What Historical Association does

The Historical Association (HA) is the UK's national charity for history, founded in 1906 and incorporated by Royal Charter (charity no. 1120261), with headquarters at 59a Kennington Park Road, London. It serves a multi-tier audience that includes primary and secondary school teachers and subject leaders, academic historians, university history departments, students aged 14-18, and history enthusiasts. The organisation is governed by a trustee council elected by the membership, with day-to-day operations led by Chief Executive Rebecca Sullivan; a small London-based staff team is supplemented by more than 200 volunteers serving as branch officers, workshop leaders, researchers and contributors.

The HA's product portfolio centres on four publications: Primary History magazine (termly), Teaching History journal (quarterly, 50+ years of curriculum insight), The Historian magazine (quarterly, general interest), and the peer-reviewed academic journal History (continuous since 1912, co-published with Wiley and held in 4,000+ international research libraries). These are delivered through a content-and-community website (history.org.uk) holding 8,000+ pages of articles, a library of 450+ podcasts organised by region and theme, on-demand short courses, an Interpretation film series, and lesson sequences. CPD and webinars are delivered via Zoom and the Cademy booking platform, while the network of 40+ local branches across UK cities provides in-person lectures and community programming. Accreditation products — History Quality Mark for schools and Chartered Teacher of History (CTHist) for individual teachers — embed the HA into school improvement and teacher professional development workflows.

Revenue operates on a diversified charity model combining individual and corporate membership subscriptions (10,000+ paid members), publication sales, CPD events and webinars, sponsorships and advertising (e.g., AQA), donations and legacies, and an annual conference. Corporate primary membership is priced at £93 (incl. VAT) per school with capacity for up to twelve staff; CPD events carry 20-40% member discounts. Distribution to research libraries runs through Wiley globally; print and digital publications also reach 4,000+ UK schools. The HA is a founding member of EUROCLIO (European Association of History Educators) and publishes the History Education Research Journal (HERJ) via UCL Press.

Name

Historical Association

Legal name

The Historical Association

Website

https://history.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1906

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Historical Association is the UK's national charity for history, providing publications, CPD programmes and accreditations for primary/secondary teachers, academic historians, and history enthusiasts via 10,000+ paid memberships, 40 local branches, and co-published journals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

History Education Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Culture, Heritage & Tourism Congresses (THAHAJAN), Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

Keywords

• History education resources
• History teacher CPD
• History academic journals
• Membership charity
• School history accreditation

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Individual and corporate school memberships providing access to publications, resources, CPD, and branch events. Membership categories include Primary, Secondary, Historian, and Student.
2. Publications Sales: Sale of journals (Teaching History, Primary History, The Historian, History journal) and other publications to members and non-members
3. CPD Events: Continuing professional development courses, webinars, and training events for teachers with member discounts (20-40% typically)
4. Sponsorships and Advertising: Advertising in publications and sponsorship opportunities for organizations like AQA to reach the history teaching establishment
5. Donations and Legacies: Charitable donations and legacy bequests from members and supporters to develop new resources
6. Annual Conference: Revenue from the HA's annual conference which brings together general history interest and education CPD

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Historical Association is the UK's national charity for history (founded 1906), delivering a membership-based portfolio of history education publications, CPD events and webinars, on-demand short courses, podcasts, and school accreditations to teachers, students, academics, and history enthusiasts. Its core products are four publications (Primary History, Teaching History, The Historian, and the peer-reviewed History journal co-published with Wiley) alongside a tiered membership programme, professional development events, and a national network of 40+ local branches.

Product overview

The Historical Association operates as a membership-based organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational products and services centered on history education and public engagement. The core offerings include four main print/digital publications: Primary History (magazine for primary educators), Teaching History (journal for secondary teachers), The Historian (general interest magazine), and History (peer-reviewed academic journal with Wiley). These are delivered alongside a membership programme with tiered options (Primary, Secondary, Historian, Student, Corporate) providing access to CPD events and webinars, a podcast library of over 450 titles, short courses, interpretation film series, lesson sequences, and student resources. The HA also administers awards including Young Quills, The Great Debate, and Quality Mark/Chartered Teacher accreditations for schools. The annual conference at haconference.com serves as a flagship public engagement event. Digital resources include the Student Zone, subject leader guides (corporate exclusive), and a website with over 8000 pages of content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Primary History
• Teaching History
• The Historian
• History (Journal)
• CPD Events and Webinars
• Podcast Library
• HA Quality Mark
• Chartered Teacher of History
• Young Quills Award
• The Great Debate
• Membership Programme
• Corporate Primary Membership
• HA Short Courses
• HA Annual Conference
• Interpretation Film Series

Quantifiable outcome

• World-leading publications reach staff in over 4000 UK schools
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EUROCLIO - European Association of History EducatorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Historical Association is a founding member of EUROCLIO, established in 1992 at the request of the Council of Europe to build bridges between history education professionals from all parts of Europe. The HA supports EUROCLIO's mission to inspire and empower educators to engage learners in innovative and responsible history and citizenship education.
• AQAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAQA is an exam board that sponsors the HA and provides resources and training for history teachers. Their sponsorship offers advertising opportunities to reach the history teaching establishment.
• Wiley (for History journal)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHistory journal, the peer-reviewed academic journal of the Historical Association, is co-published with Wiley and available in over 4000 international research libraries worldwide.
• UCL Press (for HERJ)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHistory Education Research Journal (HERJ) is published in partnership with UCL Press, an open-access academic publisher.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Historical Association: The largest professional society for historians in the US, with membership, the American Historical Review, annual meeting, and advocacy function. Cross-Atlantic peer with comparable mission (advancing history study and teaching) and publication-driven revenue model.
• EUROCLIO (European Association of History Educators): Pan-European association for history educators, of which the HA is a founding member. Comparable mission (innovative history and citizenship education), with international events, publications, and teacher networks; a directly comparable peer at the international level.
• National Association for the Teaching of English (NATE): UK subject association for English teachers offering membership, journals, CPD, and conferences. Closely mirrors the HA's membership-and-CPD model in a sibling curriculum subject and competes for the same school CPD budget.
• Royal Historical Society: The UK's national learned society for historians, founded 1868. A comparable UK membership-based professional society advancing the study of history, with similar publications, fellowships, and advocacy remit. Closest direct peer in subject and membership model.
• Geographical Association: UK subject association for geography educators with a very similar business model: membership subscriptions, subject journals (Primary Geography, Geography), CPD events, and branch network. Provides a near-exact analogue of the HA's operating model in a sibling humanities subject.
• English Association: UK membership charity for English literature and language educators. Operates with comparable tiered membership, academic journals, regional branches, and teacher CPD, making it a strong structural peer in the school subject-association space.
• Association for Science Education: UK's largest subject association for science educators, with comparable membership tiers, journals (Primary Science, School Science Review), CPD events, and branches. Strong analogue for the HA's operating model, scaled to a larger school subject.

Broad incumbents

• Chartered College of Teaching: UK chartered professional body for the teaching profession, offering Chartered Teacher status and member resources. Overlaps with the HA's Chartered Teacher of History programme but operates across all subjects, representing a broader-incumbent alternative for teacher accreditation.
• National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS): US-based professional association for social studies educators, broader in scope than the HA (covering multiple subjects including history). Comparable membership-and-publications model with annual conference and curriculum resources.

Emerging players

• History Hit: Digital-native history media company producing podcasts, documentaries, and a subscription streaming service. Targets the same history-enthusiast audience as the HA with a consumer-focused, venture-backed model; an emerging competitor for audience attention and digital subscription spend.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@HistoricalAssocUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/historical-association

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Historical Association