra 4: Farming begins, many times over
- The wheelEra 5: First cities and writing
- Bronze, then iron toolsEra 6: Bronze and iron
- Paper, the compass, gunpowderEra 8: A connected world of trade and knowledge
- The printing press spreadsEra 9: Oceans crossed
- Steam enginesEra 10: Machines and revolutions
- Computers and the internetEra 11: The modern world
- Hunting and gatheringEra 1: First humans
- Fishing; cooking with fireEra 3: Ice Age hunter-gatherers
- Wheat, rice, maize, squash: domesticated separatelyEra 4: Farming begins, many times over
- Irrigation feeds citiesEra 5: First cities and writing
- Grain moves along trade routesEra 7: Empires and big ideas
- Rice, sugar and citrus spread westEra 8: A connected world of trade and knowledge
- Potatoes, maize and tomatoes cross oceansEra 9: Oceans crossed
- Farm machines and fertiliserEra 10: Machines and revolutions
- Global supermarketsEra 11: The modern world
- Camps and rock sheltersEra 1: First humans
- Huts of mammoth boneEra 3: Ice Age hunter-gatherers
- First villages, such as ÇatalhöyükEra 4: Farming begins, many times over
- First cities: Uruk, Mohenjo-daroEra 5: First cities and writing
- Rome and Chang'anEra 7: Empires and big ideas
- Baghdad, Cairo, TenochtitlanEra 8: A connected world of trade and knowledge
- Industrial townsEra 10: Machines and revolutions
- Megacities of 20 million+Era 11: The modern world
- Plants as medicineEra 1: First humans
- Egyptian and Mesopotamian healersEra 5: First cities and writing
- Hippocrates; Ayurveda; Chinese medicineEra 7: Empires and big ideas
- Hospitals; Ibn Sina's Canon of MedicineEra 8: A connected world of trade and knowledge
- Anatomy drawn from dissectionEra 9: Oceans crossed
- Germs discovered; vaccinesEra 10: Machines and revolutions
- Antibiotics, DNA, gene medicineEra 11: The modern world
- Tally marks on bonesEra 3: Ice Age hunter-gatherers
- Writing and counting systemsEra 5: First cities and writing
- Greek geometry; Indian numerals take shapeEra 7: Empires and big ideas
- Zero and algebraEra 8: A connected world of trade and knowledge
- The scientific methodEra 9: Oceans crossed
- Evolution; electricity explainedEra 10: Machines and revolutions
- Computers, relativity, AIEra 11: The modern world
- FireEra 1: First humans
- Oxen pull ploughsEra 4: Farming begins, many times over
- Water wheelsEra 7: Empires and big ideas
- WindmillsEra 8: A connected world of trade and knowledge
- Coal and steamEra 10: Machines and revolutions
- Oil, electricity, nuclear, solarEra 11: The modern world
- Shells and stone traded over long distancesEra 2: Spreading across the world
- Barter and weighed silverEra 5: First cities and writing
- Coins; the Silk RoadsEra 7: Empires and big ideas
- Paper money in China; Indian Ocean tradeEra 8: A connected world of trade and knowledge
- Global trading companiesEra 9: Oceans crossed
- Banks and railwaysEra 10: Machines and revolutions
- Digital moneyEra 11: The modern world
- Small bands deciding togetherEra 1: First humans
- Kings and the first law codesEra 5: First cities and writing
- Empires; Athens' democracy; Roman lawEra 7: Empires and big ideas
- Caliphates and kingdomsEra 8: A connected world of trade and knowledge
- Powerful monarchiesEra 9: Oceans crossed
- Revolutions and parliamentsEra 10: Machines and revolutions
- Nations, votes for all, the UNEra 11: The modern world
- Burials and cave artEra 3: Ice Age hunter-gatherers
- Göbekli Tepe: monuments as farming beganEra 4: Farming begins, many times over
- Gods of the first citiesEra 5: First cities and writing
- Buddhism, Confucius, Greek philosophy, ChristianityEra 7: Empires and big ideas
- Islam spreadsEra 8: A connected world of trade and knowledge
