This article focuses on the progression of understanding of historical significance of students in England and Spain, and qualitative research that has been completed in England and Spain in relation to three different age groups: 12-13, 14-15 and 16-17 year olds. There are two main sources that contribute to the significance of the project: the theoretical understandings of the historians and the empirical analysis of students’ ideas. Significance in history education research refers to the exploration of students’ ideas, the general progression and interpretation of historical knowledge. The study explored in this article has three main aims: exploring the understating of historical significance of English and Spanish students, categorizing and mapping these concepts, and investigating the similarities and differences of progression in each country. The author continues with a discussion of the academic context of the research through a discussion of the educational theory and practice in England and how history education has evolved in the country over the years. He also discusses the institutional contexts of Spain and England both in terms of the educational systems and the educational traditions. He continues with a discussion of the methods and research tools used including data analysis and five types of historical significance: contemporary, casual, pattern, symbolic, and present/future. The study aimed to answer three questions: do students view significance in history as fixed or variable; if it is variable to what extent are they aware of possible different attributions; and do they consider that “logic of narrative’ obeys different theories?