Our high-quality History education at St Anthony’s aims to inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the places, people and events of the past, developing their knowledge of how things have changed over time and how history has shaped the lives of people today.
Below you will find some examples of our History in action at St Anthony's. Mr Whittle is our History Leader. This is in addition to our wonderful displays, children's books, visitor comments and of course, our children themselves. Ask us all about History ... we love learning about the past!
Remembrance Day 2024
Year 4 - Anglo-Saxon Wonder Day
We were very excited to be able to extend our knowledge and understanding of the Anglo-Saxons during our wonder day. We had the opportunity to handle and investigate a wide range of artefacts, learnt how to play an Anglo-Saxon board game together with learning about key aspects of Anglo-Saxon warfare. Our Anglo-Saxon visitor was amazed with our retention of knowledge and understanding of life in Britain during the Anglo-Saxon period. Well done Year 4!
Year 3 The Cave
Exploring History at St Anthony's 2023-2024
Year 5 History - Viking Raids and Invasions (Autumn 2)
This half term, Year 5 have been exploring the Viking age of Britain, comparing a range of sources of evidence to decide whether the Vikings came to invade or settle on British land.
Our learning journey began by using atlases to explore the lands the Vikings came from and the geographical conditions there, speculating why the Vikings may have come to settle in Britain.
We have used and analysed a range of sources to inform our research, including authentic Viking artefacts from the Barnsley Experience. It was extremely important to consider whether each source was a primary or secondary source, as well as whether each source was biased.
We ended our topic by re-enacting two of the most significant battles of the Viking age of Britain - the Battle of Stamford Bridge and the Battle of Hastings.
This has been an extremely exciting topic to study, which we will be sure to revisit often. Feel free to ask us any questions about the Vikings - we are sure to blow you away with our knowledge!
Remembrance Day 2023
Romans 2023
King Charles' Coronation 2023
Year 2 - Great Fire of London workshop with the National Archives - Exploring Historical Sources of Evidence [May 2023]
Year 2 took part in an online workshop with the National Archives to explore the evidence which informs us about the Great Fire of London. We explored maps of London before and after the fire, which showed us the impact of the fire. We pinpointed where Pudding Lane was on the map, based on how the streets of London had changed after the fire. The lighter parts of the map showed us how the buildings had been destroyed and engulfed by the fire. We then explored Hearth Tax from 1666, showing us evidence of Thomas Farriner and his bakery on Pudding Lane. After, we looked at King Charles’ declaration where he stated that any new house or building must be made from brick or stone. We learnt so much from our session and all children asked fantastic questions!
Year 2 Recreate the 1666 Great Fire of London at St Anthony's! (May 2023)
As part of our exciting History topic, 'The Great Fire of London', Year 2 created our own Great Fire right here at St Anthony's! Each child created a magnificent building from 1666 in order for us to create a London scene of Pudding Lane and beyond...
From this, our fire started in Thomas Farriner's Bakery on Pudding Lane, spreading rapidly throughout the streets of London. We saw how the fire spread so quickly because the houses were so close together and also the wind carried the leaping waves from building to building. Afterwards, we discussed the impact of the fire and saw how lots of London was left as rubble and ash. What an amazing experience!
Thank you so much to all of the parents in Year 2 for supporting our wonderful children with this exciting activity, through creating some extraordinary 1666 buildings. Wow! I'm so proud of you all Year 2, what a great afternoon of History learning.
Year 2 History - Examining Sources of Evidence
In our History topic, 'The Great Fire of London', Year 2 have been exploring old and new maps to discover what they could tell us about the fire. We compared the maps and considered what was similar and what was different about each map. We then used our observational skills to identify where the famous Pudding Lane was on each of the maps. We noticed that Pudding Lane could be identified by crossing London Bridge and moving up and to the right - some great skills here Year 2! We then looked at the newer map of London to consider how it looks different to the map of London before the great fire started. What a fantastic start to our topic Year 2, I'm really proud of you!
