OUR HOMES, OUR STORIES

Exploring home, place, identity and belonging through local history.

Our Homes, Our Stories is a developing curriculum project from Local History Hub, helping children explore where they live, who they are and how their local stories connect to wider histories.

Developed with and by teachers, the project will be developed, tested and refined through the Local History Hub network during 2026–28.

  • Our Homes, Our Stories is Local History Hub's developing curriculum strand exploring home, neighbourhood, identity, migration, community, family stories, change over time and belonging.

    It will provide teachers with a structured route into place-based enquiry while remaining flexible enough to work in different schools and communities.

    The project isn't intended to replace locally designed local history. Instead, it will provide practical starting points that help teachers connect children with the places, sources and stories around them.

  • Children encounter history all around them: in homes, streets, buildings, landscapes, family histories, migration stories, workplaces and community traditions.

    We want to explore how meaningful local history can strengthen children's knowledge and connection to place, and whether this can contribute to a stronger sense of belonging and engagement.

    During 2026–28, we'll test and refine this developing Theory of Change rather than simply assume those connections.

  • We're developing practical, age-appropriate classroom materials exploring themes including:

    Home & neighbourhood
    Buildings & places
    Maps & local evidence
    Family & community stories
    Migration & identity
    Change over time
    Belonging & connection to place

    Materials will be designed with teachers and tested in real classrooms before the approach is refined and expanded.

  • Autumn 2026
    Development and teacher engagement

    Spring 2027
    Pilot materials and classroom testing

    Summer 2027
    Review, feedback and refinement

    2027–28
    Further classroom testing and development

    Summer 2028
    Evaluation and next-stage planning

    Resources will be shared as the project develops, with feedback from teachers helping to shape what comes next.

  • Our Homes, Our Stories is also an opportunity to build evidence about locally rooted learning.

    During development we'll gather teacher feedback, pupil voice, curriculum examples and appropriate examples of pupil work.

    We'll explore what teachers find useful, how materials work in different contexts and what evidence emerges around children's knowledge of place, belonging and engagement.

    What we learn will shape both Our Homes, Our Stories and Local History Hub's wider work.

  • We're looking forward to developing Our Homes, Our Stories with teachers, schools and heritage partners across the UK.

    Interested in piloting materials, contributing expertise or simply keeping up with the project?

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