History
Our Curriculum Intent
Subject Leader: Mr Ellis
Our History curriculum aims to give pupils:
A lasting knowledge of:
- People, events, situations and developments
- Chronology and characteristic features
- A wide range of historical vocabulary
An ability to:
- Engage in historical enquiry
- Organise and communicate their knowledge and understanding effectively
A deep understanding of:
- Evidence (sources)
- Different interpretations
- Cause and consequence
- Change and continuity
- Similarity and difference
- Significance
Through our teaching we aim to:
- Help pupils to develop a moral understanding of our past
- Inspire pupil’s curiosity
- Motivate pupils to want to study the subject - nurturing a lifelong engagement with History
- Give them a sense of identity
What do our pupils think it means to be a Historian?:
Developed by our Yr6 pupil 'History Heroes Club'
How is our History curriculum planned?
Early Years Provision
Activities and experiences for pupils are planned according to the areas of learning and development, as outlined in the latest DfE EYFS Framework. All activities will adhere to the objectives set out in this framework. In particular, history-based activities will be used to develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the ‘Past and Present’.
Years 1 to 6 Provision
History is taught as a discrete subject, although links are made with other subjects wherever possible (click here to view these links in our Curriculum Overviews). Each class covers three topics per year (see our topic overview below). Each topic includes enquiry questions focusing on specific disciplinary knowledge and encouraging the children to think like historians (please see our progression of knowledge and skills document below). When planning, all teachers consider the needs of the pupils in their class, including those with SEND, and make adaptions based on these needs. Our plans reflect our local context, particularly in the case of the local history studies in Years 2, 3 and 6. Pupils' learning is enriched through visits, visitors, history walks and educational workshops, inspiring pupils' curiosity to want to find out more about the past. There are also opportunities for flexibility in relation to pupils' interests and also in response to current events and anniversaries.
We have produced Knowledge Organisers for each of the History topics covered by pupils. These include 'sticky knowledge' that we want pupils to remember from each unit of work. They also include a list of key vocabulary that will be covered and Key Stage 2 pupils (Years 3 to 6) are asked to write the definitions of each word as they are taught. You may like to refer to these Knowledge Organisers to find out more about the content covered in each class.
TEACHING APPROACHES
- All topics start with a ‘hook’: This includes enquiry questions, visitors, visits, looking at artefacts, photographs etc.
- All planning uses an enquiry approach, encouraging pupils to think and work like a historian and turning learning into a puzzle to be solved. This includes using primary sources and artefacts to answer historical questions.
- Teachers plan one visit, or visitor, every term to consolidate and enhance learning (click here for our Visits and Visitors overview).
- Teachers routinely recap on work covered to help pupils retain key substantive knowledge. This includes the use of low stakes quizzes.
- All pupils complete summative ‘Key Assessment Tasks’ at the end of their unit of work linked to their enquiry question. This helps inform ongoing teacher assessments of attainment and progress.
Local Historical Places of Interest
You may wish to visit the following places with your child-
| EYs |
Local places of interest:
|
|---|---|
| 1 |
My Family History: House on the Hill Toy Museum Toy Collection: The Greatest Explorers: National Maritime Museum Significant People - Little People, Big Dreams book series by Isabel Sánchez Vegara: |
| 2 | |
| 3 | Iron Age Roundhouse: Chiltern Open Air Museum |
| 4 |
Egyptians: The British Museum |
| 5 | Anglo-Saxon Sutton Hoo Artefacts: The British Museum |
| 6 |
WW1 and WW2: Battle of Britain Bunker (Uxbridge) Uxbridge War Memorial |
Useful Websites - Class Topics
English Heritage: 'A Day in the Life' video series -
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/members-area/kids/kids_videos/