Year 2 Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole
Year 3 Stone Age - Fieldtrip to Skelton Grange (History Learning Day 2023)
Year 5 Vikings 2023
Year one History Autumn 2 2022
Year 1 - 1950s Wonder Day
Year 2 History - Developing our understanding of chronology through exploring the life of Florence Nightingale
Year 2 History - Toys from the 1950s (November 2022)
Year 2 engaged in a fantastic virtual workshop hosted by Abbey House Museum, in order to find out about toys from the 1950s and how they differ from our toys today. The children were shown lots of different toys from the past and it was shared how they were made and why certain materials were chosen to make the toys. We then discussed the similarities and differences between toys from the past and present and were given the opportunity to ask lots of insightful questions. Well done Year 2!
Year 2: The Great Fire of London...at St Anthony's!
Year 2 have been immersed in our History topic, 'The Great Fire of London'. In order to bring our learning to life, each child made their own house so we could recreate the city of London in 1666. We then set fire to Thomas Farriner's Bakery shop on Pudding Lane and observed how the fire left a trail of destruction throughout the city. Take a look at some of our photos from our exciting day!
Year 3 WW2 Wonder Day
We started our session with an introduction into World War 2 and the events leading up to the outbreak of war. We learnt all about the different countries involved and each part they played in the War. We took on the role of Air-Raid Warden and completed a round robin of activities that highlighted the effects of air raids on everyday life in Britain. We were trained as the heroes of ‘Dads Army’ to prepare for invasion. We learnt lots of well-known techniques such as using Air Raid Shelters as well as some surprising ones such as blackouts and evacuation. In our final session we were put into a real time night bombing scenario as we worked together to find safety, fight fires and deal with the consequences of the Blitz. We found this very exciting and couldn't believe how people had to live throughout the War. Take a look at our video to see what we got up to We hope you enjoy it!
Year 4 History Detectives
We are really enjoying our History topic where we are learning about Roman Britain. As History detectives, we worked in groups and selected our own areas of interest. We carried out research using a range of secondary sources. We noted our findings and presented our learning to the class. The highlight was children discovering what the Romans used instead of toilet paper. A fact I am sure that they will never forget!
Year 5 - In Flanders Fields
Year 4 Roman Wonder Day
We had a wonderful time during our Roman Day. It was an opportunity to bring our history topic to life. We selected our own areas of interest and carried out research using a wide range of secondary sources. We worked together and decided how to record our findings. We then presented our learning to the rest of the class. We found out about the importance of Roman mosaics and enjoyed creating our own examples. This was a day to remember!
Year 5 - Glorious Greeks
Year 1 St Anthony's' in the past
Year 2 - Florence Nightingale Experience
Year 2 Visit to Thackray Medical Museum - March 2022
Year 2 have been learning all about Florence Nightingale and her impact on our lives today. To further enhance our learning, we visited the Thackray Medical Museum to bring our learning to life and delve deeper into the life of Florence! We explored the changing role of nurses, the conditions in Scutari Hospital and how Florence Nightingale made such a positive impact. We then explored the museum to discover what life in Leeds was like in the Victorian Era and also what health issues the people faced during this time. We had such a wonderfully immersive day and enjoyed every second of learning! Take a look at some of our photos from the day...
Year 3 - Stone Age Adventures
Year 2 March 2022 - Developing an understanding of chronology - Florence Nightingale
Year 2 - Christmas in the past
Year 2 Christmas in the Past - December 2021
In History, Year 2 are learning about Christmas in the past. We visited Temple Newsam to learn about how Christmas was celebrated in the past, including traditional Christmas decorations, traditions and gifts. We then engaged in an interactive story telling workshop, using our knowledge to assist us with retelling the story in the historic surroundings of Temple Newsam. Take a look at some of our pictures from the day!
Year 5 Visit to The York Chocolate Story
History around St Anthony's
Come and take a look at the wonderful History work on display around our school!
Reception - Remembrance
To mark Remembrance Day we had a very reflective day learning all about who we remember on this special day. We developed our cutting skills by making poppies, painted poppies to display on our window and pretended to be soldiers crossing the battlefield. This culminated in a very special collective worship where we gathered around the focal point we had created to help us to reflect and remember.
