Year 1 History Scheme of Work
Year 1 history gives pupils their first formal introduction to the past and the tools historians use to understand it. The National Curriculum at KS1 asks pupils to develop an awareness of the past using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time. They should know where the people and events they study fit within a chronological framework and identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods.
The three units in Year 1 are deliberately sequenced from the most personal and familiar — changes within living memory — to the more distant and abstract — significant events and individuals from the more remote past. This progression from the known to the unknown is central to good KS1 history teaching. Artefacts, photographs, oral history, and simple timelines are the primary pedagogical tools, and oracy activities are woven throughout to help pupils articulate their historical thinking.
Expected prior knowledge
- ✓Awareness from EYFS that there is a difference between the past and the present.
- ✓Familiarity with family relationships and the idea that grandparents and great-grandparents lived in a different time.
- ✓Experience of using words such as old, new, before, and after in everyday contexts.
- ✓Awareness of some stories set in the past from fiction and traditional tales.
Units across the year
Six half-term units covering all strands of the KS2 History programme of study.
Changes Within Living Memory
- –Develop an awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the passing of time.
- –Know where the people and events they study fit within a chronological framework.
- –Identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods.
- –Interview a grandparent or elderly visitor about what life was like when they were young, focusing on toys, school, and homes.
- –Sort photographs of everyday objects from the past and present and explain how they know which is which.
- –Create a personal timeline from birth to now using photographs and drawings from home.
- –Compare a 1960s classroom photograph with your own classroom and list as many differences as possible.
Events Beyond Living Memory: The Moon Landing
- –Know about events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally.
- –Understand the concept of change over time and the idea that some events happened a very long time ago.
- –Watch a short clip of the Apollo 11 Moon landing and discuss: why was this such a big moment in history?
- –Place the Moon landing on a class timeline alongside other events pupils have heard of (e.g. World Wars, Victorian era).
- –Compare space travel technology in 1969 with modern space exploration and identify changes.
- –Write a newspaper front page from July 1969 reporting the Moon landing, including a headline and simple text.
Significant Individuals: Florence Nightingale
- –Know about the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements.
- –Compare aspects of life in different periods.
- –Read a picture book account of Florence Nightingale's life and identify key events to place on a timeline.
- –Compare hospitals in the 1850s with hospitals today using photographs and text, discussing why Nightingale's work mattered.
- –Hot-seat activity: one pupil plays Florence Nightingale and answers questions from classmates about her life.
- –Discuss what makes someone a significant historical figure and create a class list of criteria.
Significant Individuals: Mary Seacole
- –Know about the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements.
- –Compare aspects of life in different periods.
- –Read accounts of Mary Seacole's life and compare her story with that of Florence Nightingale.
- –Discuss the challenges Mary Seacole faced because of racism and how she overcame them.
- –Create a dual biography comparing the two figures using a structured writing frame.
- –Debate: who made the bigger contribution to nursing — Nightingale or Seacole? Support your answer with evidence.
Significant Historical Events: The Great Fire of London
- –Know about events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally.
- –Understand that events have causes and effects.
- –Use sources of evidence to answer questions about the past.
- –Sequence a set of key events from the Great Fire of London (2–6 September 1666) using dates and descriptions.
- –Examine Samuel Pepys diary as a primary source and discuss what it tells us about what people experienced.
- –Compare a map of London before and after the fire and identify what changed in the rebuilding.
- –Discuss causes and effects: why did the fire spread so quickly? What lasting changes did it bring?
Progression into Year 2
In Year 2, pupils continue to develop their chronological understanding, revisit the Great Fire of London in greater depth, study a broader range of significant individuals from history, and begin to engage more formally with the idea of historical evidence and interpretation.
Individual lesson plans
Full lesson frameworks — learning objectives, vocabulary, lesson structure, and common misconceptions — for each unit in this scheme.
View all Year 1 History lesson plans →