British Working Class History

These packs have been developed in collaboration with history teachers and the Working Class Movement Library. They have been designed to utilise the WCML’s wealth of primary resources that cover the history of the industrial working classes in Britain. 

The packs cater for KS3 and KS4 students and cover the topics of the Peterloo Massacre, the Luddites, the Chartists, Irish Immigration, Trade Unions and the Women’s struggle for the vote. 

Included are primary resources, lesson plans, suggested activities and a guide on applying these to the curriculum. 

The learning packs aim to directly support the development of historical skills and concepts whilst aligning with the National Curriculum. Students are taught to handle historical evidence, contemporary accounts, and representations. These sources provide a rich repository of first-hand evidence for pupils to weigh up and use rigorously to make historical claims. To help pupils understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, pupils are invited to make comparisons between past and present attitudes. Other skills and concepts, such as interpretations and causation, are also developed through questions and resources.