Year 3 - Anglo Saxon Villages
Year 3 have been building Anglo-Saxon villages at home and in school and they have done an absolutely fantastic job! Take a look and enjoy!
Year 3 - Captain Tom Wonder Day
The year 3 children designed and played a life size board game built around calculations involving the number 100 to honour Captain Tom Moore's grand old age. The year 3 heroes were also treated to their own medals of honour Captain Tom Moore style.
Year 3 - Anderson Shelters
Year 3 have been creating some WW2 Anderson shelter models. They have chosen their materials to provide strength to withstand an air-raid (water bomb test...).
Reception - Captain Tom Wonder Day
We learnt all about Captain Tom and what made him such a special and inspirational person. Look at all of the wonderful activities we did both at home and at school.
Reception - Remembrance
We really enjoyed learning all about Remembrance Day. The children were so reflective and said prayers so beautifully around the war memorial we had made.
Reception - The History of Ourselves
We have been exploring our own histories by looking at photographs of ourselves when we were younger. We used these to talk about how we had changed over time and events from our past. I wonder if you can work out who is in these photographs? "I've got taller and my hair is longer" said Daisy. "I couldn't walk or talk but now I never stop talking" said Dolly.
History in Year 1- Wonder Day
IN Spring Term Year 1 were learning about what it was like to be a pupil of St. Anthony's in the past. We looked at the school building and how it had changed. We also looked at what houses were like and what everyday life was like. We interviewed lots of visitors who were pupils at our school and we asked questions to find our what it was like. To conclude this topic Year 1 had a wonder day, we all dressed up as past pupils and pretended were were living in the past to fully experience what life was like. It was great fun! We even visited our huge timeline on the playground to find when our old school was built, and when our new school was built. We found out that Miss Leonard was not as old as a dinosaur after all, even though she was taught in the old school! Superb enquiry Year 1.
History in Year 1- Remembering Captain Tom Moore
Year 1 learnt all about Captain Tom Moore and the wonderful things he had achieved in his life.
History in Year 1
Over the year we have looked at significant events in history and looked at changes through time. Year 1 especially loved acting out The Gunpowder Plot and learning all about Guy Fawkes. They also enjoyed learning about old toys and what their grandparents used to play with as children.
Year 1- Captain Tom Moore Wonder Day (Lives of inspriational people from the past)
Year 2 - Life at St Anthony's in the Past
Year 2 had an amazing day experiencing what life at St Anthony's was like for a child in the past. From clothes worn, lessons taught and even paying a penny to get into school...we were immersed in the past! We explored the history of our local area, asked historical questions and observed different ways in which the past is represented e.g. through songs, displays and historical artefacts. This allowed us to identify similarities and differences between life in different periods, including in our own lives. We had a superb day of learning and the children experienced so much about life in the past! Well done Year 2! Mrs Gledhill
Year 2 - The Great Fire of London
Fire! Fire! London's burning! Today, we recreated the Great Fire of London at St Anthony's! I am so proud of Year 2 for how well they have engaged in our class topic. Their knowledge is incredible and we even had a visit from real firefighters to strengthen our knowledge last week! Today, we set 'London' ablaze and sung 'London's burning', as the fire spread through London. Each child could describe why the fire spread so quickly and this afternoon, we learned more about the aftermath of the fire. What an incredible day of learning! Well done Year 2! Mrs Gledhill
Take a look at our amazing Great Fire of London!
Year 2 - Great Fire of London Fire Visit [May 2021]
In order to deepen our knowledge of the Great Fire of London, Year 2 had a virtual visit from Hunslet Fire Station. We learned so much about how the fire service has changed between 1666 and 2021. We compared the very first fire engines and their equipment, to the fire engines that are used today. We discussed why the fire spread so quickly across London and what methods were used in order to put the fire out. By the end of our session, all the children could discuss the impact of the Great Fire of London, and how it informed people to be safer, particularly with the development of the fire brigade. I was so impressed with the historical enquiry which took place! Year 2 asked some amazing questions such as, "Why did the fire spread so quickly?", "If the Great Fire happened now, how would it be put out differently?" and "Would the Great Fire have been as big if we had the fire engines we have today?" What amazing questions! Take a look at some photos from our special talk...
