LOCAL HISTORY & THE CURRICULUM
The curriculum sets the starting point. Local history takes learning further.
Every place has a story. Every school has a local history worth exploring.
The streets pupils walk, the buildings they pass and the communities they belong to all hold stories that connect local lives with national and global history.
Across the UK, local history offers opportunities to make the curriculum more meaningful, develop historical enquiry and help young people understand the places that have shaped their lives.
Yet its potential extends far beyond a single topic or statutory requirement.
At Local History Hub, we believe every child should have the opportunity to explore the history of where they live - and every school should have the support to make that possible.
We're building a teacher-led network connecting schools, local historians, museums, archives and heritage organisations to make local history education more accessible, ambitious and sustainable.
Explore the curriculum
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Local history is an established part of the National Curriculum for History in England, offering opportunities for pupils to connect national and international events with the people, places and communities around them.
Key Stage 1
Pupils should learn about significant historical events, people and places in their own locality. This provides an opportunity to explore familiar surroundings, discover how places have changed and begin developing historical enquiry skills.
Key Stage 2
A local history study is a statutory requirement. Schools can investigate changes in their locality over time, explore a local aspect of a wider historical period or examine a significant historical site.
Key Stage 3
Local history remains part of the statutory history programme, with a local history study providing opportunities for more developed historical enquiry and connections between local, national and international history.
GCSE and beyond
Opportunities for local history depend on the examination specification and courses studied. Local archives, historic environments and community histories can nevertheless provide valuable evidence and contexts for further study.
Going beyond the curriculum
The curriculum establishes important expectations, but a meaningful approach to local history should extend beyond completing a single study. Local evidence and examples can enrich teaching across different historical periods and help pupils understand how wider events shaped their communities.
At Local History Hub, we want schools to have the confidence, resources and partnerships to make these connections throughout their history teaching.
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The Curriculum for Wales offers significant opportunities to explore local history through the Humanities Area of Learning and Experience.
A central concept is cynefin, which recognises the importance of the places, relationships and communities that shape our sense of belonging.
Local history provides a meaningful way for learners to investigate their surroundings, understand how communities have developed and explore the experiences of the people who have shaped them.
Through historical enquiry, learners can examine evidence, consider different interpretations and investigate how local events connect to the wider history of Wales and the world.
This includes opportunities to explore migration, industry, language, culture, social change and the contributions of different communities.
Going beyond the curriculum
Local history should not simply reinforce familiar stories about a place. It should encourage learners to ask questions, challenge assumptions and recognise that communities have complex and sometimes contested histories.
At Local History Hub, we believe exploring the history of where we live can help learners understand both their own communities and the wider world.
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Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence provides opportunities to explore local history through Social Studies, encouraging children and young people to investigate the past and understand how people, places and societies change over time.
Local history offers a practical starting point for historical enquiry.
Pupils might investigate the development of their town or village, examine historic maps and photographs, explore local buildings and landscapes or discover the experiences of people who lived and worked in their community.
These investigations can connect local experiences with wider events in Scottish, British and international history.
Working with historical evidence also helps pupils understand that interpretations of the past can differ and that historical claims need to be questioned and supported.
Going beyond the curriculum
Local history can be integrated into learning across different topics rather than treated as a standalone project.
At Local History Hub, we believe schools should be supported to make greater use of the historical knowledge, heritage resources and expertise available in their communities.
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In Northern Ireland, local history provides opportunities to connect learning about people, place and change.
At primary level, The World Around Us encourages pupils to explore their environment, investigate change over time and understand relationships between people, places and communities.
Local history can help children discover how their surroundings have developed, how everyday life has changed and how local experiences connect with wider historical events.
At post-primary level, historical study provides further opportunities to investigate sources, examine different interpretations and explore the complexity of the past.
Local history is particularly valuable when it encourages pupils to consider a range of experiences and perspectives.
Going beyond the curriculum
Exploring the past should involve more than learning a familiar account of a community's history. Pupils should have opportunities to investigate evidence, encounter different voices and develop their own informed understanding.
