It is our aim for children to leave our school as enthusiastic and competent historians who have a breadth and depth of understanding to equip them in their secondary education and beyond.
Our History curriculum is designed so pupils build knowledge and skills sequentially over time. Careful thought has been given to curriculum design. For example, in Key Stage 1 children are taught about people and events which are from within living memory. This allows them to reflect on the knowledge of themselves, parents and grandparents. They also begin to draw comparisons between the past and the present using themes which are within their zones of relevance: schools and toys. In Key Stage 2, pupils delve deeper into history beyond living memory, building on solid foundations from Reception and Key Stage 1.
In mixed age classes, children work on a rolling programme to ensure coverage of the National Curriculum and ensure the full breadth of the historical periods studied. However, pupils are always taught to reflect on their prior learning to help them link events in history. Events and time periods taught are frequently link across previous units of work. For example, similarities between ancient civilisations are referred to, ensuring children understand that different civilisations were able to exist simultaneously around different parts of the world. To ensure children understand how time periods linked together, each lesson in our codified approach begins with chronology, which can range from investigating timelines to explore how time periods overlap to investigating how advancements in technology have developed throughout history.
In History, we follow best research practice and recognise the disciplinary concepts as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity and difference and significance. The ways in which children develop these disciplinary skills over time is demonstrated on the table above.
End of Key Stage outcomes are taken from ELG’s with a specific historical focus* as well as National Curriculum outcomes for the end of Key Stage. In order to make children’s progress develop on an upward trajectory, the objectives are split into targeted year groups. Furthermore, the history curriculum at our school is bespoke to the children’s experiences and local history linked to the local area to ensure children develop an understanding of local history, the history of our country and also the history of civilisations around the world.