History

Our curriculum is designed to help our pupils understand that History is a disciplined process of investigation into the past which develops curiosity and imagination. Awareness of history is an essential characteristic of any society, and historical knowledge is fundamental to understanding ourselves and others. It promotes the understanding of societies, events, movements and developments that have shaped humanity from earliest times. It helps pupils appreciate how the world and its people have changed, as well as the significant continuities that exist to the present day. Through learning History, our pupils will understand that history is the narrative of the past and that they are the characters in the narrative of shaping the future.

History Curriculum Intent

In terms of DELIVERING EQUITY, we envisage by the end of Year 6 that our pupils will be history-ready for the next stage of learning and historically curious. Our pupils are knowledgeable about the core aspects of the topics they’ve studied and make links between events and historical periods. They possess growing conceptual skills to interrogate dominant versions of history and recognise the importance and significance of hearing unheard voices from the past. Our pupils are secondary school ready for higher level study of the subject.

Progressive layering of knowledge, embedded in long-term memory, scaffolds pupils to:

Understand the chronology of major historical eras and events studied
Develop an extensive base of historical vocabulary
Recognise the difference between primary and secondary sources of evidence
Expand knowledge of causes and consequences of significant world events studied
Develop knowledge of significant individuals and places who/that have influenced life today

Application of Conceptual Understanding – occurs when new information and ideas are incorporated into pupils’ existing knowledge through:

Understanding chronology and realising that historical events and eras are organised by historians
Appreciating that time periods can have both similarities and differences and criteria can be used to compare periods of time
Understanding that knowledge is unique to each time period, but is interconnected over time
Recognising the defining characteristic features of a period or event through physical features, such as dress, architecture, transport, and the ideas that shape the period
Understanding that historical events and actions link together and lead to others in a ripple effect
Recognising that the past does not change but our views and understanding of past do

History Curriculum Implementation

To achieve our intent, our History curriculum will provide the following:

A progressive, sequential journey of knowledge, skills and concepts from EYFS to Year 6, encompassing the depth and breadth of the history curriculum
Immersion in studies relating to a wide range of local, national and world history as well as modern and ancient history
Opportunities to address potential cultural capital disadvantage
A focus on subject specific vocabulary to equip children with the language to express their historical knowledge, questions, justification and opinions with precision and confidence, alongside a conscious and specific inclusion of Tier 2 and 3 vocabularies to ensure pupils can convey their ideas effectively and accurately
Explicit links with high quality texts, including models, use of technology and practical resources and artefacts, to provide contextual links and reinforce historical knowledge
Key outcomes, described as ‘sticky knowledge,’ which form the foundation of prior and subsequent learning
Higher order, subject-specific questions to assess knowledge and understanding
Enhanced learning through memorable experiences and visiting experts
Adapted learning and teaching to support those with additional needs through the pre-teaching of chronology, the sequence of time, historical vocabulary, the use of worked examples as models and a focus on creating cross-curricular links between history and other subjects
Targeted support for children with English as an additional language including peer collaboration, specific language learning objectives and adaptation based on their current language acquisition
Adapted learning and teaching to challenge all pupils to understand concepts on a deeper level such as chronology, significance, impact, change and continuity
Learning opportunities that encourage children to develop a genuine interest in and appreciation for the past, notable historical individuals, historical key decisions and key historical events

History Curriculum Impact

Pupils enjoy learning about different time periods and eras, places, people and cultures and demonstrate empathy and critical thinking towards them
Pupils develop awareness of history that is specific to their community and location in the United Kingdom
They discuss knowledge and concepts they have learned confidently, enthusiastically and passionately during and crucially after their learning
Pupils will be able to recall the significant and meaningful facts about a particular unit of history. This could be specific dates, people or places
Pupils can form and express their own opinions and ask their own questions, founded in historical knowledge and skills, including current, previous, local and global issues and events
They are aware of how we learn about the past and how information about the past should be questioned due to passage of time and interpretation
Pupils understand a wide range of historical vocabulary and use it with precision
They learn to question and challenge stereotypes
Pupils develop appreciation for the sacrifices that other people have made in the past that impacts upon our lives today