At Local History Hub, we believe local history education should be inclusive, thoughtful and grounded in historical enquiry.
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England's Curriculum and Assessment Review, chaired by Professor Becky Francis, published its final report in November 2025.
The Review examined how the curriculum could remain ambitious and inclusive while addressing concerns about content, progression and the pressures experienced by schools.
Its consideration of historical knowledge, enquiry and the use of diverse sources is particularly relevant to local history education.
Local history can help pupils connect national developments with the experiences of particular communities, investigate primary sources and understand how different interpretations of the past are formed.
However, recognising the value of local history is not the same as making it accessible.
Teachers need time, reliable resources, professional development and opportunities to work with local heritage organisations.
Our position
Curriculum reform should make it easier for schools to teach local history well, rather than leave individual teachers to overcome practical barriers on their own.
At Local History Hub, we believe the success of curriculum reform should be judged not only by what appears in official guidance, but by the opportunities schools can realistically provide.
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Local history is more than a way of making the past feel familiar. Research into heritage education and place-based learning highlights its potential to develop historical enquiry, strengthen connections with communities and help young people understand the relationship between local, national and global history.
It also reinforces an important principle: local history should be embedded in learning, rather than confined to a one-off lesson or occasional project.
GEM: Heritage Education, Identity and Belonging
GEM, the Group for Education in Museums, highlights the contribution heritage education can make to civic awareness, identity and a sense of place.
Its work explores how museums and heritage organisations can collaborate with schools to create meaningful learning experiences rooted in local communities.
These partnerships can help pupils encounter historical evidence, explore different perspectives and understand the relationship between people, places and the past.
Read GEM's research on heritage education →
Historic England: The Benefits of Local Heritage Education
Historic England's Heritage Schools programme provides evidence of the value of connecting teaching with local historic environments.
Its evaluations report that teachers see benefits for pupils' sense of place, pride in their locality and understanding of local heritage. The programme also supports teachers to develop the confidence and skills needed to use local heritage across their teaching.
This is particularly relevant to Local History Hub's ambition to make local history a sustained part of education, rather than an isolated curriculum activity.
Explore Historic England's Heritage Schools programme →
Lucy Grimshaw and Lewis Mates: Making Heritage Matter?
In their 2022 study, Making Heritage Matter? Teaching Local Mining History in Primary Schools, Lucy Grimshaw and Lewis Mates explored the educational value of teaching local industrial heritage.
Their research examined how engaging with the history of local mining communities could help primary pupils explore identity, environment and the experiences of people who shaped their locality.
The study highlights the potential of local heritage to connect classroom learning with community knowledge, while demonstrating the importance of meaningful partnerships between schools and heritage organisations.
Read Making Heritage Matter? by Lucy Grimshaw and Lewis Mates →
Research into Schools and Local Archives
Research into collaboration between teachers and local archives has also explored the opportunities offered by place-based history education.
Access to original documents, photographs, maps and other historical sources can help pupils develop enquiry skills and investigate how their communities have changed.
However, this research also identifies practical challenges, including access to resources, time and the coordination needed to establish effective partnerships.
These findings reinforce the importance of supporting teachers and connecting schools with local heritage expertise.
Read Putting the Past in Place →
What Does This Mean for Schools?
Taken together, this research and professional evidence suggest that well-designed local history education can create opportunities to:
Develop historical enquiry: Encourage pupils to question sources, evaluate evidence and form interpretations.
Connect local and wider histories: Show how national and global developments have shaped individual communities.
Explore identity and belonging: Help pupils understand the different people and experiences that have shaped the places they know.
Discover overlooked histories: Introduce perspectives and stories that may receive less attention in traditional historical narratives.
Build meaningful partnerships: Connect schools with museums, archives, historians and community organisations.
Embed learning across the curriculum: Use local heritage as a continuing resource for historical understanding rather than an occasional activity.
The evidence comes from different kinds of research, evaluations and professional practice. It demonstrates valuable opportunities, rather than proving that every local history project will produce the same outcomes.
