With the first teaching of a revised history curriculum due in September 2008 the debate over content and order is well under way. Robert Guyver, involved in the design of the curriculum development experiment that evolved into the 1991 version of national curriculum history, witnessed the debates about all of the key stages in that crucial year. He now draws on his experience to offer a set of suggestions for the new design. As his personal focus is in primary education, this article is an evaluation of current Key Stage 3 history in the wider context of national curriculum history. Writing in a spirit of debate and discussion, Guyver considers the varying definitions of "Britishness" behind the debate before offering his own, thematic model for the new curriculum.