History National Curriculum

Progression of Skills in Chronological Awareness

Subject Key Objective Progression & Development by Year Group

The following is a guide to help you understand your child's progression through school.

All lessons are effectively differentiated to ensure that all children can achieve the objectives set.

Chronological Awareness - EYFS

In Nursery, children will:

• begin to make sense of their own life story and family's history;
• begin to notice changes in things over short periods of time.

In Year R, children will:

• recognise that things happened before they were born;
• begin to organise events using basic chronology.

Chronological Awareness - Year 1

In Year 1, children will:

• sequence three or four events in their own life (e.g. birthday, starting school, starting Year 1);

• use common words and phrases for the passing of time (e.g. now, long ago, then, before, after);

• sequence three or four artefacts/photographs from different periods of time. Matching objects to people from different time periods;

• place events on a simple timeline;

• record on a timeline a sequence of historical stories heard orally.

Chronological Awareness - Year 2

In Year 2, children will:

• sequence six artefacts on a timeline;
• sequence six photographs, focusing on the intervals between events;
• place events on a timeline, building on times studied in Year 1;
• begin to recognise how long each event lasted;
• know where people/events studied fit into a chronological framework;
• understand generation in a family context.

Chronological Awareness - Lower Key Stage 2 (Years 3 & 4)

In LKS2, children will:

• sequence events on a timeline, referring to times studied in KS1 to see where these fit in;
• understand that history is divided into periods of history e.g. ancient times, middle ages and modern;
• use dates to work out the interval between periods of time and the duration of historical events or periods.
• use BC/AD/Century;
• sequence eight to ten artefacts, historical pictures or events;
• begin to develop a chronologically secure knowledge of local, British and world history across the periods studied;
• place the time studied on a timeline;
• use dates and terms related to the unit and passing of time e.g. millennium, continuity and ancient;
• notice connections over a period of time. Making a simple individual timeline.

Chronological Awareness - Upper Key Stage 2 (Years 5 & 6)

In UKS2, children will:

• sequence events on a timeline, comparing where it fits in with times studied in previous year groups;

• understand the term “century” and how dating by centuries works;

• put dates in the correct century;

• use relevant dates and relevant terms for the period and period labels e.g.Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Romans, Greeks, Egyptians and Maya;

• develop a chronologically secure understanding of British, local and world history across the periods studied;

• place the time, period of history and context on a timeline;

• relate current study on timeline to other periods of history studied;

• compare and making connections between different contexts in the past. Sequencing 10 events on a timeline.