Year 2 - A True Inspiration: Sir Captain Tom Moore
Year 2 - Christmas in the Past
Year 2 Life Long Ago workshop - Science/History
Year 2 - Christmas in the past
Year 2 visited Abbey House Museum to bring our topic 'Christmas in the past' to life! During our visit, we discovered old decorations, when/how Christmas trees became popular in the United Kingdom, toys which children used to get for Christmas and how Christmas is different from the past and present. We had a wonderful day and enhanced our knowledge and understanding in an experiential way. Take a look at some of our pictures from the day!
Year 3 - History
Examples of work from the topics 'Anglo Saxons' and 'The Stone Age'.
Year 4 Terrific Tudors at Temple Newsam
We had a wonderful time at Temple Newsam. This was an opportunity to really bring alive our History topic on the Tudors. During our visit, we created a timeline to represent the history of the house and found out about its famous owners. We explored the building, found evidence of Tudor architecture and compared this with the present day. We used Tudor portraits and artefacts as evidence of life in Tudor England. We were very lucky to wear replica Tudor costumes and loved learning a Tudor dance. We even saw the bed that was used by Henry VIII. This certainly was a day to remember!
Year 4 Roman Wonder Day
Our History Wonder Day was a fantastic opportunity to bring our topic on the Romans to life. During our morning with a Roman soldier, we found out why Emperor Claudius decided to invade Britain. We discovered how to become a Roman soldier and investigated a legionary's kit. We handled a collection of artefacts, such as weapons and armour. We discovered how the Roman army was organised and understand how this led to their success. We experienced how to perform Roman marching and shield drills in Latin.
In the afternoon, we found out about Roman baths and investigated the amenities they contained. We took this as our inspiration to design and make a mosaic for a Roman bath house.
Year 4 - The Terrific Tudors
We brought our History topic alive with our Tudor themed day. We found out about the wives of Henry VIII, made Tudor houses and Tudor roses and really enjoyed making and eating Tudor lemon tarts. They were yummy!
Year 4: Captain Sir Tom Moore Wonder Day (inspirational figures from the recent past)
We very much enjoyed our wonder day where we focused on the life and legacy of Captain Sir Tom Moore. He was a truly inspirational man who touched the hearts of people around the world.
Year 4: Ancient Egypt - Ancient Egyptian Burial Masks
We investigated why the ancient Egyptians made burial masks. We looked at lots of examples and then designed our own. We followed our designs closely and used a range of materials to create our masks. We evaluated our work and considered any refinements.
Year 4: Ancient Egyptian Artwork
Inspired by our History topic, Ancient Egypt, we have created some fabulous artwork. We have Egyptian sunsets, sarcophagi and work inspired by Tutankhamun's burial mask. We have used a range of materials including paint, pastels and collage.
Year 4: Tudor Wonder Day 2020
We all had a wonderful time during our 'Tudor Wonder Day' when we were visited by Henry VIII and Catherine Parr. We found out all about the Tudor monarchs, in particular Henry VIII and discovered what happened to each of his wives. We investigated Tudor artefacts and discussed what they were used for. We also found out about Tudor food, clothing, weapons and punishments.