At Local History Hub, we believe local history education should be ambitious, inclusive and grounded in historical evidence.
Our aim is to help schools move beyond isolated local history lessons and make meaningful connections with their communities a sustained part of learning.
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Local history can make the past tangible by connecting classroom learning with the buildings, landscapes, documents, objects and stories found in pupils' own communities.
But its value goes far beyond familiarity.
Developing historical enquiry
Local sources provide opportunities for pupils to ask questions, examine evidence, consider reliability and develop interpretations of the past.
Connecting local and wider histories
A local factory, railway, memorial, place of worship or housing estate can provide a starting point for investigating wider developments such as industrialisation, migration, conflict or social change.
Exploring identity and belonging
Investigating the experiences of different people who have lived in a locality can help pupils develop a more informed understanding of their community.
Discovering overlooked stories
Local history can reveal experiences that receive less attention in textbooks, helping pupils understand that history involves multiple perspectives and interpretations.
Learning beyond the classroom
Partnerships with archives, museums, historians and community groups can introduce pupils to historical evidence and expertise beyond school.
Our position
Local history deserves to be embedded in learning, not confined to a one-off lesson or annual project.
It should complement wider historical knowledge and help pupils understand the connections between local, national and global histories.
Every school should have the opportunity to make these connections, regardless of its location, budget or existing heritage relationships.
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Local History Hub is building a teacher-led network that connects schools, local historians, museums, archives and heritage organisations.
Our aim is to make local history education more accessible, ambitious and sustainable.
We recognise that teachers already face significant demands on their time. Meaningful local history learning should not depend on individual teachers having to find every resource, contact and opportunity themselves.
Connecting schools and communities
We help schools explore opportunities to work with local heritage organisations and people who have knowledge of their area's history.
Supporting teachers
Through professional development and shared expertise, we aim to help teachers develop confidence in using local history and historical evidence.
Developing curriculum opportunities
We support approaches that connect local history with curriculum learning, historical enquiry and wider educational priorities.
Encouraging participation
Initiatives such as Local History Day provide opportunities for schools and communities to explore and celebrate the histories of their localities.
Offering tailored support
For schools, academy trusts and heritage organisations seeking more extensive support, we can explore bespoke curriculum development, partnerships and consultancy.
Whether you're planning a Key Stage 2 local history study, developing a whole-school approach or looking to establish stronger local partnerships, Local History Hub can help you explore the next steps.
No Local History Hub Near You? Let's Talk.
Our network is growing, but we know there are schools and communities we haven't reached yet.
You don't need a local Hub to begin exploring what local history could offer your pupils.
Perhaps you're looking for curriculum advice, local heritage connections, professional development or support to develop a new project. You may be interested in starting a Hub or exploring bespoke consultancy for your school or organisation.
Whatever your starting point, we'd love to hear from you.
Tell us what you're hoping to achieve, and we'll explore how we may be able to help.
Every place has a history. Every child deserves the opportunity to explore it.
The curriculum provides a starting point, but local history deserves to be embedded in school life, not confined to one-off lessons or occasional projects.
Every place has a story worth exploring, and every child deserves the opportunity to understand the history of the communities around them. Yet too often, teachers make this possible in spite of the pressures and limitations they face, rather than because they have the support they need.
Together, we can change that.
By building stronger connections between schools, local historians, museums, archives and communities, we can create the resources, partnerships and opportunities that help schools take local history further.
Join the growing Local History Hub network and be part of a movement to make local history an accessible, meaningful and lasting part of every child's education.
FAQs
Have questions about teaching local history? Explore how it fits into the curriculum, why it matters and how Local History Hub can help your school make the most of the history on its doorstep.
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Yes. Local history is a statutory part of the National Curriculum for History in England.
At Key Stage 1, pupils must learn about significant historical events, people and places in their own locality. At Key Stage 2, schools must teach a local history study.
Schools have flexibility in choosing the people, places, events and sources they investigate.
At Local History Hub, we believe these requirements should be a starting point, not the limit of local history education. Local history deserves to be embedded throughout learning, rather than confined to a single topic or occasional lesson.
