Primary History - KS1 & KS2 / Age 5 - 11

BBC Teach > School Radio

School Radio offers a range of primary History resources for KS1 and KS2 pupils arranged in clip libraries that include a mix of both audio and video clips and supported by Teacher Notes.

KS1 History resources

The Great Fire of London

Age 5 - 9. Explore The Great Fire of London through Music, Dance and Drama activities and a final History programme presented by Cat Sandion of CBeebies.

The Great Fire of London - images

Images relating to The Great Fire of London

Grace Darling

Age 5 - 9. Watch a short video in which the famous Victorian Grace Darling - 'heroine of the sea' - tells us about her life and the famous sea rescue she undertook in 1838.

KS2 History resources

Tales from Ancient Greece

Age 9 - 11. A collection of some of the best-known stories from Ancient Greek mythology, including King Midas, the Minotaur, Medusa, Persephone and the Cyclops.

Ancient Greece - The Trojan War

Age 9 - 11. The main events of The Trojan War - as related by Homer in 'The Iliad' - are told by an Old Soldier remembering the battle and how it was ended by a wooden horse.

The Romans

Age 7 - 11. Topics include the invasion of Britain, Julius Caesar, Roman gods and goddesses, buildings, Boudicca, Roman roads, Roman food, Roman games and songs about Roman life.

The Anglo-Saxons

Age 7 - 11. Seven dramas explore Anglo-Saxon times, including Alfred the Great, Athelstan, the story of Beowulf and the end of the Anglo-Saxon dynasty at the Battle of Hastings.

The Tudors

Age 7 - 11. Topics include the reigns of Henry 8th and Elizabeth 1st, Tudor seafaring, Tudor medicine, rich and poor, work and play, Tudor exploration and Elizabethan theatre.

The Victorians

Age 7 - 11. Short dramas about key people and events from the era and also the lives of children. Topics include chimney sweeps, street children, Victorian inventions, Brunel, the Crystal Palace, the railways.

The life of Mary Seacole

Age 7 - 11. The life of famous Victorian Mary Seacole is told in three short video episodes. The episodes cover the Crimean War and what happened to Mary Seacole after the war.

Grace Darling

Age 5 - 9. Watch a short video in which the famous Victorian Grace Darling - 'heroine of the sea' - tells us about her life and the famous sea rescue she undertook in 1838.

Britain since the 1930s

Age 7 - 11. Key events from the C20th are covered in a range of audio clips from the BBC Sound Archive. The topics include Transport, Technology, Media, Society and Space.

World War 2 Clips

Age 7 - 11. Video clips using material from the BBC archive. Topics include evacuation, the Blitz, rationing, songs, news reports, speeches, eye-witness accounts and wartime music.

Sir Nicholas Winton

Recounting events from 1939/9, when Nicholas Winton arranged the rescue of 669 children from Prague at the outset of WW2.

Historical stories

Age 9 - 11. Bringing the past alive with stories about real life people and events. These stories have been selected from our collection of 'Audio stories'.

Scotland’s Home Front

An audio drama about the impact of the Clydebank Blitz on a family during World War Two.