Year 4 & 5 Roman Wonder Day
Year 5 - Chocolate Workshop
Today, as part of our history work around the Maya, Year 5 were taken on an exciting, comprehensive and very carefully crafted ‘chocolate journey’. The children had to work really hard to become a “Level 10 CHOCOLATOLOGIST” (the highest level!). Here are just a few areas covered today: A summary of the history & origins of chocolate from 1000 BC to date, including what the Maya did with cocoa beans Where cocoa trees grow and why it’s specific to rainforests and what’s happening to rainforests (deforestation) The cocoa harvesting process: what happens on a cocoa tree plantation in a rainforest Sensory testing of chocolate using our 5 senses The main ideas behind Fairtrade A practical chocolate making session
Year 5 Wonder Day - A True Inspiration: Captain Sir Tom Moore
Over the last year we have been inspired by many people who have worked tirelessly for the good of others. We thank God for all those working in the NHS and those amazing scientists who have given us all hope by developing the vaccine that will hopefully help some form of normality to return. Their work and commitment was recognised by one very special man: Captain Sir Tom Moore who sadly passed away on the 2nd February 2021 at the wonderful age of 100. Today we focused our learning on this inspirational gentleman, learning about his life and the acts of kindness that he showed in his final year. He certainly followed in the footsteps of Jesus and we had a fantastic day learning all about him whether we were in school or at home! Some were inspired to write poetry; others were inspired to create fantastic artwork! Enjoy!
Year 5 - Vikings: A visit to Murton Park
Today Year 5 were Viking settlers and experienced first-hand the daily life of a Viking family at Murton Park! We arrived in a new land and tried to make a new life for ourselves and families. In our Viking village, we learnt lots of new skills and the hard work and dangers that were part of daily life. As well as domestic tasks such as firewood collecting, grinding grain to make bread and making oil lamps, we also had to learn about farming and how to guard our homes against danger. The day ended with a visit to the longhouse to compare our homes with the home of a Viking Lord, and the arrival of an unexpected visitor...
Year 5 - Maya Archaeologist Visit
On Friday 13th December, Dr Diane Davies came to visit Year 5. Dr Diane Davies is an archaeologist. During our workshop, we learnt so many fascinating facts on the Maya! Here are some of the things we looked at:
-How archaeologists gain an understanding about the past from only the material remains -Information about the rainforest and what it is like to work there -The magnificent achievements of the Maya in architecture, art, maths, astronomy, the calendar, writing and chocolate -Handling and carrying out historical enquiry with a vast collection of artefacts -Calculating using the Maya number system
Viking Ventures with Year 6
Our Year 6 class had an incredible Victorious Viking Day in June 2021. The focus of their learning was to interpret the Viking and the Anglos Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England, deepening their historical understanding. Over the Wonder Day, Year 6 were able to understand the various sources of evidence to represent the past, interpreting these using primary and secondary sources of evidence from the era. They made links between key events from the Viking and Anglo Saxon perid, offering explanations about why people in the past acted in the way they did. They deepened their knowledge of interpreting History, continuity and change, cause and consequence and the significance of the era. I was beyond impressed with the learning that took place. Great effort Year 6! Watch our video to see snapshots of our learning!
Year 6 - Athenians vs Spartans
In our History work this half term, Year 6 are studying the Ancient Greeks. This week we looked at the fascinating comparison between life in Athens and Sparta. In our groups, we all took on the role of a panel member: host, Athenian, Spartan or a visitor. We worked together to create questions and responses from each panel member and then acted them out in front of our class mates.
Year 6 - Captain Sir Tom Moore
On Friday 12th February, St. Anthony’s celebrated the life of Captain Sir Tom Moore and completed activities throughout the day which were inspired by him and his amazing outlook on life. We started the day by writing poems about him and then all the Year 6 children could select tasks (relating to all areas of the curriculum) to work on independently or with their siblings. Mrs Nicholson really enjoyed looking through all the work we submitted onto Google Classroom, these included: artwork of Captain Tom, fact files, rainbows, 100 mathematical calculations, science experiments linked to the number 100 as well as finding out what Beeston was like 100 years and researching Edward Jenner and the first ever vaccine for smallpox. What a wonderful way to end the half term!
Year 6 - British Heroes and Victorians
Year 6 - Chronology
During Spring 2, Year 6's History topic is going to be 'The Victorians.' In our first lesson, we completed a 'British History Timeline' to identify and understand where in historical chronology Queen Victoria reigned. We found it really interesting to see how the Victorians were only around 200 years ago in comparison to other aspects of British History we have studied previously (like the Roman Britian and the Vikings) which are over 1000 years ago. We are really looking forward to finding out more about Queen Victoria, the Industrial Revolution, inventions during this era as well as medicial developments too.
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