2025/2026
Autumn
Year 3/4 - Stone Age to Iron Age
Key points
- During the Stone Age, there were communities of nomadic hunter-gatherers.
- The Neolithic Period was when people began farming and kept cattle.
- Stone tools and weapons were also introduced.
- In approximately 2300 BC, people in Britain made objects from copper, gold and bronze.
- Neolithic people built Stonehenge.
- People belonged to tribes during the Iron Age.
The children will learn how the earliest humans arrived in Britain around 900,000 years ago – this was when Britain was still part of mainland Europe. They will learn about the three stages of the Stone Age (Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic), including key features of these stages. Skara Brae will be used to demonstrate how preserved primary evidence can be used to determine what life was like for people living at that time. The transition into the Iron and Bronze ages, respectively, will help the children to see the progress that was made over a significant period of time.
Year 5/6 - Baghdad
Key points
- Baghdad was a significant city within the Islamic Empire.
- Caliph Al-Mansur ordered the building of Baghdad to be a round city.
- Baghdad became a popular location within its region due to ease of access via the Tigris River for trading and travelling. The Tigris also enabled locals to have a source of food, drink and a way to improve the fertility of their land.
- The House of Wisdom was a famous building within the city where texts were translated and ideas about maths and science, amongst others, were shared.
- The Mongols attacked Baghdad in 1258, leading to loss of life and the destruction of many important books.
The children will build on their historical understanding through their study of Baghdad and the Islamic Empire, a significant civilisation from the past. Students will understand how the Empire spread through parts of the Middle East, North Africa and into Spain. This will help to secure their understanding of what an Empire is and how it can control large areas of the world. In learning about how the city grew and became successful, we will uncover how the Tigris River contributed to that and why Baghdad's geographical location was part of this. Ensuring the children can make cross-curricular links like this is a significant part of their educational journey. By studying the invasion of the Mongols, the children will come to understand how cause and consequence affect the course of history.