Written by Catherine Priggs, Educational Leadership and Curriculum Consultant

History classrooms are busy, complex spaces. Pupils arrive with curiosity, questions and misconceptions. They deserve lessons that do more than recount events and that guide them to think historically and understand their place in a much larger tapestry of time.

Teaching history as a non-specialist can feel daunting. Lessons often tackle complex and emotive issues – identity, injustice, war, race, and religion – and the sheer volume of content across Key Stage 3 and GCSE can feel overwhelming. But with the right guidance, strategies, and practical tools, you can approach these challenges with confidence.

This blog is designed to help non-specialist teachers begin to navigate some of the complexities of history teaching, offering clear tips, insights into disciplinary thinking, and practical approaches to delivering engaging, meaningful lessons.

A key starting point is to understand the structures of the discipline.

We aim for pupils to build their disciplinary knowledge – knowledge of how history works and what historians do. One of the ways history teachers attempt to build this knowledge is by making use of disciplinary concepts – ‘abstractions that allow teachers and pupils to give shape and meaning to their study of the past and to engage in its interpretation’ (Priggs et al., 2025).

These concepts, cause and consequence, change and continuity, similarity and difference, significance, evidence, and interpretations, shape pupils’ understanding, helping them form arguments, engage in debate, and approach the past with curiosity and nuance.

Studying the past also requires a concrete focus. A history curriculum should develop pupils’ substantive knowledge – their understanding of events, people, places, and developments. Without this foundation, historical study remains abstract, so teachers must plan for meaningful interactions between substantive and disciplinary knowledge.

Effective teaching embeds these types of knowledge in well-planned historical enquiries, not isolated activities. Each lesson should connect to a larger sequence, driven by an overarching enquiry question. This helps pupils develop both substantive and disciplinary knowledge, helping them to think historically, and make deeper connections.

Key features of a solid history lesson

Even the most carefully planned curriculum is just potential on paper until it’s brought to life in the classroom. So, what does a strong history lesson actually look like in practice?

A solid history lesson is part of a wider sequence, guided by an overarching enquiry question. These questions shape pupils’ growing substantive and disciplinary knowledge, providing focus and direction.

Anchored by enquiry questions, effective lessons include several key features:

• Engaging with primary sources: Lessons come alive when pupils interact with authentic historical evidence. Integrating sources ensures lessons remain concrete, connected to enquiry questions, and embedded within a broader sequence.
• Sequencing and linking lessons: Each lesson contributes to the unfolding narrative of a unit, building on prior knowledge and hinting at what’s coming next. This creates a coherent journey where concepts and facts are revisited in increasingly sophisticated ways, helping pupils situate individual lessons within bigger stories.
• Supporting historical writing: Writing is a core part of historical thinking, not just assessment. Modelling reasoning and guiding practice allow pupils to organise their thoughts, justify arguments, and communicate complex ideas clearly.
• Encouraging discussion and reflection: History lessons often address sensitive or emotive topics. Providing safe spaces for reflection, connected to the overarching enquiry, ensures discussion deepens understanding and contributes to long-term learning.
• Using storytelling and context: Anecdotes, case studies, and examples from academic scholarship make history vivid and relatable. Lessons situate events within broader historical contexts, helping pupils see connections and meaning across the curriculum rather than treating topics in isolation.

Ultimately, teaching history as a non-specialist means helping pupils think historically, draw connections, consider different interpretations, and recognise that history is constructed, not simply recovered.

If these ideas have sparked your interest and you’d like to build confidence in delivering history lessons at Key Stage 3 or GCSE, the Historical Association’s Non-Specialist Induction Course is designed to support you. For just £75, you’ll gain 12 short, practical video sessions covering core content, disciplinary concepts, historical writing, and strategies for tackling sensitive topics, as well as supplementary resources. It’s a flexible, supportive way to build your knowledge of the discipline and strengthen your teaching practice, and will enable you to feel fully prepared to lead engaging and rigorous history lessons, even without a specialist background.