All topics

History // Ancient Egypt

Know that scribes were specially trained people who could read and write hieroglyphs, that the Rosetta Stone — a slab with the same text in three scripts — was…

History // Ancient Egypt

Describe the social structure of ancient Egypt as a pyramid-shaped hierarchy: the pharaoh at the top, then priests and nobles, followed by scribes and soldiers…

History // Ancient Egypt

Describe the step-by-step process of mummification: the body was washed, internal organs were removed and placed in canopic jars, the body was dried with natron…

History // Ancient Greece & Rome

Locate Greece and Italy on a map and know they are countries around the Mediterranean Sea where two great ancient civilisations — Ancient Greece and Ancient…

History // Ancient Greece & Rome

Know that Roman soldiers marched across a huge empire building straight roads and strong walls, and that some Roman roads, walls, and buildings can still be…

History // Ancient Greece & Rome

Know the Roman founding myth of Romulus and Remus — twin brothers abandoned as babies, raised by a she-wolf, who grew up to found the city of Rome — and…

History // Ancient Greece & Rome

Know that the ancient Greeks believed in many gods and goddesses who lived on Mount Olympus — including Zeus (king of the gods, thunder), Athena (wisdom)…

History // Ancient Greece & Rome

Compare how children in ancient Greece or Rome lived with how children live today — including differences in school (writing on wax tablets, learning to fight…

History // Ancient Greece & Rome

Retell at least one Greek myth involving a hero and a monster — such as Theseus and the Minotaur in the labyrinth, Heracles (Hercules) and the lion, or Perseus…

History // Ancient Greece & Rome

Know that the Olympic Games began in ancient Greece at a place called Olympia as athletic competitions held in honour of Zeus, and that the modern Olympic Games…

History // Ancient Greece & Rome

Describe how the Roman army was organised into legions of highly trained soldiers, how Julius Caesar first raided Britain in 55 BC and Emperor Claudius later…

History // Ancient Greece & Rome

Describe daily life in a Roman town — the forum (marketplace and meeting place), public baths, amphitheatre, and villas — and explain that the Romans were…

History // Ancient Greece & Rome

Compare Athens and Sparta as two very different Greek city-states: Athens focused on learning, arts, debate, and democracy, while Sparta focused on military…

History // Ancient Greece & Rome

Name the major Greek gods and their roles — Zeus (king, thunder), Hera (queen, marriage), Athena (wisdom, warfare), Poseidon (sea), Apollo (sun, music), Artemis…

History // Ancient Greece & Rome

Understand that Athens invented democracy — a system where free male citizens gathered in an Assembly to debate and vote on important decisions for the city…

History // Ancient Greece & Rome

Understand that the Romans adopted the Greek gods but gave them new names — Zeus became Jupiter, Hera became Juno, Ares became Mars, Athena became Minerva…

History // Ancient Greece & Rome

Know that the ancient Greeks invented theatre, performing tragedies and comedies in large open-air amphitheatres with actors wearing masks — and that plays were…

History // Ancient Greece & Rome

Know that Romans watched gladiators fight in huge arenas like the Colosseum in Rome, that gladiators were usually enslaved people or prisoners trained to fight…

History // Ancient Greece & Rome

Describe the battles of Marathon and Thermopylae as moments when Greek city-states united against the invading Persian Empire — the runner Pheidippides bringing…

History // Ancient Greece & Rome

Tell the story of Boudicca, queen of the Iceni tribe, who led a fierce revolt against Roman rule in Britain — burning Colchester, London, and St Albans — before…

History // Historical Thinking

Understand that everything we know about the past comes from evidence — objects, buildings, pictures, documents, and stories that have survived

History // Historical Thinking

Know and use the vocabulary of historical thinking — source, evidence, primary source, secondary source, artefact, chronology, chronological order, BC/BCE…

History // Historical Thinking

Recognise that different people can give different accounts of the same event — and that both can be genuine while still disagreeing

History // Medieval Times

What a castle is: a fortified building used as both a home and a defence; key parts including towers, moat, drawbridge, and thick walls; why castles were built