- The ReformationEra 9: Oceans crossed
- Enlightenment ideasEra 10: Machines and revolutions
- Human rightsEra 11: The modern world
- Walking out of Africa; boats to AustraliaEra 2: Spreading across the world
- Dugout canoesEra 4: Farming begins, many times over
- Sailing boatsEra 5: First cities and writing
- Horses and chariotsEra 6: Bronze and iron
- Roman roads; the Silk RoadsEra 7: Empires and big ideas
- Pacific voyagers; Ibn BattutaEra 8: A connected world of trade and knowledge
- Voyages link every continentEra 9: Oceans crossed
- Railways and the telegraphEra 10: Machines and revolutions
- Flight and the internetEra 11: The modern world
- Cave paintings in Indonesia and FranceEra 3: Ice Age hunter-gatherers
- The Epic of GilgameshEra 5: First cities and writing
- Greek theatre; Indian epicsEra 7: Empires and big ideas
- The Thousand and One Nights; The Tale of GenjiEra 8: A connected world of trade and knowledge
- ShakespeareEra 9: Oceans crossed
- Novels and photographyEra 10: Machines and revolutions
- Film, music, video gamesEra 11: The modern world
- Wrestling and ball gamesEra 5: First cities and writing
- The Mesoamerican ball gameEra 6: Bronze and iron
- The ancient Olympics; polo in PersiaEra 7: Empires and big ideas
- Folk football in villagesEra 9: Oceans crossed
- Football's first rules, 1863Era 10: Machines and revolutions
- World Cups and global sportEra 11: The modern world
- Timeline drillOpens every session: place three milestones on the master timeline
- Meanwhile, elsewhereOne moment, four continents side by side: what was happening in each
- Before or afterWhich came first? Builds the sense of sequence
- Where in the worldPick the region on a map
In the PDF: the full objectives and the sprint plan. Get the map
Years 7–9
Why here, why then: causes, comparing regions at the same moment, judging sources
They can:
- Explain why something happened here and then, using a cause chain
- Compare regions of the world at the same moment
- Judge what a source can tell us, and what it can't
- Join the dots between lenses, such as farming, cities and writing
- Describe the early Islamic world, from Baghdad to Mali
All 15 blocks
- Cause chainOrder the dominoes from long-term push to trigger to result
- Source checkAn object, image or extract: what does it tell us, and what can't it?
- Join the dotsCloses the last session: link this lens to another (farming → cities → writing)
- Newgrange, IrelandBuilt about 5,200 years ago, older than the pyramids, aligned to the winter sunrise. Era 5 · Beliefs, Technology
- Göbekli Tepe, TürkiyeAbout 11,500 years old: monumental building at the dawn of farming. Era 4 · Food and farming, Beliefs
- Harran, TürkiyeAn early centre of astronomy and learning in the Islamic world. Era 8 · Numbers and knowledge, Islam deep dive
- Arabia and its trade routes before Islam
- The Prophet Muhammad and the first Muslim community
- Beliefs and practice: the Qur'an and the five pillars
- The early caliphates and how Islam spread
- Baghdad and the House of Wisdom: algebra, astronomy, translation
- Medicine and science: Ibn Sina, al-Zahrawi, Ibn al-Haytham
- Across continents: al-Andalus, Mali and the Indian Ocean
- Three great empires: Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal
- Islam in the modern world
In the PDF: the full objectives and the sprint plan. Get the map
Year 10+
How do we know?: evidence, interpretations, why historians disagree
They can:
- Weigh evidence to decide how far a source can be trusted
- Explain why historians disagree about the same events
- Frame their own historical question and build an evidenced answer
In the PDF: the full objectives and the sprint plan. Get the map
History
How it overlaps England’s curriculum.