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A Key Stage 2 local history study is a statutory requirement within England's primary history curriculum.
Schools can explore changes in their locality over time, investigate a local aspect of a wider historical period or examine a significant historic site.
For example, pupils might investigate how their town changed during industrialisation, explore the history of migration in their community or study the people connected to a local landmark.
The most effective studies go beyond collecting facts. They encourage pupils to ask historical questions, examine evidence and connect local experiences with wider developments.
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Local history can enrich learning beyond a single history topic.
In geography, pupils can explore how landscapes and settlements have changed. In English, local stories, oral histories and historical documents can provide meaningful material for reading and writing. Art, design and citizenship can also offer opportunities to investigate the heritage and experiences of local communities.
Within history itself, local examples can be revisited across different periods to help pupils connect wider developments with familiar places.
Embedding local history does not mean adding more content to an already crowded timetable. It means making thoughtful connections between existing curriculum learning and the historical evidence available in the local area.
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Local history helps children understand that the past is not confined to textbooks, museums or distant places.
It can be explored through familiar streets, buildings, landscapes, photographs, objects and the experiences of people in their communities.
When taught through historical enquiry, local history encourages pupils to question evidence, consider different perspectives and understand how wider events have shaped the places they know.
It can also create opportunities to explore identity, belonging and the contributions of people whose stories may otherwise be overlooked.
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Research and evaluations suggest that well-designed local history and heritage education can support historical enquiry, connections with place and engagement with community heritage.
Historic England's Heritage Schools programme has reported positive teacher perceptions of pupils' sense of place and understanding of local heritage.
GEM, the Group for Education in Museums, has highlighted the contribution heritage education can make to civic awareness and belonging.
Academic research, including work by Lucy Grimshaw and Lewis Mates, has also explored how local industrial heritage can help pupils investigate identity, environment and community history.
The evidence highlights valuable opportunities, although outcomes depend on how learning is planned and delivered.
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No. Every locality contains historical evidence worth investigating.
Schools can begin with historic maps, photographs, buildings, street names, memorials, landscapes, newspapers and the memories of local residents.
Digital archives and online collections can provide further opportunities, particularly where physical heritage resources are limited.
Museums, archives and local historians can enrich learning, but a lack of existing partnerships should not prevent schools from exploring local history.
Local History Hub aims to help schools develop these connections and make local heritage expertise more accessible.
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Yes. In England, a local history study is included in the statutory Key Stage 3 history programme.
At GCSE, opportunities depend on the examination specification and topics selected. Some courses include a historic environment study, although this is not necessarily local to the school.
Local sources can also enrich the teaching of wider historical themes, including industrialisation, migration, conflict and social change.
Local history can therefore remain relevant throughout secondary education, even where it is not a separate assessed topic.
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The Curriculum for Wales provides opportunities to explore local history through the Humanities Area of Learning and Experience.
The concept of cynefin is particularly important, encouraging learners to understand the places, communities and relationships that shape their sense of belonging.
Local history can help learners investigate the changing character of their locality, consider different experiences of the past and connect Welsh history with wider national and global developments.
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ngland's Curriculum and Assessment Review, published in November 2025, considered how the curriculum could be strengthened while remaining ambitious and inclusive.
Its discussion of historical knowledge, enquiry and the use of diverse sources is relevant to the opportunities offered by local history.
However, curriculum recognition alone is not enough. Schools also need the time, resources, professional development and partnerships to teach local history effectively.
Local History Hub believes curriculum reform should help make meaningful local history education more accessible, rather than leave teachers to overcome practical barriers independently.
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Yes. Our network is growing, and you do not need an established Local History Hub in your area to get in touch.
Whether you are looking for curriculum guidance, professional development, heritage partnerships or support to develop a local history project, we would welcome your enquiry.
We can also discuss opportunities to establish a new Hub or explore bespoke consultancy for schools, academy trusts and heritage organisations.
Tell us what you are hoping to achieve through the enquiry form on this page.