*New* Y5/6 (B): What was the Sikh Empire?
Exploring how the Sikh Empire was founded and its legacy.
We’re monitoring the upcoming 2025 National Curriculum updates and will revise our resources when we know more. Learn more
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*New* Y5/6 (B): What was the Sikh Empire?
Please note
This new unit for 2024/25 gives greater opportunities for the children to explore sources and includes new teaching resources designed to enrich their learning and deepen their understanding of the topic. The Archived unit: The Sikh Empire will no longer be updated.
Unit outcomes
Pupils who are secure will be able to:
- Explain terms such as unification and absolute power.
- Identify the skills and behaviours of leaders that contributed to achieving a goal.
- Describe and assess the impact of beliefs on change.
- Identify the significance of a place.
- Make deductions and inferences from sources.
- Apply criteria to decide and explain historical significance.
- Describe how and why interpretations are different.
- Make observations and explain historical achievements.
This unit prepares the children for the challenges of Key stage 3 History.
Y5/6 (B): What is the legacy of the ancient Greek civilisation?
Get startedLessons
Y5/6 (B): Lesson 1: How did the Sikh Empire begin?
- To explain how the Sikh Empire was established using a timeline and map.
Y5/6 (B): Lesson 2: How do Sikh beliefs impact society?
- To describe the impact of Sikh beliefs on society during the Sikh Empire.
Y5/6 (B): Lesson 3: What made Lahore important to the Sikh Empire?
- To recognise the significance of Lahore in the Sikh Empire.
Y5/6 (B): Lesson 4: Why is Ranjit Singh historically significant?
- To evaluate the historical significance of Ranjit Singh.
Y5/6 (B): Lesson 5: How do different interpretations shape our understanding of the Sikh Empire?
- To analyse different interpretations of the Sikh Empire.
Y5/6 (B): Lesson 6: How do the achievements of Sophia Duleep Singh compare to Ranjit Singh?
- To compare the achievements of Ranjit Singh and Sophia Duleep Singh.
Related content
Unit resources

Knowledge organiser: What was the Sikh Empire?
Aimed at pupils, two pages providing key facts and definitions from the unit 'What was the Sikh Empire?'.

Vocabulary display – History Y5/6 (B): What was the Sikh Empire?
A display version of key vocabulary from the 'What was the Sikh Empire?' unit.
Cross-curricular opportunities
English: Reading comprehension, Spoken language.
British values: Mutual respect, Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.
Religious Education
Geography: Human geography.