History

INTENT

• To deliver a high-quality History education that offers pupils a chronological understanding whilst gaining knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world.
• To aid and focus learning across the school by using the following four key concepts:

   

  Chronology: Understanding different periods of history and how they relate to each other in time.

  Significance and Interpretations: Questions and explanations about the different experiences of groups or individuals in periods of history and their significance.

  Cause and Effect: Children understand different events through history and their effect on the world.

  Change and Continuity: Considering how and why changes have occurred, are occurring and will occur in the future.

   

• We equip children with the essential characteristics to help them become historians whilst giving all students a broad and balanced view of the history of Britain and other societies.

IMPLEMENTATION

Our curriculum is built upon prior understanding for children to truly develop and embed a sense of time and how civilisations are interconnected. In line with the National Curriculum 2014, History topics are carefully planned and structured to ensure that current learning is linked to previous learning. By the end of Year 6, children will have a chronological understanding of British history from the Stone Age to the present day. A whole school calendar revisits important dates for children to gain coherent knowledge of the world’s past.

Teachers ensure key knowledge is embedded through quality teaching, the environment and a range of resources. A progressive whole school vocabulary document allows children to build on their language relating to the passing of time whilst simultaneously exploring topic specific vocabulary.  Cross curricular outcomes in History are specifically planned for, providing strong links with Writing and Reading lessons enabling further contextual learning.

Knowledge Organisers are used to provide pupils with an understanding of key vocabulary and ideas. These are displayed in classes, revisited and then tested via retrieval practice (for example: low-stake testing). At the beginning of a lesson, children from Year 1 – Year 6 explore learning from the previous year, previous lesson, significant people, and important dates. This constant repetition of key vocabulary and concepts helps strengthen our pupils’ knowledge and understanding.

Key knowledge is then explored, giving children the opportunity to build on key historical skills and concepts through different units. Children interpret different views of history and investigate parts of history. We aim for children to present, organise and communicate their knowledge and skills through our driving and enquiry questions.

Through these skills and concepts, children will ask perceptive and comparative questions; think critically; weigh evidence; and develop the skills of perspective and judgement. For example. Children explore a range of primary and secondary sources and come to conclusions about the reliability of different accounts of history. We believe that children need to understand how the past affects them today and for pupils to gain a sense of their own identity.

A timeline of all periods of history covered at our school is presented in school for classes to refer back to previous learning and develop a chronological understanding and order of events. Displays are specific to the history project path and highlight key enquiry questions, knowledge, vocabulary, or dates. These are referred to throughout the term to ensure children’s knowledge and understanding are always being revisited.  

IMPACT

The impact and measure of this is to ensure that children at Grimoldby Primary School are equipped with historical skills and knowledge. We want pupils to have enjoyed learning about history; recall their learning overtime; and understand the world they are part of. Enabling children with the ability to think critically and with perspective ensures them will be ready for the curriculum at Key Stage 3 and for life as an adult in the wider world.