This paper will outline the nature of the project and briefly discuss the preliminary results.

The Nuffield Primary History Project team have worked alongside teachers in Primary schools to develop a set of teaching materials for the Key stage 1 and 2 history curriculum. They have also designed In-Service courses for teachers based on the idea of ‘doing history’, with active learning as a central element.

Teachers were involved in:

• conducting historical investigations to develop an understanding of the nature of history
• Experiencing different approaches to the teaching and learning of history.
• Action research/reflective practice; each teacher was asked to try out an approach they had encountered on a course in their classroom and report their findings to a wider audience.

Initial results from teacher interviews and classroom observation indicate that the approach advocated by the Nuffield project team has changed the practice of the teachers involved in the project.