- 4 covered
- 20 covered differently
- 1 later, as a deep dive
- 4 not covered
All 29 statements
| Statement | Where we teach it | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| KS2-H-01: Pupils should continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study. | B1, H-E1, H-E5, H-E11 | Covered differently One master timeline of 11 eras, travelled again and again, instead of one British period at a time. |
| KS2-H-02: They should note connections, contrasts and trends over time and develop the appropriate use of historical terms. | B1, H-L-tech, H-L-power, H-L-trade | Covered differently Each lens traces one trend across every era, so connections and contrasts are the method. Historical terms are not taught as a list. |
| KS2-H-03: They should regularly address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference, and significance. | B2, H-CARD-5 | Covered differently Cause and comparison are practised with cause chains and Meanwhile, elsewhere. Children devising their own questions is not yet planned. |
| KS2-H-04: They should construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information. | H-CARD-5, H-CARD-7 | Covered differently Ordering a cause chain and joining the dots between lenses build organised responses. Extended written accounts are not planned in the history data. |
| KS2-H-05: They should understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources. | H-CARD-6, B2 | Covered differently Source check cards sit in every session. Judging sources is the focus from Years 7 to 9. |
| KS2-H-06: In planning to ensure the progression described above through teaching the British, local and world history outlined below, teachers should combine overview and depth studies to help pupils understand both the long arc of development and the complexity of specific aspects of the content. | B1, H-X1, H-X2, H-X3, H-ISL-5 | Covered differently The master timeline is the overview. Expeditions and the Islam deep dive are the depth studies. |
| KS2-H-07: changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age | H-E3, H-E4, H-E6, H-X1 | Covered differently Stone, Bronze and Iron Age change is taught worldwide, with Newgrange as a site study. A British-only Stone Age to Iron Age study is not planned, and Skara Brae, Stonehenge and hill forts are not named. |
| KS2-H-08: the Roman Empire and its impact on Britain | H-E7, H-E7-travel, H-E7-power, H-E7-home | Covered differently Rome is taught as one of the big empires (roads, law, cities). Rome in Britain, including Hadrian's Wall and Boudica, is not named in the planning data. |
| KS2-H-09: Britain’s settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots | - | Not covered No Anglo-Saxon or Scots content is planned. Era 8 names medieval Europe only. Flagged for the architect. |
| KS2-H-10: the Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England to the time of Edward the Confessor | - | Not covered No Viking or Anglo-Saxon content is planned. Flagged for the architect. |
| KS2-H-11: a local history study | H-X1, H-X2, H-X3 | Covered differently Family expeditions to historic sites act as site studies, but they are not local and no local study is planned. |
| KS2-H-12: a study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066 | H-L-power, H-E9-power, H-E10-power, H-L-sport, H-E10-sport | Covered differently Lenses follow themes over time (power and rules, sport and play), mostly with world examples. British case studies are limited. |
| KS2-H-13: the achievements of the earliest civilizations – an overview of where and when the first civilizations appeared and a depth study of one of the following: Ancient Sumer, The Indus Valley, Ancient Egypt, The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China | H-E5, H-E5-home, H-E5-know, H-E5-power | Covered differently Era 5 covers Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus valley and China as an overview. No single depth study of one civilisation is chosen. |
| KS2-H-14: Ancient Greece – a study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world | H-E7, H-E7-know, H-E7-power, H-E7-art, H-E7-sport, H-E7-health | Covered Greek geometry, democracy, theatre, the Olympics and Hippocrates are taught inside Era 7 and its lenses. |
| KS2-H-15: a non-European society that provides contrasts with British history – one study chosen from: early Islamic civilization, including a study of Baghdad c. AD 900; Mayan civilization c. AD 900; Benin (West Africa) c. AD 900-1300 | H-E8, H-ISL-5, H-ISL-7, H-E8-health | Covered Early Islamic civilisation is a deep dive that includes Baghdad and the House of Wisdom. The Maya and Mali appear in Era 8. |
| KS3-H-01: Pupils should extend and deepen their chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, so that it provides a well-informed context for wider learning. | B2, H-E9, H-E10, H-E11 | Covered differently The same timeline is revisited at Years 7 to 9 with causes and comparison. British, local and world history are not separated. |
