History

Intent

The National Curriculum states that ‘a high-quality history education will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world. It should inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past.’ Through our own high-quality teaching and learning experiences in History we intend to inspire our pupils in the same way.

When teaching History we aim to develop our pupil’s knowledge, skills and understanding. To encourage them to question, think critically, seek evidence and to develop a deep understanding of the past and its impact on both the present and the future. Through a carefully mapped out curriculum we aim to develop our children’s Historical understanding through a range of aspects. Including, Chronological Understanding; Historical Understanding; Historical Enquiry; Interpretations of History and knowledge of significant events and people. Through History our pupils will find out about how and why our country and the wider the world have developed and been shaped over time. They will understand how cultures and communities, including our local community, have changed and the impacts of this change. We aim to foster our children’s wonder at the richness and diversity of human culture, as well as helping our pupils to understand and question some of the complex issues surrounding how societies and cultures have changed. We also aim to encourage our pupils to consider their own role within History and to allow them to understand how what they learn through history can influence their own decisions, attitudes and values.

 

Implementation

Our History curriculum is based on the Maestro Cornerstones 22 curriculum. History is taught via knowledge rich projects that take place over a whole half term.  The History projects are well sequenced to provide a coherent subject scheme that develops children’s historical knowledge, skills and subject disciplines. The sequencing of projects ensures that children have the knowledge and vocabulary to comprehend subsequent projects fully. History projects have also been planned to ensure that key aspects and concepts, such as chronology, similarity and difference, significance and civilisation, are revisited throughout projects across our whole school curriculum and are developed as children move through the school.

All projects also develop historical skills and enquiry.  We strive to use our local community and environment to enrich the learning, for example inviting members of our village in to school to talk about changes that have occurred or to learn about the Roman settlement links to our school site.  We further enrich our children’s History learning through a wide range of engagement activities such as: topic experience days, using replica and real artefacts and class trips.

To ensure coverage across our mixed age classes, History topics are planning over a two-year rolling programme. Please read the curriculum overview to see where the History projects are taught throughout the school.

 

Impact

Our curriculum allows children to take part in a wide range of high-quality learning experiences that are exciting and inspire them to be curious.  In lessons, our children are engaged and interested to learn, whilst also keen to share their own knowledge of topics.  Children talk about the subject positively and understand the important role History has to play in their own lives and within the world.  Through History we are allowing our children to not only to learn about the past but also to understand their own role in shaping the future.

This is what our pupils think about History in our school;

“You find out cool facts!”

“We learn about interesting things like the Romans.”

“We can learn how we should behave in the past so that some things don’t happen again.”

“It teaches us that life isn’t all about technology.”

“You can be like a detective and find out about history.”