Year 3 History Scheme of Work
Year 3 history represents a significant leap in chronological scale. Where KS1 history focused on events within the last few centuries, Year 3 takes pupils back thousands of years to prehistoric Britain. The Stone Age to Iron Age unit spans roughly 6,000 years of human development on these islands — from the first hunter-gatherers following the ice age to the sophisticated iron-working societies that preceded the Roman invasion.
Alongside this extended British study, pupils undertake a depth study of Ancient Egypt — one of the great early civilisations. This provides a powerful contrast: while Stone Age Britons were leaving behind traces through artefacts and burial sites, the Egyptians were building pyramids, developing hieroglyphic writing, and creating one of the most enduring cultures in human history. The contrast between these two very different societies deepens pupils' historical thinking and develops their ability to handle a range of primary and secondary sources.
Expected prior knowledge
- ✓Ability to place events on a timeline and understand that some events happened thousands of years ago.
- ✓Experience of using photographs, artefacts, and written sources as evidence.
- ✓Understanding of historical significance and the idea that the past can be interpreted differently.
- ✓Knowledge of significant individuals and events from KS1 history.
Units across the year
Six half-term units covering all strands of the KS2 History programme of study.
Stone Age Britain
- –Know and understand the history of Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age.
- –Understand how our knowledge of Britain in the Stone Age comes primarily from archaeological evidence.
- –Understand the changes in technology, settlement, and way of life across the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic periods.
- –Create a large class timeline placing the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic periods in proportion.
- –Analyse artefacts (or replicas) from Stone Age sites and infer what they tell us about daily life.
- –Study Skara Brae as a case study: what does this Neolithic village tell us about how people lived?
- –Role-play life as a hunter-gatherer versus a settled Neolithic farmer and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Bronze Age and Iron Age Britain
- –Know and understand the changes from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age in Britain.
- –Understand how the development of metal-working changed British society.
- –Explore Stonehenge and other monuments as evidence of Bronze Age beliefs and society.
- –Compare stone, bronze, and iron tools and weapons, discussing how each material changed what was possible.
- –Research Stonehenge: what was it for and what does it tell us about Bronze Age beliefs?
- –Study Iron Age hill forts (e.g. Maiden Castle) and discuss why people chose to build defended settlements.
- –Create an illustrated booklet tracing technological change from the Stone Age to the Iron Age.
Ancient Egypt: Civilisation and Society
- –Know and understand the history of the ancient Egyptian civilisation.
- –Understand how Egyptian society was organised and who held power.
- –Use a range of sources including artefacts, texts, and images to find out about life in ancient Egypt.
- –Explore the social hierarchy of ancient Egypt and create an annotated pyramid diagram showing pharaoh, priests, scribes, craftspeople, farmers, and slaves.
- –Examine the role of the Nile in Egyptian civilisation and explain why Egypt could not have existed without it.
- –Study daily life for different groups in Egyptian society and compare experiences across the social hierarchy.
- –Handle replica artefacts (ushabti, canopic jar, amulet) and infer what they tell us about Egyptian beliefs.
Ancient Egypt: Religion, Death, and the Afterlife
- –Understand the role of religion in ancient Egyptian society.
- –Know how and why the Egyptians mummified their dead.
- –Understand the significance of the pyramids and the Valley of the Kings.
- –Explore the Egyptian pantheon and match gods to their roles and symbolic animals.
- –Study the mummification process step by step using a structured research task and create a labelled diagram.
- –Investigate the construction and purpose of the pyramids, including the Great Pyramid at Giza.
- –Research the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 and discuss what it revealed about ancient Egypt.
Hieroglyphs and Egyptian Legacy
- –Understand how the decipherment of hieroglyphs gave us access to Egyptian history.
- –Know the key achievements of ancient Egypt and their lasting significance.
- –Evaluate the legacy of ancient Egyptian civilisation on the modern world.
- –Decode simple hieroglyphic messages using a hieroglyphic alphabet and write own names in hieroglyphs.
- –Study the Rosetta Stone and discuss how it helped scholars understand ancient Egyptian writing.
- –Research Egyptian achievements in medicine, architecture, mathematics, and agriculture.
- –Create a museum display showing five key achievements of ancient Egypt with explanations of their lasting importance.
Progression into Year 4
In Year 4, pupils study the three major peoples who invaded and settled in Britain: the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons, and the Vikings. These three periods allow pupils to develop their understanding of cause and effect, conflict and settlement, and the ways in which different cultures have shaped British identity.
Individual lesson plans
Full lesson frameworks — learning objectives, vocabulary, lesson structure, and common misconceptions — for each unit in this scheme.
View all Year 3 History lesson plans →