Skills Progression for History

Strand / Stage One / Stage Two / Stage Three / Stage Four / Stage Five / Stage Six / Stage Seven
Finding Out About / Talk about and share experiences of / Compare aspects of the present with / Use simple sources of information such / Use a range of information to ask and / Answer questions about the past / Select, combine and present / Use sound evidence to support enquiry
the Past / the past and present. / the past and describe simple / as artefacts, photos and books to / answer questions about the past. / selecting information from a wide range / information from more than one source. / and conclusions.
similarities and differences. / answer simple questions about the past. / of sources.
(Enquiry)
Talk about and describe artefacts from / Use appropriate terminology and
Give reasons for and describe changes / Use key evidence to support judgements / Use interpretations, pictures and written / Identify different ways in which people / Make a reasoned judgement about the / methods to present information about
the past and present.
that have taken place within living / and reasoning made about aspects of / sources to build a picture about the past. / have represented and interpreted the / validity of the different representations / the past.
memory. (linked to national life) / the past. / past. / of the past.
Pursue historically valid enquiries
Ask and answer questions about an / Give reasons why peoples account of / including some they have framed
archaeological site. / the same event may be different. / Talk about and give reasons for an / Recognise some of the strengths and / themselves.
event being interpreted in a range of / limitations in terms of archaeological
different ways. / evidence. / Create relevant, structured and
Talk about sources of information that / evidently support accounts.
contain negative views and accounts. / Give reasons for negative views and / Talk about why some written sources / Identify how and why contrasting
accounts in written sources of / may give a negative view or account. / arguments and interpretations of the
information. / past have been constructed.
Finding Out About / Use simple everyday terms to describe / Talk about events, places and people / Talk with increasing accuracy and detail / Use dates and historical terms to / Describe the key characteristics and / Compare and contrast features of / Extend and deepen chronological
the Past / the passing of time, e.g. new and old, / beyond living memory.(National or / about events, places and people beyond / describe historical periods, e.g. The / features of a range of different periods / historical periods identifying similarities / knowledge and understanding of
now and then etc. / Global) / living memory. / Victorians, the Great Fire of London / of history. / and differences. / British, local and world history.
(Chronology) / 1666.
Talk about own life and those of people
I know. / Use historical terms to describe the / Use an increasing range of historical / Describe how the past has been divided / Describe changes that have taken place / Describe and analyse the impact of / Analyse and evaluate the cause and
passage of time, e.g. modern, recent, / terms to describe the passage of time, / into different periods of time. / within and across historical periods. / change within and between periods in / effect of changes that took place in the
Place objects and events within / long ago, older etc. / e.g. modern, recent, long ago, older / Use the terms BC and AD to locate / Use historical terms effectively to / the past. / past.
experience, in time order. / etc. / dates of invasion and occupation. / describe periods within history.
Place objects, people and events / Place a range of objects, people and / Explain reasons for placing objects, / Place civilisations and events on a / Select and organise information making / Describe the ways in which different
beyond own experiences in time order. / events beyond own experiences in time / people and events in a particular order. / timeline showing an understanding of / accurate and effective use of dates and / types of historical sources are used
order. / the terms BC and AD. / terminology when analysing and / rigorously to make historical claims.
evaluating historical periods.
Historical Events / Talk about events in my life and the / Talk about events and the lives of / Talk about and describe, in simple terms / Describe features of historical events / Describe a range of different features of / Describe features of past events and / Identify significant events, make
lives of people I know. / people beyond living memory. / features of key events and people in the / beyond living memory. / key historical events. / make links between them. / connections, draw contrasts, and
(Own locality) / past. / analyse trends within periods and over
long arcs of time.
Compare similar events from the present / Identify common themes and features. / Compare and contrast events from / Interpret and evaluate a key historical
and past. / different historical periods, e.g. / event from more than one perspective / Understand and explain the reasons
Victorians and 1960’s. / or view point. / for, and results of, key historical
events.
Talk about the impact of events on the / Explain and give reasons for events in / Talk about the impact of events on / Support evaluations with a range of / Support evaluations with a range of
lives of the people of the time. / the present and past. / different groups within society at that / evidence from a range of sources. / effective evidence from a range of
time. / appropriate sources.
Lifestyles of People / Talk about and describe my home and / Talk about similarities and differences / Talk about and describe the home and / Compare and contrast the ways of life of / Identify and describe features and / Describe and make links between a / Gain an understanding of the
in the Past / the way I live, e.g. day to day life, / between my life and that of others. / the way people lived, e.g. day to day / people from different historical periods. / characteristics of past societies. / range of past societies. / development of Church, state and
things I do, my house, my family etc. / life, things they did, their house, their / society in Medieval Britain 1066-1509,
family etc. / Compare and describe features of life / Compare and describe the / Analyse and give reasons for the / then 1509-1745.
now and in the past beyond living / characteristics of a range of significant / characteristics of a range of significant
Describe similarities and differences / Describe and give reasons for / memory. / groups from the past, e.g. Romans, / groups form the past, e.g. Aztecs and / Describe the ideas, political power,
between the lives of people. / similarities and differences between the / Anglo-Saxons etc. / Mayans etc. / industry and empire: Britain, 1745-
lives of people. / 1901.
Describe and give reasons for the / Compare and analyse the factors that / Describe and give reasons for the
Describe the changes and differences in / changes and differences in lifestyle in / caused change in the past. / beliefs held by different societies in the / Compare and contrast challenges for
lifestyle in the past and present. / the past and present. / past. / Britain, Europe and the wider world
Talk about the impact of change on past / 1901 to the present day, including
societies, e.g. migration on economic / Compare and contrast the distinctive / studying the Holocaust.
grounds, displacement due to war or / features of past societies.
famine.
Significant Historical / Talk about important people in my life / Talk about important people beyond / Talk about and describe events in the / Use a range of sources of information to / Use a range of sources of information to / Use a wide range of evidence to / Conduct an in depth local study.
People / and those of people I know. / living memory using a range of / life of a well-known historical person. / find out about a significant historical / find out about significant historical / compare and analyse the lives of
historical vocabulary. / person from a historical period, e.g. / people from a key historical period, e.g. / significant historical people from the / Describe a significant society or issue
(National and International / Queen Elizabeth I, Florence / Charles Darwin and Queen Victoria. / same historical period. / in world history and its interconnections
achievements) / Nightingale. / with other world developments.
Describe key events in their life from a / Identify and describe key events in their / Compare and contrast a range of / Use a wide range of evidence to / Use appropriate evidence sources to
range of sources of information. / life from a range of sources of / information about a significant historical / compare and analyse the lives of / identify how people’s lives have been
information. / person. / significant historical people from / shaped by people and events.
different historical periods.
Talk about the actions of, and events in / Talk about and give reasons for the
the life of a well-known historical person. / actions of, and events in the life of a
well-known historical person.
Subject Content at Key Stage One / Subject Content at Key Stage Two
Changes within living memory, including where appropriate aspects of change in national life. / Changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age.
Events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally. / The Roman Empire and its impact on Britain.
The lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national or international achievements. / Britain’s settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots.
Comparison of aspects of life in different periods. / Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England in the time of Edward the Confessor.
Significant historical events, people and places in the locality. / A local historical study.
A study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066.
Early civilizations, an overview of where and when they appeared, as well as an in depth study of one of the following, Ancient Sumer, The Indus Valley, Ancient Egypt, and The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China.
Ancient Greece, Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world.
A non-European society that provides contrasts with British history, one of either early Islamic civilization, including a study of Baghdad c. AD 900; Mayan civilization c. AD 900; Benin c. AD 900-1300.

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