History

Intent

• To gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world.
• To inspire pupils’ curiosity to know more about the past by asking perceptive questions, thinking critically, weighing evidence, sifting arguments, and developing perspective and judgement.

Aims

The national curriculum for History aims to ensure that all pupils:

• Know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world
• Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind
• Gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’
• Understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses
• Understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed
• Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.

Implementation

• We start each topic with a Stunning Start. This could be a school visit, trip or activity that sets the context and inspires children to learn about the past.
• We promote child-led learning by encouraging the children to generate their own questions at the start of each topic, which can then be explored and investigated.
• We end each topic with a Fantastic Finish. This could be a school visit, trip or activity that celebrates children's learning and creates life-long memories regarding knowledge of the past.
• We bring History to life through real life experiences such as trips or visits.
• We learn through an enquiry based approach, which encourages children to question and develop resilience through collaborative problem solving, discussions and independent research.
• We use an investigative, hands on approach to challenge children's thinking, ensuring that all learning styles are catered for.
• Our knowledge based curriculum promotes historical vocabulary, which the children utilise within collaborative learning opportunities. This enables children to become articulate speakers.

Impact

• Teachers enjoy teaching History and pupils enjoy studying History.
• Children are critical thinkers and ask and answer historical questions. By Year 6 they have well-developed historical knowledge and understanding as well as the ability to investigate, consider and reflect the events of the past.
• Children use accurate historical vocabulary and terminology when they talk and write about History.
• The high levels of engagement and involvement mean that children make good progress.
• Pupils see the relevance to their lives through exploring the local and regional context wherever possible, not least through a range of educational visits and visitors, which are integrated fully with learning in the classroom.
• Children are enabled to learn not only about the world but also how it works, how it fits together and how to make a difference and become positive contributors to it.