History

Intent
Our aims are to fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum for history; providing a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum; ensuring the progressive development of historical concepts, knowledge and skills; and for the children to develop a love for history. Furthermore, we aim to inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about history that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. A high-quality history education will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world preparing them for their next stage of education.

The aims of teaching history in our school are:

To inspire pupils’ curiosity to discover more about the past and to develop an understanding that enables them to enjoy all that history has to offer
To enable children to know about significant events in British history and to appreciate how things have changed over time
To develop a sense of chronology
To understand how Britain is part of a wider European culture and to study some aspects of European history
To have some knowledge and understanding of historical development in the wider world
To help children understand society and their place within it, so that they develop a sense of their cultural heritage
To develop in children the skills of enquiry, investigation, analysis, evaluation, debate, interpretation, problem solving and presentation.

Implementation
Our History curriculum covers the skills and knowledge outlined in the National Curriculum through broad, challenging and inspiring themes. A theme based approach is used to deliver the content within a meaningful context and wherever possible cross curricular links are exploited. However, teachers make it explicit to the children that they are learning history skills and encourage them to think like ‘historians.’
Children are given a wide variety of experiences both in the classroom and out. We encourage school visits and visitors into school to enable the children to gain first hand experiences to support their learning.
Pupils are encouraged to think like historians and develop their skills including historical enquiry. There is a strong emphasis on developing children’s other skills such as understanding of chronology, interpretations of evidence, changes within a time and across time periods and cause and consequence.
The use of knowledge organisers is to aid teachers in planning their knowledge and skills and students, in understanding the expectations by the end of the unit.

Impact

Children to have a passion for History, understanding the importance of studying events and people from the past.
Children are becoming more aware of how historical events have shaped the world that they currently live in.
Children will be able to retain prior-learning and explicitly make connections between what they have previously learned and what they are currently learning.
They will have a further understanding of History on a local level and on a small-scale.
Children will encounter or participate in high-quality visits/visitors to further appreciate the impact of History.
Children will become increasingly critical and analytical within their thinking. Making informed and balanced judgements based on their knowledge of the past.