| KS3-H-02: Pupils should identify significant events, make connections, draw contrasts, and analyse trends within periods and over long arcs of time. | B2, H-L-power, H-L-tech, H-CARD-2 | Covered Meanwhile, elsewhere cards and the lens traces build trends within periods and across long arcs of time. |
| KS3-H-03: They should use historical terms and concepts in increasingly sophisticated ways. | B2 | Covered differently Terms such as cause and comparison are taught through the pass. A planned list of historical terms is not in the data. |
| KS3-H-04: They should pursue historically valid enquiries including some they have framed themselves, and create relevant, structured and evidentially supported accounts in response. | B3 | Later, as a deep dive Framing enquiries and building evidenced accounts are the aim of the third pass, from Year 10. This comes after the end of Key Stage 3. |
| KS3-H-05: They should understand how different types of historical sources are used rigorously to make historical claims and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed. | B3, H-CARD-6, B2 | Covered differently Judging sources starts at Years 7 to 9. Interpretations and why historians disagree arrive at Year 10 and after. |
| KS3-H-06: In planning to ensure the progression described above through teaching the British, local and world history outlined below, teachers should combine overview and depth studies to help pupils understand both the long arc of development and the complexity of specific aspects of the content. | B2, H-X1, H-X2, H-X3, H-ISL-5 | Covered differently As for Key Stage 2: the timeline is the overview and the expeditions and deep dives are the depth studies. |
| KS3-H-07: the development of Church, state and society in Medieval Britain 1066-1509 | - | Not covered British medieval history (the Norman Conquest, Magna Carta, the Black Death) is not planned. If a child later sits GCSE History, the British periods it needs would become deep dives from Year 9. |
| KS3-H-08: the development of Church, state and society in Britain 1509-1745 | H-E9, H-E9-beliefs, H-E9-power, H-E9-art | Covered differently The Reformation, powerful monarchies and Shakespeare are in Era 9, told as world history. Britain's civil wars and the Act of Union are not planned. |
| KS3-H-09: ideas, political power, industry and empire: Britain, 1745-1901 | H-E10, H-E10-tech, H-E10-power, H-E10-home, H-E10-know, H-E10-health, H-E10-travel | Covered differently Steam, factories, revolutions and parliaments, evolution and germs are in Era 10. The slave trade, the Empire and Ireland are not named. |
| KS3-H-10: challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world 1901 to the present day | H-E11, H-E11-power, H-E11-health, H-E11-tech, H-E11-travel | Covered differently World wars, antibiotics, flight, computers and nations are in Era 11. The welfare state and Indian independence are not named in the planning data. Flagged for the architect. |
| KS3-H-10b: In addition to studying the Holocaust, this could include: | - | Not covered The Holocaust is a compulsory part of Key Stage 3 history. It is not planned. Flagged for the architect. |
| KS3-H-11: a local history study | H-X1, H-X2, H-X3 | Covered differently As for Key Stage 2: expeditions act as site studies, but no local history study is planned. |
| KS3-H-12: the study of an aspect or theme in British history that consolidates and extends pupils’ chronological knowledge from before 1066 | H-L-power, H-L-home, H-L-food, H-E4-food | Covered differently Lenses trace themes from the earliest times to today, with the farming revolution in Era 4. British case studies are limited. |
| KS3-H-13: at least one study of a significant society or issue in world history and its interconnections with other world developments [for example, Mughal India 1526-1857; China’s Qing dynasty 1644-1911; Changing Russian empires c.1800-1989; USA in the 20th century] | H-L-trade, H-E7-trade, H-E8-trade, H-E8, H-ISL-7 | Covered Interconnection is the design: the Silk Roads, Indian Ocean trade, Mali, the Maya and the Islamic world are all taught in relation to each other. |
History
How we checked.
- England's programmes of study are the spine. Each objective is checked against United States and International Baccalaureate.
- 1 published sources, listed in the PDF.
- Last checked October 2026.
Changes ahead
- England's reformed national curriculum is due from September 2028. We will check the overlap table again when it is published.
Get the detailed map
The full year-by-year objectives, mapped against England, the US and the IB, with the sprint plan and every source we used.
Other stacks.
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